Denver’s PrideFest 2021 Moved to Last Week of June

Denver PrideFest is shifting to the fourth weekend of June in 2021, a move that will help PrideFest avoid conflicting with other large, cultural celebrations, including Denver’s Juneteenth Music Festival.

The 2021 Denver PrideFest will now take place June 26 to 27, 2021. The festival, which celebrates the vibrant LGBTQ community of Colorado, typically draws more than 450,000 attendees over two days, making it the largest Pride event in the Rocky Mountain Region.

“Summer in Denver is packed with events that often overlap, making it difficult for the community to participate in multiple celebrations. We believe this move will open up new opportunities for people to experience Denver’s diverse culture,” said Rex Fuller, CEO of The Center on Colfax, which presents Denver PrideFest.

Officials at The Center are working with Juneteenth organizers to help expand the annual celebration, which commemorates the official end of slavery in the United States in 1865. Eventually, the two organizations would like to have a presence at the other’s event to broaden their appeal and potential audience.

“In a time when solidarity is the one value that can keep us together, we can’t express how excited we are to be working with Denver PrideFest to ensure that our celebrations moving forward are supportive and collaborative,” said Juneteenth Music Festival Executive Director Norman Harris. “We believe we have the opportunity to connect our communities with a new energy that will produce great outcomes.”

Denver PrideFest is the Center’s largest fundraiser, providing over $1 million in support to help the organization serve more than 57,000 people annually with programs for LGBTQ youth, seniors, Colorado’s transgender community, and training and legal programs.

The Juneteenth celebration has a more than 50-year history in Denver’s Historic Five Points neighborhood. In 2019, Juneteenth Music Festival attracted 50,000-plus attendees and featured hundreds of cultural exhibitors and local businesses lined along Welton Street.

While this year’s PrideFest celebration was held virtually, The Center’s goal is to host an in-person event in 2021, but the organization will not have information available on sponsorships or parade entries until early 2021. The Center will continue to monitor coronavirus-related restrictions and encourages the public to do its part to stop the pandemic’s spread.