BY KRISTIE WORTHEY for WEEKLY VOLCANO | 6/26/2026
From tribal gatherings and youth fundraisers to bookstores, art exhibitions, and community celebrations, Tacoma’s July Pride celebration reflects the many voices that make up the city.
While much of the nation celebrates Pride Month in June, Tacoma has long chosen its own path. As King’s Books owner Sweet Pea Flaherty put it, “Pride is so important in Tacoma that the city celebrates it for two months.”
The remark may be tongue-in-cheek, but it reflects a tradition that has become part of Tacoma’s cultural identity.
Every July, rainbow flags appear across the city as Tacoma Pride transforms parks, museums, bookstores, restaurants, theaters, and community spaces into places of celebration, reflection, and connection. The month’s events are anchored by the Tacoma Pride Festival, which returns to Wright Park on July 11 from noon to 6 p.m. The festival is only one part of a much larger story.
Like the city itself, Tacoma Pride extends far beyond a single gathering.
Tacoma’s July Pride events begin before festival weekend. On July 1, Get Used To It! A Big Gay Tacoma Pride Kickoff will bring queer comedians together for an evening of laughter and community at McMenamins Elks Temple’s Spanish Ballroom. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the show begins at 7:30 p.m. The event is for ages eighteen and older, and proceeds benefit the Rainbow Center.
One of the month’s most colorful events is Big Hat Brunch 2026: Rainforest: Flora & Fauna, scheduled for July 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Silver Cloud Hotel at Point Ruston Waterfront. Equal parts fundraiser and celebration, the event supports Oasis Youth Center and its work with queer youth.
This year’s theme invites participants to transform tables into rainforest-inspired displays or arrive dressed as colorful creatures and botanical wonders. Behind the whimsy lies a serious mission: supporting programs and services that help queer youth find community, affirmation, and opportunity.
Later in the month, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians and the Puyallup Tribe Pride Planning Committee will host Puyallup Tribe Pride 2026 from 2 to 6 p.m. July 25 at the Puyallup Tribal Administration Building campus. The free, all-ages event embraces this year’s theme, “Indigiglam: Fashionably Resilient,” celebrating both Indigenous identity and the vibrant 2SLGBTQ+ community within and beyond the Tribe.
Organizers encourage attendees to embrace cultural expression through fashion while enjoying drag performances, poetry, a photo booth, Drag Bingo, giveaways, food, community resources, and family-friendly activities. Non-Indigenous guests are invited to celebrate their own cultural heritage through fashion, creating a gathering that honors diversity while fostering connection across communities.
The spirit of celebration extends beyond Wright Park and throughout the city on July 11. Beginning at 2 p.m., The Mix Presents Tacoma Pride Block Party 2026 features nationally known performers, including Bob the Drag Queen and Naomi Smalls, alongside local entertainers, DJs, and musicians. The 21-and-older, cash-only event is scheduled to run until midnight at The Mix.
The city’s business community is also finding ways to participate. Throughout July, local restaurants, theaters, and gathering places are partnering with the Rainbow Center through fundraising campaigns and special events that support LGBTQIA2S+ programs and services.
On July 9, the Blue Mouse Theatre will host Let’s Celebrate Pride with The Birdcage at 8 p.m. in Auditorium 1. The special screening of The Birdcage, the hit comedy starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane about a gay nightclub owner and his partner, will also feature a drag performance by Vivian Le Cher. Five dollars from every ticket sold will benefit the Tacoma Rainbow Center.
Tacoma’s arts community is also contributing to Pride Month through programs designed to engage visitors of all ages. At Tacoma Art Museum, visitors can explore Kent Monkman: Death of Adonis, a focused exhibition centered on a single monumental painting by acclaimed Cree artist Kent Monkman. The exhibition opens June 27 and runs through Jan. 3, 2027.
Known for his large-scale work, theatrical compositions, and critical reworking of nineteenth-century visual traditions, Monkman examines Indigenous histories, colonial narratives, gender, and queerness with equal measures of humor, provocation, and insight.
Also on view is “Gossip: Between Us,” an exhibition spotlighting women and queer artists from the museum’s permanent collection.
The museum is also embracing Pride Month through community programming. On July 11, Tacoma Art Museum will host Tacoma Community Day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., offering free admission for Tacoma residents with valid ID.
Families can participate in Studio + Storytime: Pride Month from 11 a.m. to noon July 11, a partnership with Tacoma Public Library featuring stories, gallery exploration, art activities, and button making. The program includes a reading of Rainbow Saurus by Steve Antony and is geared toward children ages two to eight.
Older youth can take part in Teen Open Studio: FAN-tastic PRIDE from 5 to 7 p.m. July 16, creating personalized Pride fans before exploring “Gossip: Between Us.”
Executive director Andy Maus says Tacoma Art Museum views art as a way of fostering learning, connection, and belonging. He described art as a tool for “building community belonging” and helping visitors better understand both the Northwest and one another.
For many Tacoma residents, Pride Month is also about gathering in spaces that foster community throughout the year.
Independent bookstores such as King’s Books, Grit City Books, and Shelf Indulgence have become important gathering places for Tacoma’s LGBTQIA2S+ community. In addition to maintaining a booth at the Tacoma Pride Festival each year, King’s Books hosts two queer-centered book clubs: Read & Rant, which focuses on queer and trans authors, and Swoon Tacoma, a queer and trans romance book club.
According to bookstore owner Sweet Pea Flaherty, community programming has expanded for all reader groups. Over the last five years, he has seen a rise in queer and trans patrons, with readers desiring literature that reflects their experiences.
“It’s not a single celebration,” Flaherty said of Pride. “It’s something we all do throughout the year.”
That year-round commitment can also be seen in the growth of Tacoma’s literary community, including the opening of queer-owned bookstore Grit City Books and Shelf Indulgence, Tacoma’s first romance-focused bookstore, which offers an inclusive haven for all romance lovers.
The growing number of events, partnerships, and community initiatives reflects Tacoma itself: a city that continues to embrace new voices while celebrating the communities that have helped shape its identity.
The festival may last a day. The celebration may last a month. But in Tacoma, community is built the rest of the year.
