Leander and Cedar Park Pride Fest

Pride Fest is a free festival jointly organized by Leander Pride and Cedar Park Pride in the suburbs north of Austin. The 2026 festival at Lakeline Park featured queer music, art and culture with performances, food trucks, vendors and activities for all ages. Leander Pride is a nonprofit that also runs year-round social events.

Leander Pride grew out of a 2019 controversy around one of the first Pride events in Williamson County. A drag story hour planned at the Leander library was canceled, then held as Leander Family Pride by a local church, drawing protests and national news. Weeks later an LGBTQ author's library visit was canceled, the city stopped all library room rentals, and the librarian was fired. Residents responded by forming groups including Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity for All Leander and, later, Leander Pride, a nonprofit charity.

The group's first official event, A Rainbow to Remember, took place in May 2022. In 2023 it teamed with Cedar Park Pride for the Queer EmPower Pride Conference and Festival, held a Pride Party in 2024, and in 2025 joined Cedar Park Pride again for a Community Carnival.

The larger annual event helps pay for year-round gatherings such as game nights and happy hours. The group welcomes volunteers to plan and staff events, business sponsors and local businesses willing to host an event, and it sells merchandise to support its advocacy and equality programs.

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.

Leander and Cedar Park Pride Fest has included festival, live music, food trucks, vendors and family activities.

The organizer has not announced dates for 2027 yet. In 2026 it was held April 18, 2026. It usually falls spring.