Alton Pride Festival

Alton Pride Festival is a free one-day street festival on Belle Street in downtown Alton, Illinois, run by the volunteer charity Alton Pride. It is held on a Saturday in mid-September: 13 September 2025 (11am to 8pm) and 12 September 2026 (11am to 7pm, billed as the 5th annual), on Belle Street between 4th and 7th streets.

Expect vendor and community booths, food, drag performances, drag bingo and a pup parade, with an official afterparty at Bubby & Sissy's, the bar at 602 Belle Street. Alton Pride was founded in 2019; the first planned festival in October 2020 was postponed by the pandemic and the first one held on Belle Street was in September 2022.

The 2027 date had not been announced at the time of writing. St. Louis is about 30 minutes' drive south, and Lambert airport (STL) is the nearest airport.