Western Iowans can start looking forward to at least four upcoming LGBTQ+ Pride events this year.
The celebrations start June 2 and 3 in Sioux City with the town’s seventh annual Pride event, and continue June 24 with the second annual Fort Dodge Pride Festival in west-central Iowa. Then, to the southwest, Heartland Pride will provide its annual festival for the Omaha/Council Bluffs region June 24. Four months later, Pride Orange City in northwest Iowa holds its sixth annual event Oct. 21.
A second Sioux City pride group, the Siouxland Pride Alliance, has yet to announce its plans for 2023. Last year, the 11-year-old group held Sioux City’s first-ever Pride parade, and that event is expected to continue this year.
Details on Western Iowa LGBTQ Pride Events
Here’s some more detail on each of the western Iowa events scheduled so far:
• The SUX Pride weekend begins Fri., June 2, day with a vendor showcase downtown and continues Saturday with the festival itself at the Sioux City Convention Center, according to the group’s Facebook page. Learn more at the website for SUX Pride,, formed in 2016. You can also check out the SUX Pride Facebook page.
• Fort Dodge’s second annual LGBTQ Pride event June 24 aims to be even larger than last year’s inaugural festival, organizer Kyrie Borsay told the Messenger last week. Since starting the festival last year, the group has become an official nonprofit, partnered with the Fort Dodge Fine Arts Association, held holiday events, started an “intergenerational meet-up,” and aims to open a community center, the Messenger reports.
• Heartland Pride, taking place July 15, started in 1985 with a Pride Walk in downtown Omaha. says the group’s website. In 2010, Heartland Pride became a regional organization that includes southwest Iowa. In addition to the festival and parade, Heartland Pride holds events year-round and is currently accepting applications for its scholarship fund. Apply by March 31 for four different scholarships for LGBTQIA-identifying students who are aged 18 to 24; older than age 24; Black, Indigenous or a Person of Color; or have a disability.
• A bit to the north, the sixth annual Pride Orange City event takes place Oct. 21 and is likely to include several days of diverse events such as panel discussions and drag shows. Pride Orange City was among the first small Iowa towns to organize its own Pride event and also received the Donna Red Wing Advocacy Award in 2019 from One Iowa for the event. Learn more at the Pride Orange City Facebook page, or its website.
