Where to celebrate Pride Month in western Massachusetts
CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – June is around the corner, which means that it is almost the beginning of Pride Month, a time for LGBTQ+ individuals and allies to celebrate.
Hampshire Pride Parade and Festival held in Northampton
While Hampshire Pride in Northampton took place at the beginning of May, the majority of Pride celebrations typically take place throughout the month of June. From parades to flag-raising ceremonies, there are a variety of events for western Mass. residents to attend all month long.
June 2 – Amherst Pride Flag Raising and Proclamation: Town Hall, 5:30 p.m.
June 22 – Amherst Pride Parade and Celebration: Amherst Town Common, 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Parade begins at Amherst-Pelham Regional High School.
June 1 – 4th Annual Belchertown Pride: 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., Pride flag raising at Town Hall, followed by march to Town Common. Vendors, food trucks, and family-friendly entertainment will be provided throughout the event.
June 12 – Chicopee Pride: Szot Park, 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Those in attendance will have the opportunity to enjoy a variety of activities and entertainment.
June 7 – Franklin/Greenfield Pride: 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Parade begins on Federal Street and marches to Energy Park. The festival will host musical acts, circus performers, and food trucks.
June 2 – Pride Flag Raising: City Hall, 5:00 p.m.
June 14 – Holyoke Pride Rainbow Run: Ashley Reservoir, 10:00 a.m.
June 21 – Holyoke Pridefest: Veterans Park, 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. The event will host food and art vendors, as well as performers.
June 14: Lee Pride Festival: The Pride Market will be open on Park Place from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. At 5:00 p.m. – 7:15 p.m., a Family Friendly Drag Show and Dance Party will take place at the Starving Artist Cafe. The cafe will host an adults-only (18+) Drag Show and Dance Party at 8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
June 20 – North Adams Pride Night: Main Street, 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Features a variety of local entertainers for an unforgettable night in the Berkshires.
June 1 – Rainbow Run 5k: Ashuwillcook Rail Trail, 9:00 a.m.
June 7 – Berkshire Pride: Pittsfield Common, 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The parade is marching on North Street for the first time this year. Those in attendance can enjoy food trucks, vendors, and live entertainment.
June 5 – The YOU Ball Fundraising Gala: MGM Springfield ARIA Ballroom, 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. This annual event supports the work of the Springfield Pride Parade Organization, especially the Safe Space After School Program.
June 7 – Springfield Pride Parade and Block Party: Stearns Square, 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Pride in the Park kicking off Seattle Pride month
Seattle Pride is kicking off its 51st year with Pride in the Park, an event open to everyone, on Saturday at Volunteer Park. The theme for this year's Pride: Louder. 'We think of louder in terms of celebration, cheer, party, but also louder in resistance and protest and fighting back,' said Patti Hearn, the executive director of Seattle Pride. Pride in the Park started at a picnic with hot dogs, mostly attended by those in the queer and trans community. More than a decade since it's first event, it's grown to include two stages with performances throughout the day, several food trucks, and vendors that predominantly feature queer and trans operators. Bands and Color Guard from Rainbow City Performing Arts, drag shows, drag story time, and dance parties fill the lawns from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. 'This is my first pride I've been to,' said Ciel Hunting, 'This is my first time ever being loud in that sense, so I'm just excited to be here and have a ton of fun.' Hunting is one of the people operating the 'Teen Space' tent operated with Seattle Pride and Seattle's LGBTQ+ Center. It puts teens in charge of events they put on for their peers. Hunting is an organizing intern with Yan Wen Shu. Shu says it was an opportunity for him to be involved, create a safe space, and help advocate for his community. 'Right now we are lacking third spaces, especially for queer and trans teens and that's what we aim to provide.' Shu said, 'Being trans and queer at a time like this is in and of itself an act of resistance and this is what we really wanted to lean into. Shu and Hearn point to legislative attacks on queer, and especially trans people, across the country. While Seattle and Washington has increased protections for people in those communities, other states and the federal government have worked to roll them back. 'There's a lot happening that's challenging for the queer and trans communities,' Hearn said, 'I think Louder is a call to stand up, speak up, and fight back.' Jing Jing Wang is with the LGBTQ+ Center, providing as little assistance as possible so teens can create the event they want to see. Wang was struck by how the youngest members of the community are bringing the roots of pride back to the forefront. 'One thing that really came from our youth is—Pride is a riot. We are here for our rights, for our community to fight for our right to be queer.' Wang said.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Rockford celebrates Pride Month with second annual parade and afterparty
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Rockford kicked off Pride Month with the city's second annual Pride Parade, along with multiple different activities going on around the area. The parade started at East State and Third Street before crossing the Rock River. The hour-long parade ended at Wyman Street. The streets were filled with community allies and supporters. The parade crowd turned its attention to an afterparty put on by multiple vendors and organizations that are a part of the LGBTQ+ community. Co-Owners of The Office Niteclub said they are proud of the growth they have seen regarding support and attendance. 'Just to look out here and see all the allies, families, friends, neighbors, loved ones, to see how much it's grown since we started this, it's a beautiful thing to see,' said The Office Owner, Kyra Carpenter. 'We couldn't be more happy. more proud.' The owners feel the event would not come to fruition without the community chipping in. 'Without our sponsors and our volunteers and our staff, this would be impossible,' said The Office Owner, Brian Finn. 'It's still a feat, but they help so much, as well as the city being so supportive with everything, it's a great feeling.' The owners stated that the event has grown significantly since its inception in 2019, which started with only 11 vendors. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Annual Sioux City Pride Festival draws in big crowd
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — With June being Pride Month, Sioux City held their annual Pride Festival. The festivities started up at 11:00 a.m. and were held on Historic Fourth Street between Nebraska and Jones Street. Story continues below Top Story: Local band to be featured on Saturday in the Park Main Stage Lights & Sirens: Part of roof collapses during fire at Dakota City boat dealer Sports: Falcons fly to history! West Sioux boys soccer wins first-ever IHSAA State title with 2-1 OT win against Van Meter Weather: Get the latest weather forecast here Folks were able to enjoy a free meal, a community resource fair, face painting, arts and crafts, a piñata, games and live music from the music group Ralph Dittman and Friends. Awards were also given out at the celebration to individuals in recognition of their work on behalf of the Siouxland LGBTQ community. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
