CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte does Pride a bit differently compared to the rest of the country. For starters, most cities celebrate in June, during Pride Month, while Charlotte's festival is in August.
But what other differences does Charlotte have when it comes to pride events?
Let's connect the dots.
June celebrations
Charlotte Pride has become an August staple, but it hasn't always been that way. Back in 1981, a precursor to Charlotte Pride was celebrated near the UNC Charlotte campus in June.
There were still ways for Charlotte residents to celebrate along with the rest of the country in June, including the Pride in the Park Festival on June 22 at Camp Greene Park.
Pride in August
Over the years, Pride moved around the Queen City and finally got more organized in 2001 with an August date.
Believe it or not, the August planning was done because the event didn't conflict with any other pride celebrations or summer events in Charlotte.
The 2024 Charlotte Pride Festival & Parade is Saturday, Aug. 17–18.
Charlotte Pride Week, which includes a variety of celebratory Pride events all around the city, hosted by local businesses and organizations, runs Friday, Aug. 9-16.
Largest Charlotte parade
Today, Pride is the largest parade Charlotte hosts. Nearly 200,000 people attended the parade in 2019. In 2024, Charlotte Pride organizers said they are expecting a significant increase in event attendance and will need more weekend volunteers than ever before.
Big bucks
Those hundreds of thousands of people managed to spend around $8 million during Charlotte Pride weekend, meaning it could mean big bucks for a lot of Uptown businesses.
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