Acknowledging the current political climate in Florida and across the country, Tampa Pride cancelled its traditional parade and festival for 2026.
Organizers of St. Pete Pride, however, did not buckle under pressure. There have been celebratory gay-centric events all through June (National Pride Month), and things culminate with Florida’s largest LGBTQ-themed parade and festival this weekend. It’s the 24th anniversary of St. Pete Pride.
“I don’t ever want to speak for why someone did the things that they did,” the organization’s board president Byron Green-Calisch tells the Catalyst, “but one of the things I was determined to do was to not let the environment that we have been placed in dictate how we respond to it.
“We were dedicated to creating an experience for our community that is close to what we have been able to do in the past.”
The stumbling blocks, however, were real.
“I’ve raised less money than any other year that I’ve been president,” Green-Calisch said. “And still tried to create experiences for our community, with less money.”
Donations have been low. “We have had people have very frank conversations with us. Saying ‘Hey, I do work with the government; I don’t want St. Pete Pride on my budget.’ Or ‘If we were to get audited, I don’t want them to say you gave money to Pride, so we’re not going to give money to you.’”
There are no national “headline” performers at the Pride Festival, starting at 2 p.m. Saturday at North and South Straub Parks, and fewer local artists. Same for Sunday’s Grand Central Street Fair (a 12-5 p.m. block party, with streets closed to traffic). This year’s budget simply wouldn’t allow them.
That’s not to say there won’t be entertainment, food vendors and, in the case of the Sunday event, street performers. Celebration, as always, will be the star of these shows.
Ten years have now passed since the mass murder at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando. For Green-Calisch, Pulse and the 1969 Stonewall uprising, which for many was the start of America’s gay rights movement, are milestones on a continuing timeline.
“This community is centered on resilience,” he said. “And at every turn, getting knocked down is met with getting back up. I think that’s the real celebration. Every time we’ve been in a moment where we have been kind of pushed back, or we recognize that our rights have continued to not be fully realized or acknowledged by oppressive governments, that we grew. That we stood up. That we fought.
“That’s the celebration, that we remember our forefathers, our foremothers, our ancestors, however you want to position it – that they fought.
“I think celebrating that history is intrinsic to what Pride is. We have to remember that this is not only about celebrating how far we’ve come, but the fact that we continue to persist.”
Green-Calisch, who’s in the final year of his three-year presidential term, recognizes that the “pendulum swings both ways” and believes widespread community support for LGBTQ will return.
“I think it’s imperative for us to remember how we show up in those moments, when people do come back and are ready to engage with us as a community,” he said. “How do we engage with them? We don’t get to pick and choose when we show up as queer. We don’t pick and choose when our trans siblings get to identify as trans.”
In keeping with tradition, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch and members of the City Council raised the Pride flag over City Hall.
“One of the reasons St. Pete Pride has been as successful as it has been is because of the support of our elected officials, both at the city and the county level,” said Green-Calisch. “I don’t think that we could continue to do this work without them.
“The fact that the flag still goes up, regardless of this political pressure, means the world.”
Weekend events
Friday, June 26: Slay the Bay concert, 6 p.m. at Al Lang Field. Performances by Chinchilla, Flyana Boss and Cain Culto, night market, fireworks. Find tickets here.
Saturday, June 27: Festival and parade. The family-friendly festival (with music, vendors and entertainment) starts at 2 p.m. at North and South Straub Parks. The Trans March steps off from Vinoy Park at 5:15 p.m., Pride Parade steps off from Albert Whitted Park at 6 p.m. and travels north along Bayshore Drive.
Sunday, June 28: Grand Central Street Fair: 12-5 p.m. in the Grand Central District, this free, family-friendly block party features food, street performers, interactive games, and hundreds of participating businesses. Central Avenue closed to traffic from 20th Street to 31st. Street.
This content provided in partnership with StPeteCatalyst.com
