A better use for Capitol Hill’s parks will be here next week as Pride celebrations begin across Seattle. Saturday brings the start of the 2025 festivities with the annual Pride in the Park party in Volunteer Park:

Seattle Pride in the Park is back and louder than ever on Saturday, June 7, from noon to 7 p.m. at Volunteer Park!

This free, family-friendly LGBTQIA2S+ event brings together community, culture, and celebration with:

A stellar mainstage lineup headlined by TeZATalks, with performances by Star Anna, Lemon Boy, Cheer Seattle, Rainbow City Marching Band, and more
Hosted by local favorites Betty Wetter and Aleksa Manila
Activities for all ages, including Drag Queen Storytime, fairy-wing decorating, and dedicated teen and senior spaces
A 21+ garden with local brews and Pride-themed cocktails, plus a sober lounge for alcohol-free fun
A vibrant queer vendor marketplace and dozens of community booths
Accessibility for all, including ASL interpreters, priority seating, and low-sensory zones

“Pride celebrations, to me, are sacred acts of resistance and remembrance. They’re a time to honor the ones who fought before us, the ones who didn’t make it, and the ones still trying to find their way home to themselves. Pride is more than a parade — it’s a declaration that we exist, we create, we thrive, even in a world that often tries to erase us,” TeZATalks said in the Pride in the Park announcement. “It’s vital because visibility saves lives, joy is revolutionary, and community is the medicine. I show up to Pride not just to be seen, but to make space for others to be loud, loved, and free.”

Here is what the annual kick-off to Pride on Capitol Hill looked like in Volunteer Park last year.

Cal Anderson Park will also be part of the love next week as te annual Taking Pride in Capitol Hill community clean-up takes place Saturday morning. “We provide breakfast, lunch, and t-shirt (first-come, first-served), and cleaning supplies,” PrideFest organizers say. “You provide your time, energy, and PRIDE.”

You can also help support Capitol Hill and Seattle’s Pride events. CHS reported here on fundraising efforts hoped to help the PrideFest nonprofit through the loss of sponsors due to economic — and political —  uncertainty. The producer of the events that fill Cal Anderson, Broadway and the Seattle Center with Pride celebrations every June is trying to close a $75,000 gap amid what it says is a nationwide downturn in support for LGBTQ organizations and queer causes and “sponsorship challenges across the country for organizations like ours.” You can give here.

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