Charlotte Pride Festival and Parade 2021

Charlotte Pride Festival and Parade 2021

2021 update.

Charlotte Pride, the city’s largest and most colorful parade and festival celebrating the LGBTQ community, will return with in-person events starting in August. Events are scheduled for what organisers are calling “Charlotte Pride Season”

Looking to stay in Charlotte for a pride event? Check out the Omni hotel, just a short drive from the NoDa gay district. NoDa, short for North Davidson, is the city’s arts, entertainment and gay district. It’s known for its eclectic galleries and music venues, including the Neighborhood Theatre

Instead of the usual week-long celebration, organizers said this year’s Pride will last a whole season, running for four months until mid-November, to avoid widespread gathering of people in a short span of time.

Many events will be streamed this year. One in person event not to be missed is the Mask-Queerade Bar Crawl!

• Oct. 16 — Charlotte Pride Pop-Up Shops
• Oct. 16 – 24 — Charlotte Pride Scavenger Hunt
• Oct. 22 — Charlotte Pride Drag Pageant
• Oct. 23 — Mask-Queerade Bar Crawl
• Oct. 23 — Charlotte Pridestream
• Oct. 24 — Charlotte Pride Interfaith Service
• Nov. 5 – 7 — Reel Out Charlotte
• Nov. 13 — Community Conference & Job Fair
• Nov. 14 — Charlotte Pride Free Store

Mask-Queerade Bar Crawl

• A one of a kind bar crawl in the south end. Tickets are just $20 in advance and $25 at the door and include: An official Mask-Queerade event t-shirt, Food and/or Drink specials at participating venues, Free covers at all participating venues, Map and timeline of the route
• Participating Venues:
  The Suffolk Punch, Triple C Brewing Co. Hoppin’,QC Pour House,SouthBound,Sycamore Brewing,The Music Yard,Tyber Creek Pub,Wooden Robot Brewery,The Bar at 316

Charlotte Pride 2022

The Charlotte Pride Festival & Parade is the Queen City’s annual celebration of the LGBTQ community held in the heart of Uptown on Tryon Street each August.

Charlotte Pride attracts over 200,000 visitors over the course of the weekend each year. It is the city’s largest annual parade by total number of entrants and marchers. The event supports the work and programs of Charlotte Pride throughout the year, including its Charlotte Latinx Pride and Charlotte Trans Pride programs and Reel Out Charlotte, the Queen City’s annual LGTBQ film festival, held each spring.

Charlotte Pride typically takes place in late August and is a week long series of events that culminates in the Festival and Parade on the Saturday and Sunday.

The Charlotte Pride Parade 2022

• The Charlotte Pride parade kicks off at 1pm and runs until 2pm. The route changes each year but is always held uptown. The parade is made up of a mixture of elaborate floats, individuals and groups dressed up in elaborate costumes. The event is open to everyone and has a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The entire city celebrates the event with enthusiasm and love.

The Festival 2022

• The Pride festival runs over the Saturday and Sunday and features a gay village complete with food trucks, stands and a huge stage with live performances throughout the evening. The Pride Festival takes place on S. Tryon St., between 3rd St. and the Levine Avenue of the Arts.

Other Events

• The Charlotte Pride Festival will also include an LGBTQ film festival, Reel Out, that will featuring short and full-length films starring and created by actors from the community. Charlotte Latin Pride is a festival that takes place at the same time, and allows LGBTQ members of the Latin community a place to share their experiences.
• Other diverse events include the gay wine tasting parties, several bear parties and happy hours, a picnic day, the Zutopia circuit party, a Neon night, interfaith services, literary events, a pride summit and several other social mixers.

Gay Charlotte

Nicknamed the Queen City, Charlotte has a fascinating history and a blooming cultural scene. The gay scene is small but vibrant. NODA is known as Charlotte’s gay area just 10 minutes drive from some of the best uptown hotels, however you will find plenty of gay-friendly venues sprinkled all around downtown and beyond, from leather daddy joints to sports bars and go-go boys to trendy cocktail venues. The gay community in Charlotte is an example of one of the most integrated in the US.

• Leather lovers should try the Woodshed Bar, an unpretentious gay leather bar offering daily drink specials, diverse theme nights & a patio. The Scorpio is a longtime local favorite dance and show club. Nickel Bar is home to some of the hottest dancers in the Carolinas and Chasers comes a close second! Meanwhile, party every night of the week at Argon, an energetic gay bar & video lounge for cocktails, line dancing, trivia & karaoke nights.
• Sidelines Sports bar is one of the busiest of all the bars in Charlotte and is famous for its post-game celebrations! Who doesn’t want to celebrate with some hot jocks.
• Finally if you are looking for some great gay friendly dining options, check out Lupie’s Cafe, The Wine Vault and Popular Tapas at the Fourth Ward, offering delicious bites and tapas dishes.

As in all of North Carolina, the bars are membership clubs to comply with NC State ABC law. Members can sponsor guests at the door. Locals are used to this, and often help visitors.

Here are the hotels we recommend that have good reviews and keep you close to all the action

The Ivey’s Hotel,  Kimpton Hotel,  Charlotte Marriott,  Hilton Hotel