Pride · Maplewood, New Jersey
North Jersey Pride Festival
2027 dates not announced yet · usually June
About North Jersey Pride Festival
The North Jersey Pride Festival is a free festival in Maplewood's Memorial Park run by North Jersey Pride, a nonprofit focused on equality, family and support for LGBTQ youth. The festival attracts more than 10,000 visitors a year and has worked to strengthen disability inclusion. 2026 was the 14th annual festival.
The North Jersey Pride Festival was started more than a decade ago by mothers who wanted a more relaxed, kid-friendly alternative to big-city Pride. It is held on the second Sunday in June. North Jersey Pride, Inc. also runs the North Jersey Pride Run on the first Sunday in June and RAD Family, a support network for transgender and gender-fluid children and teens and their parents.
The festival offers a full day of live music and entertainment, more than 130 vendors and a food court with trucks along Dunnell Road serving Italian, barbecue, Jamaican, Indian, Filipino, Puerto Rican and other cuisines. Outside food and drink are welcome. The kids zone near the duck pond has free shows on an interactive stage every hour, and a $10 wristband donation covers inflatable rides all day, capped at $20 per family, with no child turned away. Recent festivals have added disability inclusion and accessibility work with the nonprofit Together We Bloom.
Street parking on Valley Street, Baker Street and Dunnell Road is free all day, though Oakview is closed to traffic and spots fill up, so organizers suggest carpooling or a rideshare. The Maplewood train station sits directly across from the festival. At least four Maplewood police officers are in the park for the day.
Summarized from the organizer's own website.
What to expect
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.
North Jersey Pride Festival has included festival and kids zone.
Organizers reported 10,000+ visitors a year people in null.
The organizer has not announced dates for 2027 yet. In 2026 it was held June 14, 2026. It usually falls second Sunday in June.
- Festival
- Kids zone
Where it happens
North Jersey Pride Festival is held at Memorial Park in Maplewood, New Jersey. It is one of 44 Prides in New Jersey on this calendar.
Other nearby Pride festivals
- JulTBA2027Newark Pride Week and FestivalNewark, NJ5 miles away
- Oct112026Montclair PrideMontclair, NJ7 miles away
- SepTBA2027Bayonne Heritage of Pride FestivalBayonne, NJ10 miles away
- JunTBA2027South Bergen PrideFestRutherford, NJ11 miles away
- AugTBA2027Jersey City Pride FestivalJersey City, NJ11 miles away
Questions about North Jersey Pride Festival
- When is North Jersey Pride Festival 2027?
- The organizer has not announced 2027 dates yet. In 2026 it was held June 14, 2026. It is usually held second Sunday in June.
- Where is North Jersey Pride Festival held?
- North Jersey Pride Festival takes place at Memorial Park in Maplewood, New Jersey.
- What happens at North Jersey Pride Festival?
- Events have included: festival, kids zone.
- Who organizes North Jersey Pride Festival?
- North Jersey Pride Festival is organized by North Jersey Pride. Their official site is northjerseypride.org.
- What other Prides are near Maplewood?
- The closest others on this calendar are Newark Pride Week and Festival in Newark, NJ (about 5 miles); Montclair Pride in Montclair, NJ (about 7 miles); Bayonne Heritage of Pride Festival in Bayonne, NJ (about 10 miles).
LGBTQ-owned businesses in New Jersey
See allNone are listed in Maplewood yet, so these are elsewhere in New Jersey. Eat, stay and shop with LGBTQ-owned businesses while you are in town. Ownership on every listing is sourced, never guessed.
