BURLINGTON, IA. — LGBTQ+ Pride is bursting through this town along the border of Iowa and Illinois, with Pride in the Park on Saturday the first of two big annual festivals.
The two-part offering means Pride in Burlington, a city of about 24,000, gets a nature-tinged celebration this Saturday at Pride in the Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and a “city vibe” June 28 at Pride on the Riverfront.
It means a longtime tradition will be celebrated this weekend, while a contemporary approach to Pride takes center stage next weekend. Both events showcase Burlington’s water resources, and its overall welcoming, open-minded vibe.
“I feel like Burlington is really, on a whole, a progressive, forward-thinking community,” says Ashlie Timm, one of three founders of Burlington Pride, which has organized Pride in the Park every year since 2018, except last year. “The LGBTQ community gets a lot of support here.”
Pride in the Park Saturday continues Burlington tradition since 2018
This weekend’s Pride in the Park takes place at Crapo Park, as it has since 2018. This year, the festival has moved to the park’s bandshell, with the Mississippi River serving as a stunning backdrop to a day of performers.
Above: Misty Bonnichsen, Cindy Bowen, and Ashlie Timm of Burlington Pride.
Burlington Pride in the Park also offers one of the largest Pride vendor fairs in the region: a 63-booth grid with a variety of retail, community resources, LGBTQ+ groups and more. You’ll also find several food trucks.
Because of projected temperatures of 94 degrees, organizers will provide a cooling tent, a large commercial misting cooling fan, and other extra cooling measures including for performers.
Other features of the day will include kids’ fun, parades for humans and pets, singers and musicians, comedy, speakers, a DJ, an STD testing station, and more. After the festival, you’ll find more drag at Wake N’ Bake Breakfast.
Above, a flag celebration at a previous Pride in the Park.
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How Burlington Pride, Pride On the Riverfront are connected yet separate
The original Pride in the Park grew out of the community’s uprising in support of some teens who had tried to hold a Pride event and encountered resistance.
Bowen and community leader Cody Fleitner stepped forward, pulling together a Pride event in Crapo Park that drew hundreds with just a few days’ notice. Timm joined on the following year.
The event continued to grow to more than 2,000 until COVID hit in 2020, slowing momentum. Bowen and Timm also needed a year off in 2024 because of medical challenges.
That’s when Pride On the Riverfront, also known as Btown Pride, organized to fill the gap. The second Pride group put together a lauded Pride on the Riverfront festival and honored Bowen, Timm and Fleitner by naming Fleitner and Bowen as parade grand marshals. Burlington Pride also donated to the new group and participated in their vendor fair.Â
Burlington Pride bounced back from medical challenges in 2024, to raise morale and interest all year through events like free skating parties and movie nights.
They also found creative ways to raise money, including matching donation campaigns and smaller events. They were able to ward off the funding challenges many nonprofits say they’re facing in the wake of Trump federal budget cuts. Fleitner, meanwhile, now helps lead the new group.
Above, logos for Burlington Pride and its Pride in the Park this Saturday (June 21), and Pride on the Riverfront, holding a June 28 Pride event.
Both Burlington Pride and Btown Pride share a new focus this year: championing their cause under the close proximity of one of the legislators most responsible for having gender identity removed from Iowa’s Civil Rights Code.
State Rep. Taylor Collins, R-Burlington, vocally advocated for the law. He also was recently named the leader of the city’s partnership that includes several leading nonprofits.
Leaders of Burlington’s two Pride groups are both alarmed and inspired by Collins’ appointment to such an influential local role.
“It makes us want to be louder, more seen and more heard,” say Timm. “It’s actually unfortunate, but it’s also inspiring to those who do support the community. We look at this as, ‘We’re not going to lose hope.’ “
Myra Goldie, spokesperson for Btown Pride, agrees. “As an organiation, Btown Pride is fighting for the inclusion and equity of everyone, the progress of everyone. We are looking for the prosperity of all of southeast Iowa. We want to see everyone have the same access to living a good life, and politics be damned, we think that everyone deserves that.”
Pride in the Park performers include leading regional drag performers, listed in the graphic above. Timm said another highlight will be testimonials provided by community members.
For more information on Pride in the Park, head to the Burlington Pride Facebook page. Watch main-stream.org next week for more on the June 28 Pride on the Riverfront by Btown Pride, Burlington’s second Pride nonprofit.
This Saturday’s event at Crapo Park will be held rain or shine.
