Erie Pride Parade

The Erie Pride Parade opens NWPA Pride Alliance's season with a march through downtown Erie from 11th and State Street to Perry Square. The alliance is an all-volunteer charity that keeps its regional events free.

The Erie Pride Parade is run by NWPA Pride Alliance, which has worked to unite the queer community in Erie and Crawford counties since 1992 and incorporated as a 501(c)(3) in 2012. Its mission is to build visibility, unity and acceptance, and it now holds more than 20 events a year, offering them free whenever it can with help from community partners.

The alliance has marked major moments for the community, including the Love Wins celebration on the Erie County Courthouse steps after the Obergefell ruling in 2015 and a candlelight vigil at the Zone in 2016 for the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting. It works with the City of Erie, local businesses and teams such as the Erie Seawolves and Erie Otters, and it credits founding members Michael Mahler and Season Crannell. In 2024 it added Pride on the Bay at Liberty Park as a larger Pride Fest.

The 2026 parade, themed Make Waves, was set to line up at noon and step off at 1 p.m., marching along State Street to Perry Square, where groups were encouraged to hold picnics and meetups in the park afterward. Storms forced organizers to cancel it that day, and they said the next parade would be in 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.

Erie Pride Parade has included parade.

The organizer has not announced dates for 2027 yet. In 2026 it was held June 14, 2026. It usually falls mid-June.