PBO Pride Festival

PBO Pride is Chatham County's largest LGBTQIA+ festival, organized by the Chatham County Pride Alliance at The Plant in Pittsboro. In 2026 it opens with an outdoor drag show and dance party for ages 13 and up on Saturday evening, October 17, followed by a family-friendly festival with vendors on Sunday, October 18.

PBO Pride was founded in 2023 to represent queer people and allies in Pittsboro and across Chatham County, and it is part of the Chatham County Pride Alliance. The group is non-partisan but says it stands for the liberation of all people, and it aims in particular to grow as allies to Black and Brown community members, people with disabilities and the community's most vulnerable members.

The Saturday night show runs drag performances from 6:30 to 8 p.m. with a short intermission, followed by a dance party until 10 p.m. Everyone needs a ticket, but admission is free, with a limited number of $5 general admission seats for those who want a guaranteed chair. Others can bring their own seating.

The Sunday festival at The Plant on Lorax Lane features live music from local artists, drag performers, a vendor marketplace of LGBTQIA+ businesses and allies, and food. A KidZone offers family activities and a drag story hour, and anyone can join the Pride parade. Volunteers receive a free T-shirt.

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.

PBO Pride Festival has included festival, drag show, dance party and vendors.

The next edition is October 17-18, 2026. It usually falls mid-October.