Portland Pride Waterfront Festival & Parade Expected to Draw Over 60,000 Supporters

Portland, OR. Organizers expect over 60,000 people to visit their Waterfront Festival and enjoy the annual parade during the June 16th-17th Portland Pride celebration. Portland Pride is held every June and is organized by the nonprofit, Pride Northwest. Its mission is to encourage and celebrate the positive diversity of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans communities and showcase the history, accomplishments, and talents of these communities. Every year, during the month of June, the LGBT community celebrates around the world to recognize the positive influence of LGBT people.

Click here for a link to the line-up for the 2018 Portland parade.

There are over 160 entries in the parade this year. Photos from 2017 help tell the story.

The Pride Parade starts at the North Park Blocks and travels to Waterfront Park.

Trinity Episcopal Cathedral is encouraging members to join them again this year.

As are health organizations like Oregon Reproductive Medicine.

The parade is just one part of Portland Pride.

As part of 2018 Portland Pride, the Portland Thorns are partnering with Basic Rights Oregon and the Q Center to support LGBTQ equality.

Rainbow flags hang in the windows of city hall for #PrideMonth.

On June 14th Portland City Council voted to rename a 13-block section of Southwest Stark Street after gay rights activist Harvey Milk. The name change for the stretch of Stark Street between Naito Parkway and Burnside—historically a hub for Portland’s LGBTQ community—was fast-tracked in honor of Pride Month and this weekend’s Pride Parade. Milk was the nation’s first openly gay elected official. He won a seat on San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors in 1977 and was assassinated one year later, at the age of 48.

Local businesses like Green Bean Books are featuring special offerings for Portland Pride.

Elephants Delicatessen is offering sweet rainbow cupcakes in honor of Pride Month.

About Pride Northwest:

Pride Northwest also works to celebrate and support the whole of the Pacific Northwest’s LGBTQ community year-round. Whether working with the City of Portland to improve the safety and livability of the LGBTQ community, supporting other Pride organizations like Q Center, Latinx Pride, Black Pride, and API Pride, sponsoring rural Prides around the region, building community with our incarcerated LGBT youth, or showcasing the artistic talents of LGBTQ people, our goal is to provide visibility around the issues impacting our community, and to celebrate the culture and contributions of our community.

The Portland Pride festival is the single, largest visibility avenue for our region’s LGBTQ community organizations and businesses, where they can attract new supporters and clients, increase their volunteer base, and raise much needed funds. In addition, the festival attracts thousands of visitors to Portland each year, bringing significant revenue to the local LGBTQ business community and to the city, as a whole.

Elisa Klein

I’ve been a professional journalist and writer since 1987, (and long-time reporter for KOIN-TV.) As a nationally published reporter, with a Master’s Degree in Journalism, I love to report positive news and information. Journalism has also connected me with another non-profit where I served as a leader; the Northwest’s biggest writer’s organization: The Willamette Writers.