Phoenix Pride 2022: Ultimate guide to all the entertainment and how to see the parade

Shanti Lerner and KiMi Robinson
·4 min read
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Phoenix Pride is ready to celebrate more than four decades of uplifting and advocating for the Phoenix LGBTQ+ community.

The 2022 Phoenix Pride festival will take place Oct. 15-16 at Steele Indian School Park. Highlights include music, entertainment and more than 300 local vendors, businesses and organizations each day.

The festival and parade promote “unity, visibility and self-esteem among gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer persons,” according to Phoenix Pride’s website. The events also raise money for Phoenix Pride's community programs.

Want to join the fun? Here's everything to know about the 2022 Phoenix Pride festival and parade.

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When is Phoenix Pride 2022?

Pride Month is celebrated each June. To avoid partying during the hottest time of year, Phoenix Pride is throwing its event Oct. 15-16.

What to expect at Phoenix Pride 2022

The Phoenix Pride festival takes place noon-9 p.m. Oct. 15-16. Here’s what you can do and see:

  • Main stage and Latin stage performances.

  • Dance pavilion.

  • Food vendors.

  • Arts expo featuring local artisans in a variety of mediums.

  • Kids space (noon-5 p.m.): bounce house, photo booth, music and crafts for children 12 and younger.

  • Exhibitor marketplace.

  • VIP experience with complimentary drinks and food.

Participants with Betty H. Fairfax GSA march during the Phoenix Pride Parade on April 7, 2019.
Participants with Betty H. Fairfax GSA march during the Phoenix Pride Parade on April 7, 2019.

When is the 2022 Phoenix Pride Parade?

The Phoenix Pride Parade will kick off at 10 a.m. Sunday.

It starts at Third Street and Thomas Avenue and ends at Third Street and Indian School Road. With over 2,000 participants, spectators will see colorful floats, decorated vehicles and individuals celebrating. There will also be grand marshals, music and local luminaries.

There will be three announcer stages along Third Street: at Osborn Road, Clarendon Avenue and Indianola Avenue, which will have an American Sign Language interpreter.

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Phoenix Pride 2022 concerts

Main stage:

  • Saturday: Kristen Merlin at 6 p.m., Vincint at 7 p.m., Gayle at 8 p.m.

  • Sunday: Will Gomez at 7 p.m., En Vogue at 8 p.m.

Latin stage:

  • Saturday: Ana Barbara at 6 p.m.

  • Sunday: Amor Prohibido at 3:30 p.m., Ninel Conde at 6 p.m.

VIP ticketholders can enjoy exclusive entertainment by Kimora Blac from "RuPaul’s Drag Race" Season 9, Sherry Vine and Sir Elton, who will perform a tribute to Elton John.

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Phoenix Pride 2022 tickets

Tickets start at $30. Admission is free for children 11 and younger and active duty military members who present ID.

There are discounts at the gate for people aged 55 and older, ages 13-17 and military veterans.

Ticket prices are as follows:

  • One-day general admission: $30.

  • One-day general admission with express entry: $35.

  • Two-day general admission with express entry: $50.

The Pride Festival VIP Experience, for age 18 and older, includes exclusive entertainment, a spot in front of the main stage, a buffet, two complimentary drinks per day and an air-conditioned venue. Passes are $100 for one day and $150 for both days.

Go to https://phoenixpride.org/events/pride-festival to purchase tickets in advance.

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June 1981: About 650 demonstrators left Patriots Square for the state Capitol in a lesbian- and gay-rights march in the sweltering 107-degree heat. The “We Are Here” march, which stretched 1.5 blocks, ended on the east lawn of the Capitol, where marchers heard speakers Leonard Matlovich and feminist Arlie Scott of the National Organization for Women.

Phoenix Pride history

Phoenix Pride traces its roots back to a demonstration in June 1981 during which more than 600 activists walked to the state Capitol to march for lesbian and gay rights.

A decade later, a committee of volunteers called the Phoenix Lesbian and Gay Pride Committee organized the first Phoenix Pride Festival and helped establish the nonprofit organization now known as Phoenix Pride.

Many cities across the country celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month in June to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York City. Arizona's notoriously hot summers are the reason Phoenix Pride is typically celebrated in April.

“This year, more than ever, the Phoenix Pride Festival is going to be a sanctuary as well as a celebration,” said Tait Moline, president of the Phoenix Pride Board of Directors in the event's release announcement.

“Recent threats and policy moves against our community serve as constant reminders of the important work Phoenix Pride does to defend not only our rights, but our very existence. [This month], we will celebrate the successes we’ve had in those efforts as well as come together to strengthen our community and our allies for the challenges that still lie ahead of us. As it has been for the past 41 years, this year's Phoenix Pride Festival will not only be fun and enjoyable, but powerful as well.”

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Phoenix Pride Festival and Parade 2022

When: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15; noon-9 p.m. Sunday, Oct 16.

Where: Steele Indian School Park, 300 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix.

Admission: Starting at $30; free for age 11 and younger and active military with ID.

Details: https://phoenixpride.org.

You can connect with Arizona Republic Culture and Outdoors Reporter Shanti Lerner through email at shanti.lerner@gannett.com  or you can also follow her on Twitter. 

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Pride 2022 guide: Tickets, dates, parade route