Pridefest (Pridefest Collaborative)

Pridefest is an annual afternoon Pride celebration in Greenville organized by the Pridefest Collaborative. It is held at Hampton Station with community programming, vendors and entertainment, including a Show Your Pride costume contest.

Pridefest was first held in 2021, when it brought together more than 80 participants and over 15 community organizations for an afternoon focused on safety and inclusion for LGBTQIA+ youth and families. The second year was larger still, and organizers formed the Pridefest Collaborative, now a registered 501(c)(3), to protect and continue the event. The group's mission centers on unity, visibility, self-esteem, support and wellness for LGBTQ+ adolescents in the Upstate.

Under the motto elevate, not replicate, the collaborative focuses on amplifying businesses and organizations that already support LGBTQIA+ youth rather than duplicating their work. Each year Pridefest presents the M.I.A. Award, a monetary award to a South Carolina business or organization that promotes inclusion, safety and compassion for LGBTQIA+ youth. Winning canvases from the group's Triple C Jubilee art competition have been auctioned at Pridefest to add to the award.

The festival pairs a resource area, where visitors can meet local LGBTQIA+ service providers, with a market of LGBTQIA+ and allied local businesses and live entertainment, including sets from DJ Rubberbandman. Attendees can also bring supplies from the group's wish list.

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.

Pridefest (Pridefest Collaborative) has included festival, costume contest and vendors.

The organizer has not announced dates for 2027 yet. In 2026 it was held June 6, 2026. It usually falls first Saturday of June.