Ithaca Pride Festival 2026
“United We Rise”
June 12th - 14th, 2026
Multiple Locations in Downtown Ithaca
Our Celebration of Joyful Queer Community
Welcome to Ithaca Pride Festival 2026, the centerpiece event of the Ithaca Pride Alliance.
Our mission with the Ithaca Pride Alliance is to advance the well-being, connection, and sense of belonging for the LGBTQ+ community across Ithaca and Tompkins County. Ithaca’s annual four-day festival is the centerpiece of this work, our support for community coming together in an act of joy and queer power where we can gather and connect, celebrate, create art, and be loud and proud. Ithaca Pride is where we activate a visible queer community, standing together to celebrate our connections, support local LGBTQ+ businesses, connect to resources, play and find joy with our children and families, and honor our queer history by making new memories. We can’t do it without you!
Main Events Schedule
One festival. Three days of joyful events.
Check back here regularly for updates on vendors, performances, accessibility information, and other details as plans for the Festival come together.
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6pm-1am | The Noctural Cafe
Amplify your pride and perform for your community. Our third annual Rainbow Fest hosted by Ithaca Underground features electric performances that showcase the diverse bands and performers from our region. Come for the music, stay for the shared energy of a rock show showcasing our queer talent!
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3pm-10pm on The Commons
We begin by celebrating by moving our bodies on the dance floor! Join us for an All-Ages Dance Party that invites kids and adults and everyone in our community to celebrate together. Expect guest speakers, a DJ and light show, and fun community activities.
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10am-6pm at Dewitt Park & Cayuga St.
Ithaca’s full-day festival will be held on Sunday, June 14th and is the centerpiece of a weekend-long celebration of inclusivity and belonging for our community. This year we are expanding the footprint of Pride so get ready for the biggest celebration yet!
Performance Stage: Drag artists and musicians, and family-friend story time and other entertainment
Community Hub: Expect shopping from local artistic vendors, information from organizations supporting LGBTQ+ resources and advocacy, and promotions from local queer-owned and queer-supporting businesses!
Family & Youth: Activities designed to ensure families of all structures feel a deep sense of belonging.
Connection: Pride is a place to meet neighbors and friends, and gain old friends and new.
Your festival. Our community’s spirit of pride.
Join Pride as a Volunteer
Ithaca Pride is 100% run by volunteers! We’re looking for friendly faces, creative decorators, logistics pros, and family-zone helpers to make this year’s festival unforgettable.
Whether you’re front-and-center or behind-the-scenes, your energy makes Pride happen.
All volunteers receive a free t-shirt, and those working on Sunday during Pride in the Park will receive food & drink vouchers from our sponsors. Most shifts are 2.5hrs long, and you can swap or change shifts up until the week of Pride.
RainbowFest Queer Rock Concert
Friday June 12th, 2026 | 7pm - 1am at The Nocturnal Café
Hosted by Ithaca Underground, Rainbow Fest is an all-ages queer rock concert that brings together musicians, drag performers, & visual artists from across the community and beyond to celebrate LGBTQIA+ identities, culture, and community. Drag and musical performances will be held all night long - get ready to party!
Accessibility Information
The Nocturnal Café is accessed through a flight of stairs. This is an all-ages venue and show.
Event Details
6PM Doors | Music 7PM-1AM
$15 no-fee advance tickets (on sale in May) | $20 day-of-show
All proceeds go directly to the performers and musicians!
Help make local music possible by supporting our artists.
Interested in playing? Want to learn more? Visit ithacaunderground.org.
Meet the 2026 Grand Marshall:
Luca Maurer, Executive Director for Student Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at Ithaca College
Luca is a scholar-practitioner who serves as Executive Director for Student Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at Ithaca College. He has worked across the United States and abroad with students and teachers, families and caregivers, faith communities, workplaces, and professionals in education, social services, healthcare, law enforcement, and more. Luca was honored with the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists’ (AASECT) 2016 Book Award for his book, “The Teaching Transgender Toolkit: A Facilitator’s Guide to Increasing Knowledge, Decreasing Prejudice & Building Skills.” Written with William Patterson University Assistant Professor Eli R. Green, the toolkit provides resources and best practices to those wishing to facilitate trainings about transgender people, identities and experiences. His multidisciplinary collaborations with students and colleagues are wide-ranging and have earned awards from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, the American College Personnel Association, and the American Historical Association.
Luca’s research interests include diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, LGBTQ themes, intersectionality, global health, disability, and interactive learning tools for teaching about often-erased community histories. He is also the first adjunct to receive Ithaca College's highest academic honor, the Faculty Excellence Award. Luca has also written a variety of books, journal articles, chapters, and curricula, and has taught at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
🪩 Pride Kick-Off Celebration & All-Ages Dance Party 🪩
Saturday, June 13th, 2026
4pm - 10pm at The Bernie Milton Pavilion
We begin by celebrating by moving our bodies on the (outdoor community) dance floor! Join us for an All-Ages Dance Party and short opening remarks by our grand marshal and community leaders as we reflect and celebrate the meaning of Pride. Expect guest speakers, community tabling, a DJ and light show, and fun community activities.
Event Details
Family-friendly activities for kids, local community resources tabling, and an affirmation station to make you feel your best for Pride! We will have a kick-off ceremony with the 2026 Ithaca Pride Grand Marshall, and a few words from local sponsors and key affiliates, followed by a fun, loud, all-ages dance party with local DJs.
Accessibility Information
The Bernie Milton Pavilion is located on the Ithaca Commons and is wheelchair accessible. Handicap parking is available on the street and in parking garages nearby. An accessibility coordinator will be available day-of to help with specific needs. Expect loud amplified sound and moderate crowds.
Luca Maurer, 2026 Ithaca Pride Festival Grand Marshall
🏳️🌈 Ithaca Community Pride Festival 🏳️🌈
Sunday June 14th, 2026 from 10am - 8pm
Dewitt Park, N. Cayuga St. and Bernie Milton Pavilion
Ithaca’s full-day festival will be held on Sunday, June 14th and is the centerpiece of a weekend-long celebration of inclusivity and belonging for our community. This year we are expanding the footprint of Pride so get ready for the biggest celebration yet!
Two performance stages: Drag artists and musicians, and family-friendly story time and other entertainment will be spread across two stages this year - one near Dewitt Park on N. Cayuga St. with performances from Noon - 6pm, and a second series at Bernie Milton Pavilion starting later in the afternoon and wrapping up at 8pm.
Community Hub: Expect shopping from local artistic vendors, information from organizations supporting LGBTQ+ resources and advocacy, and promotions from local queer-owned and queer-supporting businesses! We’ve expanded down the entire block of N. Cayuga St. from Dewitt Park to the Commons this year, so get ready for more resources, local businesses, and artists!
Family & Youth: Join us for the youth parade, which kicks off at 11:30am for a short stroll down N. Cayuga St.! Activities are designed to ensure families of all structures feel a deep sense of belonging.
Connection: Pride is a place to meet neighbors and friends, and gain old friends and new. Consider volunteering with us to meet new friends, and enjoy community activities like yoga offered at Pride in Dewitt Park. More details coming soon.
Accessibility Information
Information coming soon!
Share Your Pride Event or Activity
Community members, social clubs, and local businesses are encouraged to host their own Pride Events
The Ithaca Pride Alliance publishes community events happening in June in our annual printed Pride Guide, and shares events from other organizations on our social media. Examples of community Pride events from previous years include clothing swaps, queer board game nights, drag shows, and more! Submit your event to get the word out. If you would like a full-page ad or special feature in the Pride Guide, please contact our fundraising team.
Meet our Sponsors
Our sponsors make Pride possible. Learn more about these local supporters, and thank them for making our festival and weekend activities a success.
Can you help us fund a successful Pride Festival this year? The Ithaca Pride Festival is 100% funded by local businesses and individual donations - every dollar counts and is appreciated.