Pride · Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield Pride Parade Weekend
2027 dates not announced yet · usually June
About Springfield Pride Parade Weekend
The Springfield Pride Parade Weekend is produced by the Springfield Pride Parade Organization, a nonprofit that also runs youth leadership and workforce programs. The weekend ends with a Saturday parade followed by a block party with performers in Stearns Square.
The Springfield Pride Parade Organization traces its start to founder Taurean Bethea. In 2017 someone posted a hateful comment online speculating about his sexual orientation. Bethea, then closeted because coming out as a gay Black man can be dangerous, thought about young people driven to depression or suicide by public bullying. On October 17, 2017, three days after his 33rd birthday, he came out publicly as a gay Black man from Springfield and committed himself to helping others live openly.
The organization began with a celebration of pride and visibility and has grown into a year-round youth development nonprofit. Its two main programs are IGNITE, for high school students, and Future Sparks, for middle school students, which use mentorship and hands-on learning to teach leadership, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, career exploration and civic engagement. The group also works to connect LGBTQIA+ youth with health services and help with housing insecurity, and it says 90 percent of donations go to direct outreach.
Other initiatives include the You Ball fundraiser and a Safe Space Initiative that asks local businesses to pledge not to allow hate or discrimination and to welcome everyone. The Pride Parade Weekend, which reached its fifth year, remains the organization's signature public celebration of LGBTQ+ visibility and culture.
Summarized from the organizer's own website.
What to expect
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.
Springfield Pride Parade Weekend has included parade and block party.
The organizer has not announced dates for 2027 yet. In 2026 it was held June 4-6, 2026. It usually falls first weekend of June, parade on Saturday.
- Parade
- Block party
Where it happens
Springfield Pride Parade Weekend is held at Parade from Springfield Technical Community College; block party in Stearns Square in Springfield, Massachusetts. It is one of 61 Prides in Massachusetts on this calendar.
Other nearby Pride festivals
Questions about Springfield Pride Parade Weekend
- When is Springfield Pride Parade Weekend 2027?
- The organizer has not announced 2027 dates yet. In 2026 it was held June 4-6, 2026. It is usually held first weekend of June, parade on Saturday.
- Where is Springfield Pride Parade Weekend held?
- Springfield Pride Parade Weekend takes place at Parade from Springfield Technical Community College; block party in Stearns Square in Springfield, Massachusetts.
- What happens at Springfield Pride Parade Weekend?
- Events have included: parade, block party.
- Who organizes Springfield Pride Parade Weekend?
- Springfield Pride Parade Weekend is organized by Springfield Pride Parade Organization (SPPO). Their official site is springfieldprideparade.org.
- What other Prides are near Springfield?
- The closest others on this calendar are Chicopee Pride Festival in Chicopee, MA (about 5 miles); Longmeadow Pride Festival in Longmeadow, MA (about 5 miles); Holyoke Pride in Holyoke, MA (about 8 miles).
LGBTQ-owned businesses in Massachusetts
See allNone are listed in Springfield yet, so these are elsewhere in Massachusetts. Eat, stay and shop with LGBTQ-owned businesses while you are in town. Ownership on every listing is sourced, never guessed.
