River City Pride Festival
About This Event
River City Pride Festival is a one-day LGBTQ+ festival on the Peoria Riverfront. Volunteers with Peoria Proud, a local advocacy group founded in 2012, produce it. Organisers call it Central Illinois' largest LGBTQ+ celebration.
It began in Glen Oak Park in 2019 and went online during the pandemic. In 2022 it moved to the riverfront, and organisers reported 5,000 attendees that year. In 2023 it more than doubled its riverfront space, with two stages and about 100 vendors.
The festival runs from 10am to 10pm. It has live drag and music, vendor and community-resource booths, art installations and a Hope Wall. It is not free. In 2026 tickets cost $5 in advance and $10 at the gate, and donated love tickets let people who couldn't pay get in. A new Artist Row gave emerging artists cheap booth space.
The 2026 festival was on Saturday 18 July. Kennedy Davenport and Nini Coco were among the drag guests. Co-chair Cassie Lucchesi told 25News that the 2025 festival drew about 7,300 people. The 2027 date hadn't been announced when we checked.
Where to stay during River City Pride Festival
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Check the official website for the latest programme.
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River City Pride Festival
