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  "description": "This Pride month, Kansas has a little bit of everything for everyone. Celebrations will take place in 16 communities across the state in June (and two more in October).",
  "path": "/your-guide-to-pride-in-kansas/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-05T20:09:28.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.shoutwichita.com",
  "tags": [
    "Gilbert Baker",
    "artist",
    "Rainbow Flag",
    "Sharice Davids",
    "Ruby Dandridge",
    "Stephanie Byers",
    "William Inge",
    "Janelle Monáe",
    "Bruce Goff",
    "Alan L. Hart",
    "Wendell Sayers",
    "recent legislation",
    "Little Apple Pride",
    "Salina Pride Celebration",
    "Atchison Pride Festival",
    "Cowley County Pride",
    "El Dorado Pride Festival",
    "Lawrence Pride",
    "Hays Pride",
    "McPherson County Pride",
    "Leavenworth Family Pride",
    "Garden City Pride Fest",
    "People’s Pride ICT",
    "Pride Palooza Topeka",
    "Emporia Pride",
    "Dodge City PrideFest",
    "Wichita Pride Festival",
    "Gardner Pride Celebration",
    "Hutchinson Homemade Pride",
    "Newton Pride",
    "Pittsburg PrideFest",
    "Johnson County Pride",
    "Smoky Hill Equality Coalition",
    "North Central Kansas Pride",
    "Marsha P. Johnson",
    "Equality El Dorado",
    "Gay Liberation Front",
    "Pride After Dark",
    "Pride in the Park",
    "Wild West Parade",
    "McPherson Social Outreach League",
    "1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture",
    "Better Together Garden City",
    "Equality House",
    "Topeka Pride",
    "Emporia Pride: Glitter & Groove",
    "Queer Year Round",
    "drag show",
    "drag artist and designer Q",
    "purchased online",
    "Dodge City PrideFest: Queens of the Cowtown",
    "Dodge City Pride Association",
    "Wichita Pride",
    "on their website",
    "Gardner Pride Celebration: Pride Lives Here",
    "Tickets",
    "Hutchinson Salt City Pride",
    "Queer and Trans Equality and Resilience",
    "Popsicles in the Park",
    "Facebook event",
    "Pancakes for Pride Fundraiser",
    "Johnson County Pride in the Park",
    "Johnson County Pride Facebook page",
    "DARIA: Denver Art Review, Inquiry, and Analysis",
    "Radio 1190",
    "Derby man has the kind of voice that turns heads — and chairs",
    "Socializing while sober: how some Wichitans are cultivating alcohol-free communities",
    "As a small creative business closes, the owner mourns",
    "Painting through it: Autumn Noire on 20 years of making art",
    "How a guy from Wichita resurrected 'Dawn of the Dead'",
    "Bygone Friends University museum housed curious collections",
    "Click here to support our work with a tax-deductible donation",
    "Yes! I want to support the SHOUT"
  ],
  "textContent": "Whenever I talk to people about my home state, I always mention that Gilbert Baker, the artist who created the Rainbow Flag, was from Kansas. Born in Chanute and raised in Parsons, Baker was drafted into the army after high school and ended up in San Francisco. There, in 1978, the politician Harvey Milk asked him to make a symbol for gay pride and the rest is history. The Rainbow Flag is now an international emblem for LGBTQIA+ identities and inclusivity.\n\nOther notable LGBTQIA+ Kansans include the current U.S. Congressional Representative for Kansas Sharice Davids, who is the first openly queer Native American woman elected to Congress; the pioneering Black actor Ruby Dandridge; long-time Kansas resident, musician, teacher, politician, and transgender activist Stephanie Byers, who was the first transgender Native American to serve as a Representative in the Kansas State Legislature; the 20th century playwright William Inge; the contemporary musician and actor Janelle Monáe; the visionary architect Bruce Goff; the transgender physician and writer Alan L. Hart; and Wendell Sayers, a gay rights activist and the first Black lawyer to work in the Office of the Colorado Attorney General.\n\nDespite the recent legislation passed by the state house and senate designed to persecute transgender Kansans (notably, they overrode Governor Laura Kelly’s veto), queer and trans communities as well as their families, friends, and supporters persist and this year the state is filled to the brim with Pride fests.\n\nManhattan held its Little Apple Pride, including a festival, parade, and after hours party, on April 25, but most events in Kansas will take place in June — Pride Month in the U.S., which commemorates the Stonewall riots that took place in June 1969 and the beginning of the Gay Liberation Movement. LGBTQIA+ History Month is in October, and some Kansas municipalities will host their Pride festivities then. Below is a full list of upcoming celebrations in 2026, most of which are free to attend. Whether you are part of the queer community or an ally, these events are for you!\n\n## 2026 Pride Overview\n\nFriday, June 5 and Saturday, June 6| Salina Pride Celebration\n---|---\nSaturday, June 6| Atchison Pride FestivalCowley County PrideEl Dorado Pride FestivalLawrence Pride\nSaturday, June 13| Hays Pride\nSaturday, June 13 and Sunday, June 14| McPherson County Pride\nSunday, June 14| Leavenworth Family Pride\nSaturday, June 20| Garden City Pride FestPeople’s Pride ICT (Wichita)Pride Palooza Topeka\nSunday, June 21| Emporia Pride\nFriday, June 26 and Saturday, June 27| Dodge City PrideFestWichita Pride Festival\nSunday, June 28| Gardner Pride CelebrationHutchinson Homemade PrideNewton Pride\nSaturday, October 3| Pittsburg PrideFest\nSaturday, October 10| Johnson County Pride\n\n## Detailed 2026 Pride Calendar\n\n## Friday, June 5 & Saturday, June 6\n\nSalina Pride Celebration\n\n**June 5: Drag Show**\nThe Temple, 336 S. Santa Fe Ave.\nDoors open at 7:30 p.m., Show starts at 9 p.m.\n\n**June 6: Celebration**\nThe Temple, 336 S. Santa Fe Ave.\n11 a.m.-6 p.m.\n\nOrganized by the Smoky Hill Equality Coalition, after North Central Kansas Pride organized a number of annual Pride events over the years, Salina’s Pride in 2026 will take place at The Temple, where the Marsha P. Johnson Garden is planted. On June 5, they will host a drag show for adults that is a benefit for Smoky Hill Equality. On June 6, there will be a full day of family-friendly events including a butterfly release, performances, a puppet show, resources, story time, and vendors.\n\n## Saturday, June 6\n\nAtchison Pride Festival\nServaes Brewing Company, Riverfront, 118 S. Second St. in Atchison\n11 a.m.-5 p.m.\n\nOrganized by The Artist Box LLC, an art and music studio, and Servaes Brewing Company — Riverfront, this all-ages festival will include art activities, food and drinks, games, and vendors.\n\nCowley County Pride\n**Pride in the Park**\nIsland Park, 200 Main St. in Winfield\n4-7 p.m.\n\n**Karaoke**\nLadybird Brewing, 523 Main St., Winfield\n8-10 p.m.\n\nCowley County Pride started in 2019, and this year they are hosting a gathering in Winfield’s Island Park featuring face painting, food trucks, games, live music, a photo booth, and tabling with LGBTQIA+ resources. Afterward, Ladybird Brewing will sponsor an evening of karaoke.\n\nEl Dorado Pride Festival\n**Pride in the Park**\nEast Park, 100 S. Woodland in El Dorado\n9 a.m.-5 p.m.\n\n**Pride After Dark**\nClub Vaudeville, 206 S. Main St.\n8 p.m.-2 a.m.\n\nHosted by Equality El Dorado, a nonprofit focused on LGBTQIA+ inclusivity in the city, this will be El Dorado’s first Pride festival and will comprise a full day of events. Starting with Pilates at 9 a.m., the family-friendly Pride in the Park will have activities like art projects and a tug of war contest, community speakers and organizations, food trucks, live performances, and vendors. In the evening, Pride After Dark will take place at Club Vaudeville with drag performances beginning at 9 p.m.\n\nLawrence Pride\n**Pride Parade and Block Party**\nSouth Park, 1141 Massachusetts St. in Lawrence\n11 a.m.-8 p.m.\n\n**Pride After Dark**\nThe Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St. in Lawrence\n8 p.m.-12 a.m.\n\nLawrence, notably the home of the only chapter of the Gay Liberation Front in Kansas, has organized an entire month of events in June to celebrate Pride and Lawrence Pride on June 6 is the biggest. The day will commence with a parade at 11 a.m. starting from the north end of Massachusetts Street and ending at South Park, where from noon to 8 p.m. there will be a free block party with acrobats, drag performers, food and drinks, a kids’ stage, live music, and vendors. Pride After Dark will begin at 8 p.m. at the Granada, with BDSM demos and a dungeon, dancing, and vendors. The organizers describe it as “the kinky queer rave of your dreams.”\n\n## Our free email newsletter is like having a friend who __always__ knows what's happening\n\nGet the scoop on Wichita’s arts & culture scene: events, news, artist opportunities, and more. Free, weekly & worth your while.\n\nSubscribe\n\nEmail sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup.\n\nNo spam. Unsubscribe anytime.\n\n## Saturday, June 13\n\nHays Pride\n**Pride in the Park**\nFrontier Park West, Highway 183 Bypass, West of Main Street in Hays\nnoon-4 p.m.\n\nFeaturing food, games, and music, Pride in the Park is organized by Hays Pride, a nonprofit group focused on activism, advocacy, education, and community-building for LGBTQIA+ citizens and allies of Hays. They will also have a contingent in the Wild West Parade taking place on July 4, 10-11:30 a.m. on Main Street in downtown Hays.\n\n## Saturday, June 13 & Sunday, June 14\n\nMcPherson County Pride\n**June 13: Pride Celebration Day 1**\nWall Park, Middle Shelter, S. Park Ave. in McPherson\n10 a.m.-3 p.m.\n\n**June 13: Cabaret Drag Show**\nMcPherson Opera House, 219 S. Main St. in McPherson\n7-10 p.m.\n\n**June 14: Pride Celebration Day 2**\nFirst United Methodist Church, 1200 E. Kansas Ave. in McPherson\n3-7 p.m.\n\nPut together by the McPherson Social Outreach League for the sixth year in a row, McPherson County Pride has a robust program planned starting with a cabaret drag show on June 13th. On June 14, they will host a park gathering during the day, including food trucks, keynote speakers, a kids’ storytime, raffle prizes, and vendors. In the afternoon and evening there will be an indoor celebration with a market, tie-dying T-shirts, and the monthly installment of the League’s “Windows & Mirrors Queer Film Watch Party” starting at 5 p.m. The movie will be “1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture,” released in 2022.\n\n## Sunday, June 14\n\nLeavenworth Family Pride\n**Pride Picnic**\nHawthorn Park, 1100 Ohio St. in Leavenworth\n1-3:30 p.m.\n\nFor their fourth annual celebration, Leavenworth Family Pride is hosting a picnic with free barbeque, a guest speaker, kids’ activities, music, a photo booth, and resource stations.\n\n## Saturday, June 20\n\nGarden City Pride Fest\nStevens Park, 502 N. Main St. in Garden City\n11 a.m.-4 p.m.\n\nThe organization Better Together Garden City is coordinating the city’s fourth annual Pride Fest, which will take place in Stevens Park and feature food trucks, free all-ages activities, live music and performances, and a vendor market.\n\nPeople’s Pride ICT (Wichita)\n**Picnic and Drag Performances**\nOJ Watson Park, Shelter 1, 3022 S. McLean Blvd. in Wichita\n4-8 p.m.\n\n**Sober Kink Mixer**\nSafe Streets Wichita, 1200 E. Waterman St. in Wichita\n8-10 p.m.\n\nThis free DIY Pride celebration will include a self-catered family picnic with live music from 4 to 6 p.m., drag performances from 6 to 8 p.m., and a sober kink mixer from 8 to 10 p.m. for ages 18+. There will also be interactive community art projects and tabling with local organizations and resources. Masks are encouraged outside and required inside.\n\nPride Palooza Topeka\nEvergy Plaza, 630 S. Kansas Ave. in Topeka\n6-10 p.m.\n\nHome to the Equality House, Topeka holds their Pride Palooza each year, which is organized by the Topeka Pride nonprofit. Their 2026 event will feature arts and crafts vendors, drag performances and a drag story hour, food trucks, a live DJ, and a splash pad.\n\n## Sunday, June 21\n\nEmporia Pride: Glitter & Groove \nGreenspace at 9th Ave. and Commercial St. in Emporia\n4 p.m.: Parade\n4:30-7 p.m.: Community Activities, Vendor Booths, and Musical Performers\n7:30-9 p.m.: Drag Show\n\nOrganized by the group Queer Year Round, this year’s Emporia Pride will feature a parade, a festival with activities, live music, and vendors, and a drag show with headliner drag artist and designer Q, who starred on RuPaul’s Drag Race as well as Project Runway and hails from Emporia. The parade and festival are free to attend and tickets for the drag show can be purchased online.\n\n## Friday, June 26 & Saturday, June 27\n\nDodge City PrideFest: Queens of the Cowtown\n**June 26: Drag Night**\nEl Torino’s Night Club, 110 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd. in Dodge City\n10 p.m.-2 a.m.\n\n**June 27: PrideFest**\nWright Park Bandshell, 71 N. 2nd Ave. in Dodge City\n11 a.m.-3 p.m.\n\nBrought to life by the Dodge City Pride Association, the Fifth Annual Dodge City PrideFest starts with an age 18+ evening of drag performances and music at El Torino’s Night Club and continues with an all-ages outdoor festival in the park with food trucks, performers, and vendors.\n\nWichita Pride Festival\n**June 26: Pride Drag Pageant**\nCentury II Exhibition Hall, 225 W. Douglas Ave. in Wichita\nRegistration at 4 p.m., Pageant at 7 p.m.\n\n**June 27: Pride Parade**\nStarting at 11:30 a.m. at the Sedgwick County Courthouse, 525 N. Main St., and ending at Century II\n\n**June 27: Pride Festival**\nCentury II Exhibition Hall\nnoon-4 p.m.\n\nWichita Pride is hosting a slew of events throughout the month of June, culminating in their Pride Weekend with an evening drag pageant followed by a mid-day Pride Parade from the Sedgwick County Courthouse to Century II, where the Pride Festival with community-driven actions, food and drinks, live entertainers, and a marketplace featuring local vendors will take place in the afternoon. You can find the full list of June festivities listed on their website.\n\n## Sunday, June 28\n\nGardner Pride Celebration: Pride Lives Here\n**Pride Walk**\nFrom Warren Place Venue, 136 E. Warren St., down Main Street to The Tumblewood Bar & Grill and back\n10-11 a.m.\n\n**Pride Celebration**\nWarren Place Venue, 136 E. Warren St.\n11 a.m.-3 p.m.\n\nThe Sixth Annual Gardner Pride Celebration is family-friendly, starting with a Pride Walk down Main Street in Gardner, then returning to Warren Place Venue for a party with food trucks, performers, prize drawings, a silent auction, and vendors. Tickets are free but must be reserved for entry.\n\nHutchinson Homemade Pride\nPlaza Towers Ballroom, 125 E. 2nd Ave.\n1-9 p.m.\n\nTaking over for the Hutchinson Salt City Pride folks who put together festivals in the city for many years, the organization Queer and Trans Equality and Resilience (QTER) will mastermind this year’s event, which includes artists, drag performers, family-friendly activities, food trucks, live music, and vendors.\n\nNewton Pride\n**Popsicles in the Park + Picnic**\nAthletic Park, 700 W. 1st St. in Newton\n1-4 p.m.\n\n**Pride Karaoke**\nMoxie Community Pub, 1420 Old Main St. in Newton\n7-9 p.m.\n\nIn June 2025, Newton held their first ever Pride celebration, Popsicles in the Park, and this year the afternoon gathering is back with the addition of a community picnic. In the evening Moxie Community Pub will be taken over with Pride Karaoke. Congratulations to Newton Pride for continuing and expanding!\n\n## Saturday, October 3\n\nPittsburg PrideFest\n_Details forthcoming_\n\nEach year the Pittsburg PrideFest hosts a variety of events, usually held at Lincoln Park. Watch their Facebook event for more details. In the meantime you can attend their Pancakes for Pride Fundraiser on June 6 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Andiamo and Co., located at 106 E. 9th St., Suite B, in Pittsburg\n\n## Saturday, October 10\n\nJohnson County Pride in the Park\n_Details forthcoming_\n\nSave the date for Johnson County Pride’s annual Pride in the Park, which usually takes place in the Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park in Lenexa. Follow the Johnson County Pride Facebook page for updated information as we get closer to October.\n\n* * *\n\n_**Genevieve Waller** (she/her) is an artist, curator, and writer who was born in the heyday of disco and grew up in Wichita. She currently splits her time between Wichita and Denver, where she is the founder and editor of the art magazine _DARIA: Denver Art Review, Inquiry, and Analysis_. She is also a longtime college radio DJ, most recently on_ Radio 1190_in Boulder, Colorado._\n\n****Popular Reads****\n❋ Derby man has the kind of voice that turns heads — and chairs\n❋ Socializing while sober: how some Wichitans are cultivating alcohol-free communities\n❋ As a small creative business closes, the owner mourns❋ Painting through it: Autumn Noire on 20 years of making art❋ How a guy from Wichita resurrected 'Dawn of the Dead'❋ Bygone Friends University museum housed curious collections\n\n## Support Kansas arts writing\n\nThe SHOUT is a Wichita-based independent newsroom focused on artists living and working in Kansas. We're partly supported by the generosity of our readers, and every dollar we receive goes directly into the pocket of a contributing writer, editor, or photographer. Click here to support our work with a tax-deductible donation**.**\n\nYes! I want to support the SHOUT",
  "title": "Your Guide to Pride in Kansas",
  "updatedAt": "2026-06-05T22:26:21.349Z"
}