Event to be held in Rosemary District of city of Sarasota
Local LGBTQ+ advocacy nonprofit Project Pride SRQ is inviting members of the community to “Carry Pride Forward” during the 2026 Gulfcoast Pride Festival & Street Party, which will take place on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 4 to 11 p.m. “throughout an expanded, multi-block footprint in Sarasota’s Rosemary District,” the organization has announced.
This event is free, a news release notes, with all ages welcome.
“The expanded footprint will include Pride Plaza and Overton Square, with a new Community Stage near the vendor marketplace,” the release points out. From 4 to 8 p.m., the community festival will feature local vendors, booths with representatives of community resource organizations, food available for purchase, live entertainment on the main Pride Plaza stage and the new Community Stage, a Pup Pride Pit Stop, and a dedicated Family Zone, led by the Sarasota City YMCA and ALSO Youth, the release adds.
Further, the nonprofit Big Waters Land Trust will present Rooted in Pride, “connecting native plants with joy, courage, belonging and resilience, and FAB Arts will bring its 0-99 exhibit to the event,” the release says.
Among the local entertainers to be featured on the Community Stage will be Azara Ballet, The Sarasota Players, the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, and local drag queens, the release notes. “Hosting the afternoon festivities and introducing some of the featured talent will be Adriana Sparkle,” it adds.
Moreover, the release continues, during the event, Project Pride SRQ will announce its inaugural Gulfcoast Pride Honoree, “as well as bring back last year’s popular, interactive Pride Arch Installation.”
From 8 to 11 p.m., “SRQ Beats will produce the DJ-led Pride Street Party in Pride Plaza (the parking area at the Project Pride SRQ headquarters on Central Avenue),” the release continues.
“While June may be better known for being Pride Month, October is LGBT History Month and, on Oct. 11, we recognize National Coming Out Day,” said Project Pride SRQ Executive Director Justyn Hunter-Ceruti in the release. “This is a wonderful time for our LGBTQ+ community members, allies, and the wider community to come together and celebrate how far we’ve come even as further progress still certainly needs to be made,” he added. “This event provides the perfect opportunity to showcase the Sarasota-Manatee region as an inclusive community, with partners and allies who appreciate the diversity of its citizens. We invite everyone to join us for an unforgettable day of entertainment, food, laughter and community!”
Gulfcoast Pride is presented by Project Pride SRQ, with the Gulf Coast Community Foundation serving as Lead Community Partner.
“Gulfcoast Pride reflects the kind of community we’re working to build: one where belonging isn’t something you have to earn, where people can show up fully as themselves, and where our differences make us stronger,” said Erin Minor, vice president for community leadership with the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, in the release. “We’re proud to stand alongside Project Pride SRQ because strong communities are built when all people feel valued and know they have a place here,” Minor added.
For more information, visit ppsrq.org.