Burnsville Pride Festival

Burnsville Pride hosts an annual Pride festival at Nicollet Commons Park in Burnsville, serving the south metro. The organization also holds fundraisers and year-round programs to support LGBTQ+ residents.

Burnsville Pride began in 2022 as an event planned by the City of Burnsville. When the city dropped the festival from its 2025 budget in the fall of 2024, Alison Cromie, now the board president, asked whether the community could take it over. The nonprofit formed in November 2024, earned 501(c)(3) status in February 2025, and ran its first community-led festival that year with added vendors, food trucks and entertainment.

The festival is family-friendly and open to all ages. The stage features live music, drag and other performers, food trucks serve a range of options, and local vendors sell handmade goods, art and inclusive services. Activities include face painting, art stations and games. Starting in 2026, all vendor spaces are standard 10-by-10 booths, and applications are reviewed together after a set window closes, with some applicants placed on a waitlist.

The organization runs on volunteers and on money from sponsors, individual donors and fundraisers, including sales of Burnsville Pride T-shirts and car decals. Volunteer roles range from board service to small tasks such as stuffing envelopes, and they are posted as needs come up through the year. Its mission is to foster connection and access to resources for LGBTQ+ residents through the festival and year-round initiatives.

Pride events celebrate LGBTQ+ people and mark the Stonewall uprising of June 1969. Most combine a parade or march with a festival of performers, community groups, vendors and food.

Burnsville Pride Festival has included festival.

The organizer has not announced dates for 2027 yet. In 2026 it was held September 19, 2026. It usually falls mid-September Saturday.