Owosso Pride in the Park

Owosso Pride in the Park is an annual Pride celebration hosted by Owosso Pride, a volunteer-run nonprofit. The 2026 event was the fourth annual celebration.

Owosso Pride began in 2018, when co-president Travis Yalkin and his wife hung their first Pride flag on Halloween after reading that the flags help queer families feel safer approaching homes while trick-or-treating. Neighbors responded warmly. In June 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdowns, Travis and about 20 friends handed out 140 Pride flags at the Owosso Farmers Market over two weekends, and many still fly around town. The group held Owosso's first Pride festival in 2022 and has since become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit run entirely by volunteers.

The festival takes place along the river under the trees of historic Curwood Castle Park, starting at 1 p.m. It is built around family fun, with music, balloons, bubbles, face painting and live performances, including local drag queen Remington Rose and performers from Boylesque Drag. A Safe Space Youth Tent offers youth bingo, games, painting and bracelet making, and a vendor area brings together food and drinks, crafts, local services and community resources.

Beyond the festival, Owosso Pride hosts community events during the year and sells merchandise to support its work. Its guiding principles are to acknowledge the lived experience of LGBTQ+ people, amplify supportive resources and safe spaces, and take measured steps toward universal acceptance. The organization has a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination.

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.

Owosso Pride in the Park has included festival.

Owosso Pride in the Park was first held in 2023.

The organizer has not announced dates for 2027 yet. In 2026 it was held May 30, 2026. It usually falls late May.