Pine Belt Pride

Pine Belt Pride is a week of events in Hattiesburg organized by The Spectrum Center of Hattiesburg. The week includes a drag brunch, a cookout, a panel, karaoke and game nights, and ends with Pride in the Park and an afterparty. The 2026 week was the 12th annual.

Pine Belt Pride is organized by The Spectrum Center of Hattiesburg (TSC), founded in 2014 by lesbian and queer activists who had been organizing for marriage equality. They pooled their money to buy a small former nursery building on 25th Avenue so the community would have a space of its own. TSC remains entirely volunteer-run and now hosts more than six monthly events, provides financial assistance and advocates in local government.

Pine Belt Pride's events are spread across June and October and mix fun with education. Programs have included a panel in which Black trans people from the Hattiesburg area spoke about the intersection of race and gender, karaoke at Casa Jalisco, and a game night with board games, video games, crafts and a quiet area for people who want a low-sensory space. The drag brunch features a custom menu and a DJ.

In 2026 Pride in the Park was set for an October Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Vendors receive roughly 10-by-10-foot spaces on pavement or grass, with power on request, and sign a liability waiver and code of conduct. Volunteers complete a short virtual orientation before their first shift. Sponsorship money funds the Pride events, and any surplus helps cover the center's utilities, repairs and program supplies.

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.

Pine Belt Pride has included festival (pride in the park), drag brunch, panel, karaoke and afterparty.

The next edition is October 4-10, 2026. It usually falls early October, ending with Pride in the Park on a Saturday.