In its 31st year, Portland is celebrating its annual Portland Pride Waterfront Festival and Parade from July 19-20 at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park. (Submitted by Pixabay)

Pride Month might be over, but who said that means Pride has to end?

In its 31st year, Portland is celebrating its annual Portland Pride Waterfront Festival and Parade from July 19-20 at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park. This year’s theme is “Dream Big,” welcoming the community to “see a future with no limits.”

Produced by Pride Northwest, the nonprofit organization that puts on the annual celebration, this Pride event takes place in July to avoid overlap with other significant Rose City events, such as Juneteenth and the Delta Park Powwow, as reported by KGW.

Let’s learn more about each event:

Portland Waterfront Festival

One of the largest donation-based LGBTQIA+ Pride events on the West Coast, this event draws thousands of visitors to Portland annually.

The festival takes place from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 19, and 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 20, at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park on Southwest Naito Parkway. There are three gate entrances at Southwest Ash Street, Pine Street and Harvey Milk Street.

Performances scheduled include Landon Cider, Frenchie Davis, Jason Stuart and the band 76th Street.

There will be an LGBTQIA2S+ Maker’s Market held within the festival featuring photography, painting, jewelry, handmade crafts and more. Local restaurants and drink vendors will be available on-site, or consider venturing around town for a bite to eat.

A $10 donation is suggested upon entry, but the event is free to attend.

Portland Pride Parade

The parade is at 11 a.m. on Sunday, July 20, and will start at the North Park Blocks and follow a parade route through downtown, ending at the festival at Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

Drawing tens of thousands to Oregon’s largest Pride parade, this event also provides access to informational booths for guests to learn more about the LGBTQIA+ community or find out about local nonprofits and organizations.

Portland Pride History

It started in the 1970s, with a Gay Pride Fair in the South Park Blocks, according to Travel Portland, with 200 attendees. Then, the fair moved to the waterfront and featured about 15 booths. By the ’80s, there were about 2,000 participants in the 1982 and 1983 marches.

Some key milestones include:

• 1989: Marchers, including the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus, commemorated the 20th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.
• 1994: Pride Northwest, the organization behind Portland Pride, formed its group.
• 2004: A day of celebration when same-sex marriage briefly became legal in Multnomah County.
• 2014: Marriage equality became the law in Oregon.

For more information on the Portland Pride Festival and Parade, visit portlandpride.org.