Frederick Pride is an annual celebration of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer+ (LGBTQ+) community, hosted by The Frederick Center, Frederick’s LGBTQ+ nonprofit organization in Downtown Frederick's Carroll Creek Park.
Frederick Pride 2024 will be held on Saturday. June 22nd
History of Frederick Pride
Frederick Pride was born in June 2012 and was held at Ballenger Creek Park with a few hundred people, with the goal of Frederick Pride has grown to become one of the largest Pride celebrations in Maryland.
Frederick Pride 2024
This year, the Frederick Center is planning the biggest and best festival yet. Organized by a dedicated and passionate group of volunteers in partnership with the Frederick Center, Frederick Pride brings together the whole community to celebrate.
The Frederick Center is a nonprofit organization that supports the LGBTQ+ community of Frederick year-round through support groups, community advocacy, and resource connection. All proceeds from Frederick Pride go to fund The Frederick Center’s and Frederick Pride operations.
We have a few different areas of interest throughout the festival: vendor booths with goodies to sell, nonprofit vendors with community information, Pride shop with LGBTQ+ merchandise, food vendors, a beverage garden featuring incredible local breweries and distilleries, a youth and children’s area, three different entertainment stages with DJs, drag performances, and musical guests, and the Lambda Car show.
Celebrate, Dine, and Drink
Frederick Pride features more than 200 vendors including local organizations, non-profits, businesses, and groups, with artisans selling arts and crafts.
The Pride shop has a special selection of LGBTQ+-related merchandise, and this year will be featuring homemade crafts such as pride-colored fidget toys, and specialty pride enamel pins. Visit the Pride Shop for all of the most popular pride flags. All proceeds from the Pride Shop goes to support The Frederick Center and Frederick Pride.
We have a wonderful list of food trucks and vendors at the festival this year - with some returning favorites like the Traditional Authentic Mexican Food Truck and Randy’s Lemonade. This year’s dining options will be bigger than ever before, with more food truck options than we have featured in years past.
The beverage garden will feature local breweries and distilleries and includes non-alcoholic options like SoBar. Folks of legal drinking age can enjoy the Lambda Car Show and the beverage garden stage performances while sipping on cocktails, beer, and wine.
Activities and Entertainment
The youth and children’s area will include activities and games all day long, including arts and crafts, and fun for all ages! Entertainment is located in multiple places in the festival, featuring Capital DJ Chase and multiple drag performances throughout the day.
We’re so thrilled about the sheer number of activities and areas of enjoyment that the community can participate in during the festival. This year’s performances features a huge star in the world of drag, Coco Montrese, who was featured on Ru Paul’s Drag Race Season 5, and All Stars Drag Race Season 2. Coco is expected to dazzle our crowds with her pageantry and stellar choreography.
Our musical guests are unmatched, and all featured are LGBTQ+ community members. We can’t wait to welcome back our favorite local lesbian pop star, Emma Vivacca, who wowed us with her vocals and stunning original music, and covers from our favorite pop stars.
Impact
Frederick Pride’s importance can’t be understated. I have grown up in Frederick and felt as though this is a safe and affirming place to live authentically as an LGBTQ+ person, but the global and nationwide attitudes toward LGBTQ+ people continue to fuel transphobia, homophobia, and hostility that impacts all LGBTQ+ folks, even in the Frederick community.
With events like Frederick Pride, the LGBTQ+ community can gather and celebrate our growth in society, raise awareness for the issues that are central to our mission, and help connect the LGBTQ+ community with local resources.
LGBTQ+ Pride began as a protest against anti-LGBTQ+ laws and institutions, and we are fortunate now to be able to celebrate the huge strides that our community has made toward equality since the 1950s when being LGBTQ+ was explicitly outlawed.
Frederick Pride is more than just a festival to our community, it is an annual beacon of hope for all of the LGBTQ+ residents of Frederick, and a reminder that we will continue to uplift each other and walk hand-in-hand toward a brighter future where LGBTQ+ people are accepted, affirmed, and loved for who we are as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer+ people. Join us at Frederick Pride 2024 for an incredible celebration of unity, community, and joy.
We hope to see you on Saturday, June 22nd from 11:00am - 6:00pm at Carroll Creek Linear Park to celebrate Frederick Pride with the LGBTQ+ community of Frederick County and beyond!
