Denver Pride 2026 gets new location and new parade route
Denver Pride 2026 might not be until the end of June, but as of Monday morning, there are some changes for this year's celebration.
The 52nd Denver PrideFest will not be at Civic Center Park this year. Instead, it will be on 16th Street from Arapahoe to Broadway. The Center on Colfax says there are a lot of LGBTQ+ focused businesses along 16th Street that can benefit from Pride. Civic Center Park will be under construction in June 2026, so the location had to change.
The Center on Colfax says many people requested having pride at Cheesman Park or City Park. The Center on Colfax says Cheesman Park is not an option because it is not possible to get the heavy machinery needed to build a stage. City Park is not an option due to the trees and roots that need to be protected.
PrideFest is usually a two-day celebration. It will be a one-day celebration on June 28 this year. The Center on Colfax says shifting to one day will allow them to concentrate on attendance, prioritize access, and reduce pride-related expenses.
PrideFest brings the Center on Colfax around $2.2 million. A total of 83% of the funds from Pridefest benefit free services at the Center, including mental health, therapy, and support groups. CEO Kim Salvaggio says every year, people protest Pride. Her response is Pride is joy, but also a protest.
"My very existence of standing here being who I am is a protest," Salvaggio said. "As a cisgender woman, a lesbian, as a queer person, and also as a parent to a trans child and married to a non-binary trans wife, is a protest. Our everyday existence when we walk out of our doors is a protest."
As PrideFest 2026 changed locations, so will the parade route. The parade will start at Franklin Street and 17th Street and end at Lincoln Street and 17th Street. It will begin at 9:30 a.m. on June 28, the same day as the free PrideFest.
The Center on Colfax says its check-ins are increasing. In 2025, The Center saw 25,000 people. This is an increase from 23,000 seen in 2024.
PrideFest brings more than 500,000 people to celebrations every year. There will be updates often. You can find them at https://denverpride.org/.