New Hope Gay PrideFest — New Hope Celebrates (NHC)
About This Event
PrideFest in New Hope, Pennsylvania, is a small-town pride with a long gay back story. The river town on the Delaware has been a weekend escape for gay Philadelphians and New Yorkers for decades, and New Hope Celebrates, a nonprofit started in 2003 by local LGBTQ+ business owners to promote the town, has run the festival every May since.
The festival now stretches across about nine days in New Hope and Lambertville, New Jersey, the town across the bridge. The parade is the main event. It forms up in Lambertville and crosses the New Hope-Lambertville Bridge into Pennsylvania behind a 100-foot rainbow flag. Organizers bill it as the only pride parade in the country that crosses a state line. We can't verify that, but the bridge crossing is the reason to come. After the parade there's a free concert at Pride Park on New Street.
The bridge gets crowded early, so be in place well before the 11am start. New Hope has few hotels, and rooms for parade weekend go quickly. Many visitors drive up from Philadelphia for the day instead.
The 2026 festival ran May 9 to 17 under the theme "Pride IN FULL COLOR". The parade was on Saturday, May 16, and Crystal Waters and Vincint headlined the concert. Organizers say the festival draws more than 15,000 people, which is far more realistic than the 40,000 sometimes quoted. The 2027 dates hadn't been announced when we checked. The festival is usually held in mid-May.
Where to stay during New Hope Gay PrideFest — New Hope Celebrates (NHC)
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Practical Tips
New Hope parade rolls through the borough tiny Main Street, so grab a spot near Ferry Street early — sightlines from the bridge over the Delaware are the best in town.
Videos
🏳️🌈 LIVE: NYC Pride March 2026 | NYC Pride Parade LIVE | New York City Pride Manhattan, NY 🌈
