St Pete Pride’s 2025 Royal Court. (Graphic courtesy St Pete Pride)
ST. PETERSBURG | St Pete Pride will hold its 2026 Mx St Pete Pride Pageant May 3 from 5-11 p.m. at 1920 Ybor, celebrating local drag and crowning its next Royal Court.
“Mx St Pete Pride is where confidence commands the stage, creativity pushes boundaries and self-expression is everything,” organizers shared this month. “This is your moment to step up, stand out and show exactly who you are unapologetically.”
This year will mark 18 years of pageantry for St Pete Pride, which rebranded its competition in 2023 to begin crowning Miss, Mr. and Mx. representatives. This year’s celebration will honor the current reigning Miss St Pete Pride Seduction Dickerson, Mr. St Pete Pride Dioscar Demilo and Mx. St Pete Pride Roman Marco Lewinsky.
“It has been an absolute joy to work with our 2025 Mx St Pete Pride Court,” says St Pete Pride Secretary Darius Lightsey. “Their passion and creativity for their artform is second to none. They have shown up all year with positive mindsets and a willingness to do whatever was asked of them, all while individually leading very busy lives.”
Each division will feature a maximum of six contestants. They must live in Florida, believe in St Pete Pride’s mission and be willing to advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.
“Every court has their own uniqueness that sets them apart from others,” Lightsey notes. “Our pride theme this year is ‘Here Comes The Sun’ and the 2026 Court will help promote the organization’s message that we are living out in the sunlight and nothing can dim our shine.”
To help find this year’s representatives, St Pete Pride enlisted former Miss St Pete Pride Delores T. Van Cartier as pageant coordinator. Former Mr. St Pete Pride and Mr. Black America 2026 Amari Lavish will emcee.
Entertainment will feature previous winners like Kiala Santi, Stephanie Stuart and Kenya Black. The evening will also honor the 15-year anniversary of Miss St Pete Pride 2011 Jaeda Fuentes.
This year will mark the pageant’s first competition in Ybor. Lightsey says St Pete Pride “has reach and visibility that extends beyond the city limits of St. Petersburg” and that the venue “isn’t just an event space.”
“It’s a place where memories are made, stories are shared and creativity comes to life,” he explains. “That is the essence of pageantry and thus the perfect place to create more memories for St Pete Pride.”
Contestants will be judged on Pride Wear, Evening Wear, On-Stage Interview and Talent. They will win a $2,000 cash prize and perform at three signature events this year.
“Now more than ever, we need spaces where we can still dream, still aspire, still be excited for the future,” Lightsey notes. “St Pete Pride is committed to strengthening the legacy of inclusion and diversity, while providing a safe space for the education, self-exploration and celebration of our LGBTQIA community and allies.”
General admission tickets are $20 plus additional fees and are now on sale.
Mx St Pete Pride 2026 will be held at 1920 Ybor. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit StPetePride.org.
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