Polk Pride

Polk Pride is a week of Pride events in Lakeland and Polk County each June. The week opens with a kickoff party and ends with Pride in the Park, the main festival, held in Munn Park in downtown Lakeland. Other events during the week include a youth Pride event and a faith-based gathering.

Polk Pride began in 2015 and has grown each year, adding events and opportunities across Polk County. It is a program of the Lakeland Youth Alliance, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and its mission is to build unity, equality and understanding and to raise awareness and acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community in the county.

The organization aims to be a leading source of education and entertainment for LGBTQ+ people and their families, friends and allies, and to promote the history and diversity of Polk County's LGBTQ+ community. Through the Lakeland Youth Alliance it supports an activities and support group for young people ages 11 to 17, giving teens a safe place to spend time with peers. It also partners with PFLAG, which offers parents, families, friends and allies local resources, literature and access to counselors.

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.

Polk Pride has included festival (pride in the park), kickoff party, youth events and interfaith service.

The organizer has not announced dates for 2027 yet. In 2026 it was held June 13-20, 2026. It usually falls a week in mid-June, ending with Pride in the Park on a Saturday.