Let’s be real, Denver Pride just doesn’t hit the way it used to. Once a grassroots celebration of queer resistance and joy, today’s Denver PrideFest feels more like a commercial spectacle than a community rally.
Between the overbearing corporate presence and unrelenting police surveillance, many are wondering: Who is this even for anymore?
This year, the cracks are even harder to ignore. With just weeks until the 2025 festival, Denver Pride is facing a 62 percent drop in corporate sponsorships, leaving the Center on Colfax, its producer and the state’s largest LGBTQ+ support organization, short of last year’s fundraising total. Organizers say the cuts are linked to rollbacks in corporate DEI budgets and political pressure under Trump’s second term — part of a national trend that’s also hitting Pride celebrations in Boulder, Longmont and Loveland.
The truth is: Pride is at a crossroads.
While it remains a vital site for community, visibility and resource distribution, the festival as it stands, especially in Denver, can feel disconnected from the radical roots that started it all. And if you’ve felt that dissonance, you’re not alone.
So what do we do? We show up where it still counts. PrideFest is a fundraiser for the Center on Colfax, an organization that has done a lot for the state's LGBTQ community, but if you want to skip the branded barricades, check out these fifteen queer-led, community-built, deeply joyful alternatives to corporate Pride.
2nd Annual RiNo Pride Party
Saturday, June 7, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Denver Central Market, 2631 Larimer Street
Celebrate the start of Pride Month in RiNo with this community-powered street party. Expect drag performances, queer makers and food vendors, live music, a doggy fashion show and free beverage activations from Topo Chico and Mad Lemon. It’s inclusive, joyful and full of local flavor. Bring your chosen family (and your dog!) and vibe on Larimer Street.
Creepatorium Pride Alternative Vendor Market
Saturday, June 7, noon to 7 p.m.
Creepatorium, 1974 South Acoma Street
If you like your Pride with a twist of gothic glamor, this spooky small biz market is for you. Featuring alternative artists, handmade wares and flash tattoos from HORRID Tattoo, this is a space for queers who prefer skulls to sequins. It’s free to attend and intentionally weird in all the right ways. Come for the creeps, stay for the community.
Dyketopia’s Fourth Annual Pridestravagaynza
Saturday, June 7, 8 p.m.
Oriental Theater, 4335 West 44th Avenue
Hosted by queer comedy darlings Lee Robinson and Kate McLachlan, this variety show is joyfully chaotic and unapologetically queer. Dyketopia blends stand-up, drag, clowning, and games into a singular night of laughter and liberation. Audience participation is encouraged and frequently required, so bring your weirdest energy and best wig.
Black Pride Colorado
Sunday, June 8, through Sunday, June 15
Various locations
Now in its fifth year, Black Pride Colorado centers Black LGBTQIA+ joy, healing and resistance across a week of curated events. Highlights include a gospel brunch, a happy hour at the MCA and a glamorous gala at the Denver Art Museum honoring local leaders. As founder Dr. tara jae puts it, Black Pride is “visibility, strength, and unapologetic celebration.” Check out the complete schedule of events here.
Arvada Center Pride Series
Thursday, June 12, through Sunday, June 15
Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, 6901 Wadsworth Boulevard, Arvada
The Arvada Center is offering a lineup of heartwarming Pride events for all ages. On June 12, enjoy a free bluegrass and country concert by LGBTQ+ artists in Pride In Place: A Colorado Country Concert. On June 14, Miss Shirley leads a Drag Queen Storytime for families. The series wraps on June 15 with Leather & Lace, a choral performance by Denver Gay Men’s Chorus and Denver Feminist Chorus that celebrates queer expression in all its harmony.
Love Harder
Friday, June 13, 7:30 p.m.
The Savoy Denver, 2700 Arapahoe Street
Presented by the adventurous Playground Ensemble, Love Harder is a bold evening of new music, poetry and movement celebrating the queer community. The concert features original works by Colorado-based artists, including Silen Wellington and Nathan Hall, who explore themes of identity, embodiment and chosen family. Created in response to a political climate that continues to threaten LGBTQ+ existence, this event reclaims space through sound and solidarity.
Charlie’s Taco Bar Benefit Dinner
Wednesday, June 18, 6 to 8 p.m.
Charlie’s Denver, 900 East Colfax Avenue
Charlie’s kicks off Pride with a community dinner benefiting the Cameron Jesse and Joana Lucero Manito Scholarship, which supports LGBTQ+ students from rural Colorado. For $40, guests enjoy a full taco bar, a cucumber-jalapeño margarita and performances from the beloved “Cow Boys” of Charlie’s. The evening honors Jesse’s legacy and the early queer families of Denver whose stories helped inspire the scholarship. Come eat, drink and help fund the next generation of queer changemakers.
Mortified Live: Pride Edition
Thursday, June 19, 7:30 p.m.
Oriental Theater, 4335 West 44th Avenue
Adults share their cringiest childhood writing live on stage for laughs and catharsis. This Pride edition of Mortified, a live storytelling series, features LGBTQ+ storytellers reliving awkward crushes, angsty journals and embarrassing artwork. It’s comedy, it’s confessional and it’s unexpectedly healing. Plus, a portion of proceeds goes to a local LGBTQ+ nonprofit.
Cirque du So Gay
Friday, June 20, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
The Pearl, 2199 California Street
This glitter-drenched queer circus produced by Fatal Follies Entertainment serves aerial acts, pole acrobatics and burlesque with no apologies. After the show, the whole thing morphs into a sweaty Pride dance party. Expect camp, kink and costumes that defy gravity. This event is for the bold and the beautiful.
Pride & Punishment: A Queerful Kink Tasting
Saturday, June 21, drop in from 6 to 9 p.m.
The Sexploratorium, 1800 South Broadway
If you’ve ever been curious about kink, this is your invitation. With hands-on stations, live demos, and an emphasis on consent and curiosity, this queer-led event welcomes all levels and bodies. Play, learn and connect in a space built for exploration — not exploitation. Come dressed in whatever makes you feel powerful as you learn how to use a paddle and experiment with electroplay.
Freak Flag — A Pride Month Fetish Revue
Saturday, June 21, 8 p.m.
Roxy Theatre, 2549 Welton Street
The House of Temptaxxxions brings an avant-garde evening of sensual performance and radical community building to the Roxy. Featuring dancers, singers, poets and emcees, this show is part burlesque, part revolution. Queer desire meets liberation in a fully uncensored celebration of body and spirit. Let your freak flag fly as you watch aerial, pole, burlesque, drag, comedy and shibari demos.
X Fest 2025
Monday, June 23, through Sunday, June 29, various times
X Bar, 629 East Colfax Avenue
The LGBTQIA+ nightclub X Bar is throwing a nonstop Pride party complete with karaoke, Gaga tribute nights, DJ sets, drag and never-ending dance floors. Each day brings themed events and queer joy. You can pop in for one night or go all in with a fast pass and cabana rental. It’s the perfect pick for nightlife lovers who want a little bit of everything — minus the corporate vibes.
Tracks Pride 2025
Wednesday, June 25, through Sunday, June 29, various times
Tracks Denver, 3500 Walnut Street
Tracks goes all-out every year, and 2025 is no exception. With burlesque showcases, drag superstars, aerialists, lasers and DJ legends like Danny Tenaglia, this is Denver’s biggest queer club event. Whether you’re into sweaty underwear parties or the city's biggest Women's Pride Party, there’s something for every member of your squad.
Queer Fest
Friday, June 27, through Saturday, June 28, various times
Town Hall Collaborative, 525 Santa Fe Drive
This two-day festival organized by Sapphic Collective features bands, DJs, oil wrestling, food trucks, yoga and even water balloon fights. This event, which takes place at the same time as Denver Pride in Civic Center Park, is a quirky alternative festival in the Santa Fe Art District with indoor and outdoor activities. Queer Fest isn’t about brands — it’s about music, expression and fun.
Between the overbearing corporate presence and unrelenting police surveillance, many are wondering: Who is this even for anymore?
This year, the cracks are even harder to ignore. With just weeks until the 2025 festival, Denver Pride is facing a 62 percent drop in corporate sponsorships, leaving the Center on Colfax, its producer and the state’s largest LGBTQ+ support organization, short of last year’s fundraising total. Organizers say the cuts are linked to rollbacks in corporate DEI budgets and political pressure under Trump’s second term — part of a national trend that’s also hitting Pride celebrations in Boulder, Longmont and Loveland.
The truth is: Pride is at a crossroads.
While it remains a vital site for community, visibility and resource distribution, the festival as it stands, especially in Denver, can feel disconnected from the radical roots that started it all. And if you’ve felt that dissonance, you’re not alone.
So what do we do? We show up where it still counts. PrideFest is a fundraiser for the Center on Colfax, an organization that has done a lot for the state's LGBTQ community, but if you want to skip the branded barricades, check out these fifteen queer-led, community-built, deeply joyful alternatives to corporate Pride.
2nd Annual RiNo Pride Party
Saturday, June 7, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Denver Central Market, 2631 Larimer Street
Celebrate the start of Pride Month in RiNo with this community-powered street party. Expect drag performances, queer makers and food vendors, live music, a doggy fashion show and free beverage activations from Topo Chico and Mad Lemon. It’s inclusive, joyful and full of local flavor. Bring your chosen family (and your dog!) and vibe on Larimer Street.
Creepatorium Pride Alternative Vendor Market
Saturday, June 7, noon to 7 p.m.
Creepatorium, 1974 South Acoma Street
If you like your Pride with a twist of gothic glamor, this spooky small biz market is for you. Featuring alternative artists, handmade wares and flash tattoos from HORRID Tattoo, this is a space for queers who prefer skulls to sequins. It’s free to attend and intentionally weird in all the right ways. Come for the creeps, stay for the community.
Dyketopia’s Fourth Annual Pridestravagaynza
Saturday, June 7, 8 p.m.
Oriental Theater, 4335 West 44th Avenue
Hosted by queer comedy darlings Lee Robinson and Kate McLachlan, this variety show is joyfully chaotic and unapologetically queer. Dyketopia blends stand-up, drag, clowning, and games into a singular night of laughter and liberation. Audience participation is encouraged and frequently required, so bring your weirdest energy and best wig.
Black Pride Colorado
Sunday, June 8, through Sunday, June 15
Various locations
Now in its fifth year, Black Pride Colorado centers Black LGBTQIA+ joy, healing and resistance across a week of curated events. Highlights include a gospel brunch, a happy hour at the MCA and a glamorous gala at the Denver Art Museum honoring local leaders. As founder Dr. tara jae puts it, Black Pride is “visibility, strength, and unapologetic celebration.” Check out the complete schedule of events here.
Arvada Center Pride Series
Thursday, June 12, through Sunday, June 15
Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, 6901 Wadsworth Boulevard, Arvada
The Arvada Center is offering a lineup of heartwarming Pride events for all ages. On June 12, enjoy a free bluegrass and country concert by LGBTQ+ artists in Pride In Place: A Colorado Country Concert. On June 14, Miss Shirley leads a Drag Queen Storytime for families. The series wraps on June 15 with Leather & Lace, a choral performance by Denver Gay Men’s Chorus and Denver Feminist Chorus that celebrates queer expression in all its harmony.
Love Harder
Friday, June 13, 7:30 p.m.
The Savoy Denver, 2700 Arapahoe Street
Presented by the adventurous Playground Ensemble, Love Harder is a bold evening of new music, poetry and movement celebrating the queer community. The concert features original works by Colorado-based artists, including Silen Wellington and Nathan Hall, who explore themes of identity, embodiment and chosen family. Created in response to a political climate that continues to threaten LGBTQ+ existence, this event reclaims space through sound and solidarity.
Pride Read-a-Thon
Sunday, June 15, 10 a.m. to noon.
Petals & Pages, 956 Santa Fe Drive
Curl up with a good book and even better company at this Pride-themed read-a-thon hosted by Petals & Pages. Bring your current read and something comfy to sit on, or browse the shop’s curated selection of queer titles. It’s a calm, cozy way to connect with community and celebrate LGBTQ+ literature. All ticket proceeds go to the Trans Continental Pipeline, supporting trans-led mutual aid and activism.
Sunday, June 15, 10 a.m. to noon.
Petals & Pages, 956 Santa Fe Drive
Curl up with a good book and even better company at this Pride-themed read-a-thon hosted by Petals & Pages. Bring your current read and something comfy to sit on, or browse the shop’s curated selection of queer titles. It’s a calm, cozy way to connect with community and celebrate LGBTQ+ literature. All ticket proceeds go to the Trans Continental Pipeline, supporting trans-led mutual aid and activism.
Charlie’s Taco Bar Benefit Dinner
Wednesday, June 18, 6 to 8 p.m.
Charlie’s Denver, 900 East Colfax Avenue
Charlie’s kicks off Pride with a community dinner benefiting the Cameron Jesse and Joana Lucero Manito Scholarship, which supports LGBTQ+ students from rural Colorado. For $40, guests enjoy a full taco bar, a cucumber-jalapeño margarita and performances from the beloved “Cow Boys” of Charlie’s. The evening honors Jesse’s legacy and the early queer families of Denver whose stories helped inspire the scholarship. Come eat, drink and help fund the next generation of queer changemakers.
Mortified Live: Pride Edition
Thursday, June 19, 7:30 p.m.
Oriental Theater, 4335 West 44th Avenue
Adults share their cringiest childhood writing live on stage for laughs and catharsis. This Pride edition of Mortified, a live storytelling series, features LGBTQ+ storytellers reliving awkward crushes, angsty journals and embarrassing artwork. It’s comedy, it’s confessional and it’s unexpectedly healing. Plus, a portion of proceeds goes to a local LGBTQ+ nonprofit.
Cirque du So Gay
Friday, June 20, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
The Pearl, 2199 California Street
This glitter-drenched queer circus produced by Fatal Follies Entertainment serves aerial acts, pole acrobatics and burlesque with no apologies. After the show, the whole thing morphs into a sweaty Pride dance party. Expect camp, kink and costumes that defy gravity. This event is for the bold and the beautiful.
Pride & Punishment: A Queerful Kink Tasting
Saturday, June 21, drop in from 6 to 9 p.m.
The Sexploratorium, 1800 South Broadway
If you’ve ever been curious about kink, this is your invitation. With hands-on stations, live demos, and an emphasis on consent and curiosity, this queer-led event welcomes all levels and bodies. Play, learn and connect in a space built for exploration — not exploitation. Come dressed in whatever makes you feel powerful as you learn how to use a paddle and experiment with electroplay.
Freak Flag — A Pride Month Fetish Revue
Saturday, June 21, 8 p.m.
Roxy Theatre, 2549 Welton Street
The House of Temptaxxxions brings an avant-garde evening of sensual performance and radical community building to the Roxy. Featuring dancers, singers, poets and emcees, this show is part burlesque, part revolution. Queer desire meets liberation in a fully uncensored celebration of body and spirit. Let your freak flag fly as you watch aerial, pole, burlesque, drag, comedy and shibari demos.
X Fest 2025
Monday, June 23, through Sunday, June 29, various times
X Bar, 629 East Colfax Avenue
The LGBTQIA+ nightclub X Bar is throwing a nonstop Pride party complete with karaoke, Gaga tribute nights, DJ sets, drag and never-ending dance floors. Each day brings themed events and queer joy. You can pop in for one night or go all in with a fast pass and cabana rental. It’s the perfect pick for nightlife lovers who want a little bit of everything — minus the corporate vibes.
Tracks Pride 2025
Wednesday, June 25, through Sunday, June 29, various times
Tracks Denver, 3500 Walnut Street
Tracks goes all-out every year, and 2025 is no exception. With burlesque showcases, drag superstars, aerialists, lasers and DJ legends like Danny Tenaglia, this is Denver’s biggest queer club event. Whether you’re into sweaty underwear parties or the city's biggest Women's Pride Party, there’s something for every member of your squad.
Queer Fest
Friday, June 27, through Saturday, June 28, various times
Town Hall Collaborative, 525 Santa Fe Drive
This two-day festival organized by Sapphic Collective features bands, DJs, oil wrestling, food trucks, yoga and even water balloon fights. This event, which takes place at the same time as Denver Pride in Civic Center Park, is a quirky alternative festival in the Santa Fe Art District with indoor and outdoor activities. Queer Fest isn’t about brands — it’s about music, expression and fun.
