Come Out With Pride Orlando
About This Event
Come Out With Pride is Orlando's Pride, and it's timed to National Coming Out Day in October, which keeps it clear of the worst Florida summer heat. It's a one-day affair centred on Lake Eola Park downtown, and the organizers bill it as the biggest single-day event in Central Florida.
The festival fills the park from noon to 10 p.m. with stages, vendors and food. The parade starts at 4 p.m. on Orange Avenue and heads toward the lake, and the night ends with fireworks over the water. The festival is free; paid VIP tickets and VIP parking are sold separately. A wider Pride Week of parties and community events runs across the week before.
Practical notes: downtown hotels near Lake Eola go first, and parking downtown on the day is tight. The bars on and around Orange Avenue and the Thornton Park side of the lake are where people spill out afterwards.
This one carries weight locally. The 2016 parade came five months after the Pulse nightclub shooting and honored the victims, the club's staff and the first responders. In 2025 executive director Tatiana Quiroga pointed to a hard year, including the state's removal of the rainbow crosswalk outside the Pulse site. That edition ran on Saturday, October 18, 2025, with the parade on Orange Avenue and fireworks to close.
On numbers, the organizers say they drew over 230,000; that's their own figure and we couldn't find an independent count. The parade's history is murkier than the marketing: secondary sources date the first official Come Out With Pride parade to 2005 with about 10,000 people, which fits a 2016 report calling that year's parade the 12th, but we couldn't confirm it on the organizer's own site.
The 2026 festival is officially set for Saturday, October 17, with Pride Week running October 10 to 18. Orlando Weekly noted that Tampa cancelled its 2026 Pride parade, which makes Orlando the big Florida parade of the season.
Parade Route
Where to stay during Come Out With Pride Orlando
via Stay22Schedule & Sub-Events
+ Add EventDetailed schedule coming soon.
Check the official website for the latest programme.
Practical Tips
Stay for the fireworks show over Lake Eola after the parade - it caps the night.
Bring a picnic blanket to claim a spot on the Lake Eola lawn early in the day.
The vendor village opens at noon; the parade kicks off at 4pm.
Videos
Come Out With Pride 2025
