Shelby Pride Festival

Shelby Pride is a nonprofit serving LGBTQ+ people in Cleveland County, and its free, family-friendly festival began in 2023. The fourth annual festival is on Saturday, November 7, 2026 from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Bobby Bell Pavilion in Uptown Shelby, with nonprofits and local businesses, food trucks, queer karaoke, coming-out stories, a live drag show and a kids corner.

Shelby Pride has been making space for queer people and their allies in Shelby since 2016. It is a grassroots 501(c)(3) that serves the LGBTQIA+ community of Cleveland County by creating safe social spaces, offering education on LGBTQIA+ issues and advocating for equality, with an emphasis on teaching the wider community about LGBTQIA+ history and needs.

The group operates as a chapter with regular meetings and events open to LGBTQIA+ people and allies alike, and it holds leadership elections every year. Its current leaders include a social worker, a data analyst and a communications professional. The logo was designed by local queer artist Lizz Grimsley, and the group keeps in touch with members through social media, a Discord server and a newsletter.

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.

Shelby Pride Festival has included festival, drag show, queer karaoke, coming-out stories, kids corner, food trucks and resource tables.

Shelby Pride Festival was first held in 2023.

The next edition is November 7, 2026. It usually falls early November.