The RI Pride Guide 2026: Parades, Parties and a Hoedown

forrest fleur (sic) is ready for the Hillsdale’s Big Pride Hoedown at Taconic Ridge Farm. Photo credit: Grace Kelly

Rainbow flags are flying across the hills and hollows of the RI region this Pride Month—and the calendar is packed. Joanna Virello, producer behind Hillsdale’s Big Pride Hoedown at Taconic Ridge Farm, put it best when she described what she was going for: "almost a state fair or circus atmosphere." That spirit captures this whole month of events pretty well. From that Columbia County hoedown complete with mechanical bull and lariat lessons to a decade-milestone season across the Berkshires, from Poughkeepsie's riverfront march to the fifth annual village celebration in Kinderhook, there's no shortage of ways to show up, stand proud, and celebrate our LGBTQ+ community.

Here's your guide to what's happening this June.

June 6

Lenox Pride—Lenox, MA

Brand new for 2026, Lenox Pride is the inaugural celebration bringing Berkshire Pride's Season of Pride to this storied Berkshires town for the first time. The event runs from 10am to 2pm, marking a significant expansion of LGBTQ+ visibility across the county in this milestone 10th anniversary year for Berkshire Pride.

Merryall Pride: Flamy Grant—New Milford, CT

The Merryall Center for the Arts, an intimate performance venue in New Milford, hosts Flamy Grant for a Merryall Pride evening starting at 7:30pm. Grant is an Asheville-based singing-songwriting drag queen whose debut album Bible Belt Baby hit #1 on the iTunes Christian music charts—equal parts theatrical, funny, and genuinely moving. Tickets are $30. A Billboard-charting drag queen in a historic little arts center in the Litchfield County woods: don't miss it.

Stanford Pride—Stanfordville, NY

Stanford Pride brings celebration to the northern reaches of Dutchess County, kicking off at Bangallworks in Stanfordville at 1pm. It's a hometown celebration in the truest sense—painting the small town with proud rainbows and community spirit.

June 12

North Adams Pride Night—North Adams, MA

North County gets its own vibrant night of Pride with North Adams Pride Night, featuring family-friendly activities, drag performances, vendors, and a lineup of entertainers that brings serious energy to this lively arts town. 

June 13

Poughkeepsie Pride March & Festival—Poughkeepsie, NY

Returning for its 8th year, the Poughkeepsie Pride March kicks off at noon, launched by the roar of the Sirens Women's Motorcycle Club, and winds its way to a festival at Waryas Park on the Hudson River. Local LGBTQ+ business owners, creatives, and community members fill the park for an afternoon of celebration. This is the anchor event of Dutchess County's Pride calendar—and it delivers.

A Lick & A Promise: Big Pride Hoedown—Hillsdale, NY

"I don't think Hillsdale is ready for this," organizer Joanna Virello says with a laugh. Virello, who has been producing events at Taconic Ridge Farm with farm owner Jim Cardin for years, pulled out every stop for this one. Starting at 6pm, the Big Pride Hoedown features two-step and boot-scoot lessons with Copperhead Meg and Tory Tornado, lasso lessons with former rodeo champion Tim Strixbury, a mechanical bull, go-go dancers, and two full performances by Cowboy Lou and the Freak Show Rodeo, a troupe of performers out of Coxsackie and the Berkshires. The night closes with an hour and a half of dance music from DJ Lusty Chaps—who is, delightfully, Hillsdale Town Supervisor Mike Dvorak. A first-ever cocktail bar at the event will def crank up the festivities as well. Profits from the bull rides benefit the Queer & Trans Connection Network of Greene & Columbia Counties—so saddle up for a cause.

Lee Pride—Lee, MA

Lee Pride is back for its second year and it's a full day affair, running from 9am to 11pm. The festivities include an Interfaith Pride Prayer Breakfast, a Pride Market in partnership with the Lee Farmers’ Market, a special exhibit at the Lee Library, a live afternoon concert at the Devonfield Inn, family-friendly Drag Bingo, and an adults-only drag show and dance party at the Starving Artist Cafe to close out the night. 

Becket Arts Center LGBTQ+ Pride Exhibition Opening—Becket, MA

The Becket Arts Center opens its LGBTQ+ Pride art exhibition with a reception from 2 to 4pm, celebrating local LGBTQ+ artists and their work. The show continues through June, with an artists panel discussion on June 21.

June 18

The Gay Boat: Italy—Hudson, NY

Hudson Hall hosts a book launch and conversation at 6pm for Rich "Trixie Starr" Volo's debut novel—and it's exactly what it sounds like. When porn star Buzz Idol is invited to perform aboard an all-gay cruise around Italy, his self-conscious editor Alex is forced to get on board. A colorful cast of characters navigates the Mediterranean and each other, healing old wounds along the way. Funny, filthy, and surprisingly tender, it's a story about finding your people even when you're out at sea. Volo is a Hudson drag icon and runs the popular events blog Trixie's List, sells cookies at the farmers' market, and now writes fiction. 

June 18-21

OutHudson Pride Weekend—Hudson, NY

The 16th annual OutHudson Pride Weekend runs June 18–21, themed "Charlie & the Disco Factory"—glittering jumpsuits, top hats, candy-colored dreams, and a disco ball above it all. Hudson goes full queer (or queerer, I guess) destination for four days.

Friday, June 19, 9pm: The No Ring Circus: FIREWATER! Pride Edition kicks off the weekend proper at Hudson Brewing Company—sideshow debauchery, high-caliber burlesque and circus, and cutting-edge drag from a Hudson-based, globally recognized, queer-owned troupe. FIREWATER! has sold out six times in four years at this venue; plan accordingly. VIP doors 7:30pm, GA doors 8:30pm, show at 9pm.

Saturday, June 20, 12:30pm: Parade lineup forms at 7th Street Park. The march steps off at 2pm down Warren Street to Front Street, ending at Promenade Hill Park for a festival from 2 to 5pm—vendors, music, and celebration on the Hudson River bluff. Grand Marshals this year are the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement, writer and activist SJ Williams, and youth education center Kite's Nest.

Saturday, June 20, 7pm: The Inner Core at Hudson Hall is one of the weekend's quieter highlights: MacArthur Fellow and composer/pianist Matthew Aucoin joins bass-baritone William Socolof for the regional premiere of a cycle of love songs tracing an imagined queer relationship from adolescence through early adulthood, plus two world premiere pieces. Tickets $30–$55.

Saturday, June 20, 8pm–1am: HYDROMANCY at Ether Hudson (549 Washington Street), hosted by Kelsey Lu, features TYGAPAW, LeeLee, YATTA, Tati Au Miel, Nino Brown, and Young Teesh. Billed as an exploration of "abyssal frequencies that gather between people in space." $30, 21+.

Sunday, June 21: Big Gay Brunch at Quinnie's—drag performances, dollar bills encouraged. Check Quinnie's for confirmed time.

Check the full OutHudson Linktree for additional events including Softbody Burlesque, a literary night, and the Trans World Art Exhibit at 46 Green Street Studios.

10th Annual Pride on the Common Parade & Festival—Pittsfield, MA

The centerpiece of Berkshire Pride's milestone 10th anniversary season, themed "Every Day is Pride." The parade steps off at 11am from Park Square—rain or shine—and anyone is welcome to march: community groups, organizations, businesses, performers, allies, individuals showing up on their own. It winds directly into the festival on Pittsfield Common, which runs all day with live music, drag performances, local vendors, and advocacy booths. 

Free and family-friendly throughout. This year's Community Partner of the Year is the Elizabeth Freeman Center, recognized for its decade of work supporting LGBTQ+ individuals and families across the county. As Executive Director Cass Santos-China put it at the season launch: "Pride in the Berkshires is a permanent and growing part of our region's cultural and civic life." Ten years in, it's hard to argue otherwise.

June 21

Berkshire Pride Tea Dance at Naumkeag—Stockbridge, MA

From 3 to 7:30pm, Berkshire Pride hosts a Tea Dance at the legendary Naumkeag estate in Stockbridge—one of the most elegant settings in all the Berkshires. Two DJ sets from D'Jay Tilda and DJ RuBot, dancing, community, and stunning grounds. 

House Party with DJ Michael V—South Egremont, MA

Buttonball Barn at 17 Main Street in South Egremont closes out Pride Weekend the right way: doors at 7pm, music from 8 to 10pm, DJ Michael V spinning house beats all night on a packed dance floor with craft cocktails flowing. General admission is $15; VIP Balcony tickets are $45. All ages welcome. As the listing puts it: "this is where the night hits different."

June 24

Family Movie Night—Beacon Cinema, Pittsfield, MA

Berkshire Pride wraps up its main season events with a family movie night at the Beacon Cinema at 57 North Street in Pittsfield, screening Toy Story 5. A sweet, all-ages cap to a month of celebration.

June 27

Kinderhook Pride—Kinderhook, NY

The fifth annual Kinderhook Pride is a gem of a village celebration. It kicks off in front of the Kinderhook Memorial Library following a Drag Queen Story Hour at 3pm, then moves to the Village Green for the main event: speeches from Grand Marshal Camille Massey, drag performances, and a DJ spinning the kind of music that makes you glad you came out. 

June 28

Pride 2026 Fun Run 5K—Poughkeepsie, NY

Dutchess Pride and Fleet Feet Poughkeepsie close out the month's calendar with their annual fundraiser run, welcoming all ages and abilities to the starting line on South Road at 9am. All proceeds support the Dutchess County Pride Center. Lace up.

A Note on Litchfield County

The Litchfield County Pride Festival in Torrington took place on May 30, capping off a busy pre-June stretch for the area. For year-round LGBTQ+ resources, events, and community support in the Litchfield Hills, Pride in the Hills is the go-to organization—funding scholarships, Rainbow Reader library collections, and advocacy across the northwest corner of Connecticut.

Know of an event we missed? Send us a note at [events@ruralintelligence.com] and we'll add it to the guide.