LGBTQ+ community members travel here from all over the Pacific Northwest to celebrate themselves and each other, in what is often the only safe and open environment that they may experience for the year. In addition, the festival attracts thousands of visitors to Portland each year, bringing significant revenue to the local LGBTQ+ business community and to the city, as a whole. The Portland Pride Festival is the single, largest visibility avenue for our region’s LGBTQ+ community organizations and businesses, where they can attract new supporters and clients, increase their volunteer base, and raise much needed funds. has organized the annual Portland Pride Waterfront Festival and Parade since 1994.
Pride has been celebrated in Portland since the early 1970s, with the first outdoor celebration in 1976.
