Central Wisconsin Pride

Central Wisconsin Pride is a multi-day Pride festival and campout at the Motorama grounds in Aniwa. The weekend includes drag shows, river tubing, vendor booths, karaoke, bingo, a fashion show and a champagne brunch.

Central Wisconsin Pride took years of planning to get started. In July 2019, after a lengthy debate, the Marathon County Board voted to recognize June as Pride Month, and organizers began preparing for a June 2020 event. When the pandemic ruled out large gatherings, they held a small event on June 20, 2020, with strict size limits and safety measures, at the Motorama Events Grounds about 25 miles east of Wausau.

The festival is now held every year on the third weekend in June, and the Motorama grounds have become its permanent home. It has grown into a four-day weekend of stage shows, dance parties, river tubing and camping, and it welcomes other cultures and groups alongside the LGBTQ+ community. The event has also hosted the Miss and Mister Central Wisconsin Pride pageant, a qualifying contest for the Miss and Mister Wisconsin Club.

Admission is $10 for adults, and children get in free. The on-site campground offers riverfront sites, showers and a limited number of RV spaces with electric hookups, and it opens at noon on Thursday. Food comes from food trucks, drinks are served at the Alfa Heaven MotorSports Bar, and the grounds also include the Motorama Auto Museum, which displays rare vehicles from around the world. The next festival is set for June 17 to 20, 2027.

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.

Central Wisconsin Pride has included camping, drag shows, river tubing, vendors, karaoke, bingo and champagne brunch.

The next edition is June 17-20, 2027. It usually falls third Thursday through Sunday of June.