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Summer is quickly approaching as this weekend marks the beginning of June. Nationally recognized as LGBTQ+ Pride Month, a variety of events — ranging from drag brunch to softball — take place throughout the month in order to spread awareness and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. 

Read on to learn about upcoming Pride events in Columbus. Click on any event title for more information.

Sunday:

Kick off Pride Month this weekend with a meal and a show at Understory’s Drag Brunch event. Doors open at 11 a.m., with performances lasting from noon to 3 p.m. Performers include Bella Trix Bordello, Eris Bordello, Calli Coquette, The Girl Named Jack, Blonde Vanity and Gya Mongciel. 

Tickets can be purchased online for $48.60, inclusive of fees. The ticket gives guests access to the show and a buffet-style brunch. For more information, visit Understory’s website.

The city of Worthington will hold their fifth annual Pride celebration, which spans throughout the Worthington Historic District, Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. The family-friendly event will feature local LGBTQ+ organizations and vendors, hands-on activities, food trucks and live entertainment. 

For more information, visit the Experience Worthington website.

Monday:

The city of Columbus will illuminate City Hall with rainbow lights in recognition of Pride Month Monday from 6 to 8 p.m. The lighting ceremony serves as part of the Shellabarger Illuminator Award Ceremony, which recognizes a community member who has helped to create a more inclusive city through their contributions to the LGBTQ+ rights movement.

According to the City of Columbus website, the award ceremony began in 2016 to honor Steve Shellabarger, a long-time resident who has devoted his time to helping prominent LGBTQ+ organizations in Columbus, such as Equitas Health and Stonewall Columbus.

For more information, visit the city’s website.

June 12:

The third annual Scarlet & Gay Alumni and Friends Reception will take place June 12 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The cocktail reception gives LGBTQ+ Buckeyes the opportunity to network with other LGBTQ+ alumni and learn about the Scarlet & Gay Alumni Society.

Julie Haley, assistant director of alumni society engagement at Ohio State, said in an email there will be plenty of food in addition to the drinks. The event also provides free parking, a cash bar, Buckeye Pride freebies and will include a conversation with Wayland Hinds, the president of Scarlet and Gay, on how to get involved with the society and other opportunities. 

The event costs $5 to attend. For more information and to register for tickets, visit the event’s page.

June 13:

Stonewall’s two-day Pride event will begin with their festival and resource fair June 13 from 4 to 10 p.m.

According to U.S News & World Report, Columbus Pride is the second largest Pride event in the Midwest, following Chicago. This year’s festival will feature more than 200 nonprofit and corporate vendors, plenty of live entertainment, food and community resources. 

Amber Knicole, a dedicated contributor to the LGBTQ+ community in Columbus and lead singer of the neo-funk group MojoFlo, will host the event, along with other allies and accomplices who have shown support to the community. 

June 14:

According to Stonewall’s website, the annual Stonewall Columbus Pride March takes off June 14 at 10:30 a.m., beginning at the corner of Broad St. and High St. — near the Ohio Statehouse. Festivities will continue through the evening until 8 p.m.

The first march for Columbus Pride took place in 1981 and has grown from a mere 200 individuals — many of whom hid their identities for safety — to over 20,000 marchers in 2024, and over 700,000 people attending the festival as a whole.  

Staff, faculty, students and alumni are invited to participate in this year’s march to represent the LGBTQ+ community at Ohio State, The Wexner Medical Center and The James Cancer Center. The deadline to register is June 11. For more information on marching and to sign up, visit the University’s website. 

Additional information on the march can be found on Stonewall’s website.

For those looking to feel the energy of the Columbus Pride festival from a distance, Pride on High offers the chance to watch the festival from three locations — Parlay Sporting Club + Kitchen, Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse and El Vaquero — just one block from the festival. 

Doors open June 14 at 9:30 a.m. Guests can purchase tickets to the restaurant of their choice and will have access to speciality drinks, food, private restrooms and entertainment. 

According to Pride on High’s website, the entire city block from Goodale to Poplar will be blocked off. The area will hold a sound system and the Judging/Non-Judgment stage — hosted by Knicole, Colleen Marshall from NBC4 and the 2025 Patron of Pride, Ms. Virginia West — and the entire event will be streamed live on NBC4. 

This year, the event benefits four local organizations: Stonewall, Kaleidoscope Youth Center, Equitas Health Mozaic Project and Equality Ohio. 100% of donations go to the charity of the donor’s choice. 

Tickets can be purchased in advance on their website for $75, or day of for $100. 

ALLOUT Music Festival, hosted by PromoWest Productions and Nick Staples, is a day-long music festival celebrating queer artists. Hosted by Columbus-based drag queen Nina West, doors for the festival open June 14 at 3 p.m.  

Tinashe (“2 On”) will headline, along with Betty Who (“I Love You Always Forever”) and Rebecca Black (“Friday”). The festival also features smaller artists — such as Kaleena Zanders and Vincint — and local drag performers, such as Maya Bizness and The Girl Named Jack. The event takes place on both the indoor and outdoor stages at KEMBA Live!

Tickets are available on AXS for $90.47, inclusive of fees. For more information on the event, visit the festival’s website.     

June 15:

Hosted by the Columbus Lesbian and Gay Softball Association and drag queen Anisa Love, Bat-n-Rouge is an annual softball charity event where participants play the game in drag. 

Doors to this year’s Bat-n-Rouge event at Dodge Park open June 15 at noon, with the game starting at 3 p.m. The event will be complete with food trucks, drinks, merchandise and music. 

Attendees can anticipate to see players dressed as prominent public figures running the bases, such as Cher, Madonna or even David Hasselhoff, according to their website. 

Tickets for general admission are $10 and can be purchased online or at the door. 

June 21:

Hosted by Crawl With US®, the Pride Bar Crawl begins at Half Baked Brew — located at 765 N. High St. — June 21, with check-in from 4 to 6 p.m. After checking in, attendees are free to explore all 11 of the bars involved in the event at their own pace. A drag show will take place at 7 p.m. at Union Cafe — located at 782 N. High St. — and the after party runs from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. at Gaswerks — located at 487 Park St.

Tickets can be purchased online for $24.05 for a single ticket, or $18.41 each when you buy 4 or more. Prices are set to increase after June 7. Each ticket comes with two to three drink or shot vouchers, exclusive drink and food specials, no covers at the bars and freebies while supplies last. 

For more information on the event and to access the bar crawl map, visit the Crawl With US® website.