Black Gay Pride Atlanta

Atlanta Black Pride is a Labor Day weekend tradition that grew out of Black lesbian and gay gatherings in Piedmont Park. In The Life Atlanta, formed in 1996, turned them into an organised Black Gay Pride with a picnic that year and later workshops, poetry and parties; some accounts give 1997 as the first official year. ITLA coordinated the weekend until 2019, then stopped in-person events during COVID. Since then Atlanta Black Pride Weekend, led by co-founders Melissa Scott and Julius James, has been the main organiser, and who holds the "official" title has been argued over in the local press.

How it works: it is a long weekend of events rather than one parade. The centrepiece is the free Pure Heat Community Festival in Piedmont Park on the Sunday afternoon, which reached its 14th year in 2026. Around it sit dozens of ticketed parties, day parties, pool parties and comedy shows run by independent promoters, plus panels and health events. Many of the parties sell out, and you buy each one separately, so pick a few early.