Decatur IL Pride Fest (Ride or PRIDE)

Decatur Illinois Pride holds its annual Pride Fest at the Fairview Park Pavilion in Decatur. The 2026 edition, themed Ride or PRIDE, featured a family-friendly drag show, games, vendors and food trucks. The organization also hosts workshops and other community events during the year.

Decatur's Pride organization grew out of a push by Anthony Bond, then a Millikin University student, who noticed the local LGBTQIA+ community was not being recognized. On June 14, 2018, Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe signed a proclamation naming June as Pride Month in Decatur. A group of residents then planned the first Decatur PrideFest in Central Park downtown, held on June 24, 2018.

At the time, no organization represented the LGBTQIA+ community in Macon County, so shortly after that first festival the organizers formed Decatur IL Pride as a 501(c)(3). The group works through education and partnerships with other organizations, plans events through the year to teach the community about LGBTQIA+ issues, and has board members and volunteers focused on supporting LGBTQIA youth.

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.

Decatur IL Pride Fest (Ride or PRIDE) has included festival, drag and vendors.

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