Upstate Pride SC Colors of Pride Festival

The Colors of Pride Festival is Upstate Pride SC's main event, a march and festival in downtown Greenville on the last weekend of June. It was formerly known as Upstate Black Pride SC. After Upstate Pride ended its fall festival in Spartanburg, the group made Colors of Pride its single premier celebration for the Upstate.

Upstate Pride SC was founded in 2008 as a volunteer-driven nonprofit serving the LGBTQ+ community of South Carolina's Upstate. Its work has ranged from challenging discriminatory ordinances and collaborating on research studies to hosting monthly social meetups. It also offers peer counseling and health support, advocacy training, a speakers bureau for organizations and schools, and safe spaces for gathering.

The Colors of Pride festival runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 300 South Main Street. Vendors include partner organizations, for-profit businesses, nonprofits and religious groups. Because the festival often draws protesters, organizers ask attendees not to engage, and volunteers from Operation Rainbow Shield form a peaceful buffer against hateful speech and signs.

Sponsorships and donations support partner organizations that provide gender-affirming care, advocacy, name change clinics and work against legislative bans. The group also holds a pageant crowning Miss, Mr. and Mx. Upstate Pride, and its website lists affirming places of worship, healthcare, youth resources and sports leagues.

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.

Upstate Pride SC Colors of Pride Festival has included march and festival.

Organizers reported over 20,000 people in null.

The organizer has not announced dates for 2027 yet. In 2026 it was held June 27, 2026. It usually falls last Saturday of June.