Carver County Pride Festival

Carver County Pride holds an annual festival at the Carver County Fairgrounds in Waconia. The 2026 festival, its third, featured entertainment, vendors and a silent auction. A family movie night the evening before was new in 2026.

Carver County Pride started as an online LGBTQIA2S+ social group formed by friends who wanted more kindness in the county and a way to feel less alone. In 2024 the group decided it was time to be visible and held its first festival, and it is now a family-friendly 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on awareness of the local LGBTQIA2S+ community and on connecting residents with resources and each other.

The 2026 festival at the Carver County Fairgrounds ran from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and included a silent auction. The group has also hosted Louder with Our Love wedding celebrations for LGBTQ+ couples in 2025, and in 2026 it added a family movie night under the stars featuring Inside Out.

Performers are chosen with care. The organizers say having LGBTQIA2S+ members does not automatically qualify a group, and they look for entertainers whose actions show real support for the community. Performers are asked to share song lyrics in advance so they can be passed to ASL interpreters, and vendor registration stays open until booths are filled, with a waitlist after that.

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.

Carver County Pride Festival has included festival, vendors, entertainment, silent auction and family movie night.

Carver County Pride Festival was first held in 2024.

The organizer has not announced dates for 2027 yet. In 2026 it was held September 11-12, 2026. It usually falls second Saturday in September.