Up North Pride Week

Up North Pride is a Traverse City nonprofit that holds a Pride Week for northern Michigan. The 2026 week included a Visibility March and a drag show, both led by Silky Nutmeg Ganache, with VIP meet-and-greet tickets.

Up North Pride began in 2014, when a mother of four asked why Traverse City had no Pride festival and said she wanted to raise her children in a community that celebrated diversity. With support from Gary and Allison Jonas, owners of The Little Fleet, founders Jonny Cameron, Elon Cameron and Marta Turnbull organized a Visibility March on downtown sidewalks followed by a small gathering at The Little Fleet.

The march has since become the largest participant-driven LGBTQ+ Pride march in Michigan, drawing more than 8,000 people each year, and the organization has become a leading voice for LGBTQ+ advocacy in northern Michigan. Its mission is to build inclusive spaces through education and resources, activism and advocacy, and community events for 2SLGBTQIA+ people.

The group has moved out of its former space on East Eighth Street, and its programs continue at locations around the region. It maintains a resource directory of local businesses and acknowledges the Anishinaabe people as the original custodians of the land.

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.

Up North Pride Week has included visibility march and drag show.

The organizer has not announced dates for 2027 yet. In 2026 it was held September 22-26, 2026. It is usually held on a Pride Week in late September.