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2026 Pride events planned across Lehigh Valley, nearby communities

By Jai Smith
A man with a beard and sunglasses speaks at a podium, wearing a gray Pride t-shirt.
A speaker delivers remarks at the Bethlehem Pride flag raising at Payrow Plaza on June 6, 2025, celebrating LGBTQ+ visibility in the Lehigh Valley. (Jai Smith / Lehigh Valley)

LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa. — Pride celebrations will take place across the Lehigh Valley and nearby communities this summer, with events ranging from city flag raisings and downtown festivals to a ballpark promotion, pageant, bar crawl and the region’s largest annual Pride festival at SteelStacks.

The events begin this weekend and continue through August in Easton, Bethlehem, Allentown, Pen Argyl, Stroudsburg, Jim Thorpe, Phillipsburg and elsewhere in the region.

Organizers say the gatherings are meant to celebrate LGBTQ+ visibility, connect residents with community resources and create public spaces for LGBTQ+ people, families and allies.

In Bethlehem, the city’s Pride flag raising is scheduled for 1 to 2 p.m. Friday, June 5, at Payrow Plaza, 10 E. Church St. The event, promoted by Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center, is expected to include speeches from local leaders, music and the raising of the Progressive Pride Flag at Bethlehem City Hall.

Easton Pride is scheduled for Sunday, June 7, beginning with a 2:30 p.m. flag raising in Centre Square. A 3:15 p.m. procession, led by the Big Easy Easton Brass Band, will move from Centre Square to Riverside Park, where a riverside celebration is scheduled from 4 to 8 p.m. The event will include music, drag performances, food and drink vendors and LGBTQ+ community resources. An after-party is scheduled from 8 p.m. to midnight at the Lafayette Bar.

Also on June 7, the Pocono Pride Festival is scheduled from noon to 5 p.m. in downtown Stroudsburg. The free event is expected to include live entertainment, crafts, children’s activities, a teen space, food trucks, drag performers and resource tables focused on inclusion and wellness for LGBTQAI+ residents and allies in Monroe County and surrounding areas.

In northern Northampton County, Slate Belt Pride will hold its fourth annual festival from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 13, at Weona Park, Route 512, Pen Argyl. Organizers describe the free, family-friendly event as a celebration of community, visibility and joy, with live music, drag and other performances, food trucks, local vendors, makers, carousel rides and activities for all ages.

In Carbon County, Jim Thorpe Pride Day 2026 is scheduled for Saturday, June 13, beginning at 8 a.m. at Donerds Donuts, 77 Broadway. The fourth annual event, organized by Donerds Donuts and Annabel Cobain, will include Pride wristbands for use at participating businesses, a 5 p.m. pre-party on the Donerds patio, a small Pride parade through town, a group photo at the plaza, a pub crawl and an 8 p.m. final stop at Broadway Inn Underground.

Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center’s Lehigh Valley Pride Pageant is scheduled for 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 20, at Civic Theatre of Allentown, 527 N. 19th St. The “Toast to 25 Years” pageant is expected to feature performers competing and celebrating Pride through drag, pageantry and live entertainment. Tickets are listed at $10 for adults and $8 for people 17 and younger.

A separate Bethlehem Pride Bar Crawl is scheduled for 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 20, beginning at New Street Pub, 726 N. New St. The ticketed, 21-and-older event is promoted by PubCrawls.com and is a nightlife event rather than a city-run or nonprofit festival.

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs list Pride Night among their 2026 promotional events at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown. A promotional post from the team lists the game against the Syracuse Mets for Tuesday, June 23, at 6:45 p.m. Fans should check the team’s official promotions page before attending, as promotional details can change.

Allentown Out & Proud is scheduled for 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, June 26, starting at Allentown City Hall, 435 Hamilton St. The city celebration, promoted by Bradbury-Sullivan, begins with a Pride flag raising from 4 to 4:30 p.m., followed by a walk up Hamilton Street across the rainbow crosswalk at Hamilton Street and Bayard Rustin Way. A happy hour with entertainment is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. at Brü Daddy’s Brewing Co. The event is described as family-friendly, with alcohol limited to people 21 and older.

Across the Delaware River, the 2nd Annual Phillipsburg PRIDE Celebration is scheduled for Saturday, June 6, at Shappell Park, 353 S. Main St., Phillipsburg, New Jersey. The public event is organized by the Phillipsburg Farmers Market and Phillipsburg Urban Enterprise Zone. Event listings say the celebration begins at 9 a.m., but detailed 2026 programming has not yet been announced.

The region’s largest annual Pride gathering, Lehigh Valley Pride, is scheduled for 1 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 30, at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem. Hosted by Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center, the rain-or-shine event is expected to include more than 150 vendors, artists, community organizations and sponsors, along with entertainment, food, health resources and family-friendly programming.

Organizers for several events urge attendees to check official websites and social media pages before attending, as schedules, venues and programming may change.

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