St. Johns Pride Fest

St. Johns Pride Fest is a free, all-ages Pride celebration organized by the SJ Call-In Coalition. It features an open mic, music, vendors, food trucks, and drag performers. The coalition held its first Pride event on June 23, 2021.

St. Johns Pride began with a bit of sidewalk chalk. The SJ Call-In Coalition, which works for a healthier, safer and more inclusive St. Johns, has built that first gathering into a yearly festival that brings together 2SLGBTQ+ residents, businesses, allies and organizations in this rural mid-Michigan town. The coalition says a community is not healthy unless everyone in it is, and it sees Pride as a reminder of the work still ahead.

The festival adds a bounce house to its free activities, and vendors and resource tables take part at no cost. The event depends on community donations, local sponsors who help keep it free and accessible, and volunteers, who receive a thank-you gift for helping. The coalition keeps a page for each year's celebration so residents can look back on how the event has grown.

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.

St. Johns Pride Fest has included festival, open mic, drag and vendors.

St. Johns Pride Fest was first held in 2021.

The organizer has not announced dates for 2027 yet. In 2026 it was held June 21, 2026. It usually falls late June.