Pittsburgh Pride celebration moving to Point State Park

Pittsburgh Pride is moving to Point State Park this year.

The annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community, which previously was held on Pittsburgh’s North Side, is slated for May 31 and June 1 at Point State Park, with an extra day of celebration slated for June 2 in the city’s Bloomfield neighborhood.

“We thought it would be a great idea for the community,” event organizer Dena Stanley said of the decision to move the two-day festival to the park. “Most large festivals happen at Point State Park, except for Pride, so we’re really excited.”

The parade’s new route will start along Liberty Avenue between 11th and 16th Streets in the Strip District on June 1. The parade will march down Liberty Avenue and proceed to Point State Park, organizers said in a virtual announcement Tuesday.

Stanley said event leaders had heard a lot of members of the Pride community who wanted to move the event to Downtown. Others, she acknowledged, enjoyed having the celebration on the North Side — and there’s a chance it could move back to that location in future years.

“We really want to test it out and see how our community responds to it and if this will be a better fit,” she said.

The sprawling park will be able to accommodate the growing number of Pride participants. Last year, Stanley said, the event drew about 200,000 people, one of the largest crowds the event has seen in its more than 50-year history.

“We definitely expect it to grow this year,” she added.

Pittsburgh Pride also launched an updated website, where people can sign up to participate and volunteer or find more information about the parade and festival, said Vic Costik, the event’s media coordinator.

Pride, Costik said, celebrates the “vibrant community” of LGBTQ+ individuals in and around Pittsburgh and allows people to surround themselves with others who have similar life experiences.

“I spend the whole weekend with my friends, just enveloped in joy for who I am,” Costik said. “It is my favorite holiday because of that.”

Costik said there’s something for everyone who wants to celebrate Pride, even for people who might not be drawn to the large crowds of the parade and festival. There are other events happening in the area, as well as online celebrations.

After the two-day celebration at Point State Park, Pride will move to Bloomfield’s Main Street from Liberty Avenue to Penn Avenue on June 2, Stanley said.

Pittsburgh Pride is organized by a group of local LGBTQ+ organizations.