Akron Pride Celebrates a Decade

Akron Pride Festival Celebrates 10 Years: A Decade of Visibility, Community and Coming Home

When Akron Pride Festival debuted in Hardesty Park in 2017, organizers hoped about 1,000 people would attend. Instead, more than 7,000 showed up, sending a clear message: Akron was ready for a visible, vibrant celebration of its LGBTQ+ community.

A decade later, Akron Pride has become one of Northeast Ohio’s signature Pride events, welcoming thousands of attendees, volunteers, performers, businesses, community organizations, families and allies each year.

“It just got bigger and bigger to where the park could no longer accommodate everyone,” says Brian Lamoda-Genêt, chair of Akron Pride Festival. “The growth reflects a community that continues to show up for one another.”

Over the past 10 years, Akron Pride has evolved from a one-day festival into a year-round movement that promotes inclusion, advocacy, education and community engagement. Along the way, it has strengthened partnerships, supported local businesses and created spaces where LGBTQ+ people can live authentically and be celebrated.

This year’s 10th anniversary carries special significance with the return of internationally acclaimed illustrator Jeffrey Fulvimari, an Akron native whose distinctive artwork has appeared in fashion, publishing and internationally recognized brands. His homecoming serves as a reminder that Akron is where dreams begin — and where there will always be a place to return.

As Akron Pride celebrates this milestone, it honors the volunteers who arrived before sunrise to build the festival, the performers who shared their talents, the sponsors and partners who believed in its mission, and the thousands of people whose presence transformed an idea into a lasting tradition.

The first decade was about creating visibility. The next will be about building legacy — ensuring every LGBTQ+ person knows they belong in Akron.

Join us for the 2026 celebrations:

Akron Pride 5K: Friday, August 21, at 6:30 p.m.

Akron Pride Festival & Equity March: Saturday,

August 22, from 10:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.

Here’s to the dreamers who started it, the community that sustained it and the future we will build together.

Happy 10th Anniversary, Akron Pride.

AkronPrideFestival.org