3 days ago
Canyon County celebrates 2nd Pride festival by tripling in size
Canyon County Pride's inaugural 2024 celebration proved more successful than its organizers dared hope, with thousands of attendees, long lines at the entrance and a packed event space.
Organizers responded by tripling the size of the 2025 event at Lakeview Park in Nampa. The 2,000 feet of temporary fencing around the perimeter was about three times last year's size, the number of booths grew from about 40 to 100 and the event ran for eight hours compared to last year's three, according to organizer Tom Wheeler.
'I'll never forget seeing a line up and around the park with thousands of people who were shoulder to shoulder in a very small space,' Wheeler told the Idaho Statesman as he recalled the 2024 event. 'And that's when I realized…that it's not that this was some crazy idea. I think Nampa and Canyon County were waiting for the door to be open to celebrate Pride and celebrate the diversity of Canyon County.'
Volunteers stationed at the entrance of Sunday's event counted more than 4,000 attendees, which was about the same as last year, according to an entrance count done by organizers.
The event, which ran from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., included a stage with musical acts and a variety of speakers, food trucks and booths with vendors and community information.
Kristen Thom, co-owner of Canary Books in downtown Nampa, said she set up a booth because she wanted to help others access LGBTQ stories, especially in light of recent book bans at schools and libraries across Idaho.
'Having another outlet to get those books to people in the community can be really important, so we're happy to be here to be a vehicle for that,' Thom said. '…We just want these books circulating in our community, because there are people who need them. They need to read stories and feel seen and know that they're not alone.'
Other locals also expressed the need for LGBTQ spaces within Canyon County, a largely Republican county where 72% of voters cast their ballots for President Donald Trump.
'Out in Canyon County, places like Caldwell, they tend to be very traditional and conservative,' Rylyee Cameron, of Caldwell, said. 'I haven't really been able to express my full authentic self up there, for fear of how people will react, and just harmful things that people have said at school that make me feel not safe. So it's really nice to be able to come out here to Canyon County Pride, where everybody's so accepting and loving, and I know that I'm not going to get bullied here.'
Nikki Greer, another attendee, noted how much more accessible a Pride celebration in Nampa is for Canyon County residents.
'Not everybody can go to Boise to go to pride festivals,' Greer, 18, of Caldwell, said. 'Having one more in the area is a good thing.'
The lead-up to the 2024 event became tense after Nampa Mayor Debbie Kling released a statement saying Canyon County Pride did 'not reflect the personal beliefs and convictions of myself, Nampa City Council, and many living in Nampa.'
Wheeler said there was less push back this year. About 20 protesters stood at the entrance wearing shirts and holding signs with Christian messaging. They remained peaceful, handing out cards and offering to talk to attendees about religion.
'Last year, there was a little bit more hype around the fact that we were gonna throw a Pride festival,' Wheeler said. 'I think folks have more or less accepted that Pride is here. So it's actually been so smooth in terms of the response we've had from counterprotesters. We have our usual super fans who are here day in, day out, and we plan and expect for them. But everyone's being respectful, and that's the idea. We couldn't have asked for a better day and experience.'
