Columbus IN Pride Festival

Columbus IN Pride Festival is held at Mill Race Park in Columbus, Indiana. It brings together food, music, art and nonprofit groups to celebrate LGBTQ+ residents, allies and families.

Pride in Columbus started with Erin Bailey, a student who wanted a senior project that would make a lasting difference. The first festival in 2018 drew wide media attention because Columbus is the hometown of former Vice President Mike Pence, whose positions on LGBTQ+ issues Bailey publicly challenged. From the start, the festival was framed as something done for members of the local community.

After several years as an annual festival, Columbus IN Pride became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2023. It supports LGBTQ+ people, the people who support them and community partners, and its committees, fundraising, vendors and sponsors have grown since the first event.

Outside the festival, the group tables at local events such as the Youth Empowerment Summit, Comicon and Enlighten Up, leads educational sessions with community partners and shows up to support other Pride festivals around Indiana. The festival relies on volunteers, who can sign up for a few hours or a larger role.

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.

Columbus IN Pride Festival has included festival, food, music, art and nonprofit booths.

The organizer has not announced dates for 2027 yet. In 2026 it was held September 12, 2026. It usually falls mid-September.