DBQ Pride Festival

The DBQ Pride Festival is Dubuque's annual Pride celebration, organized by DBQ Pride, a group that connects and supports the local LGBTQIA+ community through events, education, and advocacy.

DBQ Pride describes its purpose as keeping queer joy safe, visible and accessible for everyone in Dubuque. The festival is funded by sponsors, including a City of Dubuque neighborhood support grant, local churches, arts groups, credit unions and small businesses, and by an Ally level for individuals and families who want to chip in. Sponsorship money also goes toward LGBTQ+ artists, performers and local organizations.

The group keeps a history of LGBTQ+ organizing in the city. Dubuque's first gay rights march, organized by Ginny Lynns and Stacie Neldaughter on September 19, 1987, drew about 30 people and was met with eggs, rocks and shouted abuse from onlookers. A second march in May 1988 drew about 575 participants, and the third annual rally and march in September 1989 ended in Washington Park with a keynote from Tammy Baldwin, then an activist from Wisconsin.

That history also records years of setbacks. In May 1989 the City Council rejected a proposed ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation by a 4-3 vote, a measure that would have made Dubuque the second Iowa city after Iowa City with such protections. Later attempts failed again in 1999 and 2005, even as the local AFL-CIO and League of Women Voters came out in support in 2004.

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.

DBQ Pride Festival has included festival.

The next edition is June 5, 2027. It usually falls first Saturday of June.