For over a decade, the Lexington Pride Festival was hosted in Downtown Lexington. First at Henry A. Tandy Centennial Park and then at Robert F. Stephens Courthouse Plaza. During this time, the Lexington Pride Festival grew to be the largest festival in Lexington, and outgrew the space and amenities available at downtown gathering spaces. So, in 2023 and 2024, the Lexington Pride Center hosted the Festival inside at the Central Bank Center convention center. For 2025, though, Lexington’s Pride Festival is moving back outside! We talked with Jason Schubert, president of Lexington Pride Festival to learn more about what to expect at this new outdoor venue and format of festival.

What led to the decision of Pride returning outside and what was the response and feedback from attendees of the indoor festival?

We had a lot of back and forth about the decision to take the Pride festival back outside for 2025. There were a lot of perks for the inside festival — the air conditioning, the accessibility, the ability to do game rooms and quiet rooms, and the ability to feature 18+ performances. But, there were plenty of drawbacks — we heard a lot from our community that it felt like we were being hidden and that it didn’t feel like a real festival.

We’re excited about utilizing Oliver Lewis Way this year because it will allow us to bring the festival back outside but also do it in a safer way. At the Courthouse Plaza downtown, the space is very cramped, which can cause issues with the heat. It’s also very inaccessible for anyone using a wheelchair or with mobility issues. At Oliver Lewis Way, we have the entire stretch reserved from South Broadway to High Street. There is so much more room to spread out, which will help with issues related to heat, and it’s completely flat, allowing it to be a lot more accessible.

The festival being outside also allows us to welcome back food and beverage vendors, strengthening our connections to the local community and small businesses. We’re very excited to welcome back West Sixth Brewing as the exclusive beer provider for the festival!

We’re also working to bring some of the indoor festival elements outside. One way we’re doing this is partnering with Blue Stallion Brewing to host a “Pride After Dark” event in the evening, which will allow us to feature adult performers in a 21+ space. We’re continuing to explore other ways we can bring the indoor elements outside for 2025.

And, the spirit of Pride is a celebration of who we are as an LGBTQIA+ community. By being back outside, we’re really showcasing that our community isn’t afraid and that we aren’t going to be bullied back into the closet.

I know it’s a bit early in the planning, but can you tell us a bit about what a festival on Oliver Lewis Way might look like?

We have a lot of ideas, and we’re thankful to organizations like Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, Lexington Parks & Recreation, Lexington Police, the Lexington Community Land Trust, the University of Kentucky, and local businesses for working with us to help make our ideas a reality. At this time, we plan to have two stages again to feature a variety of performers. There will be large blocks of sponsor booths, food/beverage booths, and regular vendor booths. We’re also going to have large shade tents for people to utilize, as well as free water available. Those safety elements are super important to us!

The center of the festival (with the main stage) will be at the intersection of Scott Street and Oliver Lewis Way, with booths fanning out from both sides.

What are some steps you are making to ensure increased accessibility and heat protection as the festival returns outside?

We’re working closely with EMS and other providers to make sure we’re covered with their assistance for the festival. We’ll also have large shade tents for attendees to utilize and free water available during the festival. These safety pieces are key for us! We’ll again have a section next to both stages designated as an accessible viewing area. And, we’ll provide American Sign Language interpreters for most of the festival. This year we’ll also be planning to run a shuttle from the festival main entrance on South Broadway to downtown, allowing attendees to easily move between the two areas without having to worry about driving.

We’ve had great support from the Lexington Community Land Trust. They’re a nonprofit organization that owns and stewards the land along Oliver Lewis Way for the benefit of the community in order to preserve the affordability of housing on the land permanently. We’ll be their next door neighbors on the day of the festival, so we’re thankful for their support and partnership, allowing us to place shade tents on their property and access their water connection.

I heard that you are planning a Pride parade that you are hoping to use as a kickoff to the festival. Can you tell me a bit about that?

We’re still in the early stages of planning, but we’re very excited about this idea! We’ve always wanted to do a large Pride parade, so this year’s event will be a bit of a warm up for us. The idea came out of brainstorming ways to take advantage of the unique space (it’s a big, long, wide road!) while also honoring our roots of Pride as a protest and a march. The parade won’t be very long, but it’ll be exciting to see! We plan to use the Pride parade as the opening for the festival to encourage attendees to come out early and start their celebrations. The Pride parade will lead directly into the opening drag show.

Outside of the Pride festival on Saturday, we’re also planning a six-week long celebration of Pride. Starting with our Rainbow Run 5K on Saturday, May 17, and leading up to the festival itself. We have a wide variety of events and activities planned — from trivia nights to drag shows to a hike at Raven Run and so much more! Follow us on social media to stay updated on all the events we have planned.

How will the Pride Festival connect to the 250Lex events celebrating Lexington’s 250th birthday?

With this year being Lexington’s 250th anniversary (and June being Coming Home month) we’re exploring lots of ways to celebrate our legacy with the city. Lexington has a strong LGBTQIA+ history, and our festival is the continuation of that history in many ways. We have plans for events all throughout June that will allow everyone to connect with their history while also forging a path ahead for the LGBTQIA+ community.

During the festival itself, we’re excited to feature Queer, Here, & Everywhere: The Roots of Kentucky’s LGBTQ History from the Faulkner Morgan Archive. Funded by a 250Lex Cultural Grant, this will be the first comprehensive exhibition of Lexington’s LGBTQ+ history, showcasing the importance of the queer community in this city. We’re also in talks with the 250Lex Commission on creative ideas to celebrate Lexington’s history during the festival.

We’re also partnering with LexArts on their Coming Home Art Show for the 250th leading up to the festival. The art show will end with a showcase called “All Walks Of Life Art & Fashion Show” on Friday, June 27. This event is being coordinated with Rob Penque at Art Out Loud.

How can the community support the festival between now and June?

The Lexington Pride Festival can only happen with community support! It’s a large party for many, but for the Lexington Pride Center, it’s our largest fundraiser and allows us to provide services for the LGBTQIA+ community all year long. Support of our community is needed now more than ever. So, come to the festival. But, also consider being a sponsor or a vendor to increase your impact on the LGBTQIA+ community in Lexington!

The 2025 Lexington Pride Festival will be held on Oliver Lewis Way (S. Broadway to High St.) in Lexington, KY on Saturday, June 28 from 11:00am to 9:00pm. You can learn more about the festival, sponsoring, becoming a vendor, or volunteering at www.lexpridefest.org.