Greater Waterbury PrideFest

Greater Waterbury PrideFest is an annual celebration at St. John's on the Green in downtown Waterbury, organized by Greater Waterbury LGBTQIA+ Pride. The group also holds related events such as a drag gospel program.

Around 2022, local organizations and LGBTQIA+ residents noticed that Waterbury had several separate, sometimes competing Pride events but no citywide celebration. Rafael Feliciano-Roman, founder of the Afro Caribbean Cultural Center, called the groups together, and in 2023 they formed the Greater Waterbury LGBTQIA+ Pride Coalition, made up of more than 15 organizations and more than 10 individual organizers.

The coalition's first citywide Pride Week drew more than 1,000 people. For the first time in the city's history, the Pride flag was raised at City Hall, and an LGBTQIA+ Mayor of the Day was named. The coalition is part of CT Pride and also hosts casual, pay-what-you-can social meetups through the year.

Its goals include an annual festival, Pride Month and year-round events, outreach to the city's youth and schools, and eventually an LGBTQIA+ Pride Center in downtown Waterbury that would serve as a resource hub and safe space. It also aims to provide positive role models, oppose prejudice and encourage fellowship among LGBTQIA+ and allied businesses and individuals.

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.

Greater Waterbury PrideFest has included festival.

The organizer has not announced dates for 2027 yet. In 2026 it was held May 30, 2026. It usually falls late May.