Gulfport Pride. (Watermark Out News file photo)
GULFPORT, Fla. | The sixth annual Gulfport Pride will kick off with a Pride parade May 31, setting the tone for this year’s street festival on June 6.
Gulfport Pride formed in 2021 and became a nonprofit in 2023. It has donated over $30,000 in proceeds to local charities since its inception, working to promote equality throughout the greater Tampa Bay region.
“We wanted to make Gulfport Pride more than a festival — we are a mission-driven organization committed to celebrating LGBTQ+ trailblazers, amplifying community voices and building year-round visibility for the LGBTQ+ community,” says President Linda Breen. She’s joined on the board by Anthony Velardi, Chris Brand, Gail Gilchrist, Silvina Orosco-Wills and Kathryn Kelley.
Last year’s festival welcomed between 1,500 and 5,000 attendees throughout the day, Breen notes. She says “we sense an enthusiastic energy and momentum heading into 2026,” adding that Gulfport Pride has “grown quickly because this community showed up for it.”
Splitting Gulfport Pride’s parade and festival was an intentional choice. Breen calls it “one of the most meaningful decisions to come out of 2025.”
“When the parade ran during the festival, it didn’t have the space or time it deserved to appreciate the celebratory effect of Pride,” she explains. “Moving it to its own day … gives it the room to breathe and invites the kind of community participation a proper Pride parade calls for.
“That decision was a reflection of how the organization is maturing: we’re not just growing more events, we’re being thoughtful about what each moment means,” Breen continues. “Pride is more than just a moment. We aim to be intentional about how Gulfport Pride Florida participates in our Gulfport community and within the Tampa Bay community.”
This year’s parade kicks off May 31 at 11 a.m. at the Recreation Center before moving along Shore Blvd. S. and up Beach Blvd. S. It will cross 28th Ave. S. and end at the Gulfport Public Library, a regional staple.
“The parade is a spirited, community-led procession — with golf carts, floats, walking groups, lots of color, and celebration — and it’s genuinely fun for all ages,” she says. Attendees can subsequently attend a Pride flag raising ceremony at noon, gathering at Beach Blvd. And 28th Ave. S. for a brief ceremony.
This year’s street festival will follow June 6 from noon-7 p.m. along Beach Blvd. Attendees will have access to over 70 vendors and enjoy drinks, food and entertainment throughout the area. Performers include Solar Flare, DJ Jayson, Eddie Kusar, Kym Kym & Scott and Shirley’s Daughter.
“Gulfport is a small, walkable, genuinely weird, quirky Gulf Coast town — and that shapes everything about this event,” Breen notes. “It’s not a massive corporate-sponsored spectacle; it’s neighborhood Pride, with many of the downtown independently-owned businesses involved in a full week of Pride Week activities beyond the parade and festival.
“The waterfront setting, the local businesses, the artists and vendors who are part of this community year-round — it all comes together in a way that feels personal,” she continues. “People tend to feel that difference the moment they arrive.”
Gulfport Pride will hold this year’s Pride Parade May 31 from 10:30 a.m.-noon along Shore Blvd. S. and this year’s street festival will follow June 6 from noon-7 p.m. along Beach Blvd. S. For more information, visit GulfportPrideFlorida.com.
