Indiana’s second-largest city, Fort Wayne, has a population of approximately 260,000 and is located in the northeast corner of the state, a short distance from the Ohio and Michigan borders. Located at the confluence of three rivers, the city’s most popular festival gets its name and takes advantage of its location: the Three Rivers Festival runs for nine days in mid-July. This popular event precedes what has become an increasingly crowded GLBT gathering every late July, the Fort Wayne Gay Pride festival.
This year’s dates are July 22 and July 23, 2016, with a series of events taking place next week.
The two-day event, which is the second in the state to attend Indy Gay Pride alone, comprises two full days of events (here’s a full Fort Wayne Pride schedule) at the city’s green Headwaters Park, in 333 S. Clinton St., which is just a couple of blocks north of the downtown business district. Fort Wayne Pride hours are Friday, starting at 7 p.m. M. Until midnight, and on Saturday, from noon to midnight. Also on Saturday, July 23, from 11:30 a.m. to noon, the Fort Wayne Gay Pride March takes place on the Headwaters Park festival grounds.
Pride features a beer tent, KidSpace, and community vendor displays, and there’s live entertainment, featuring DEV, Codex, Dasan Valentine, Shawnee, Night To Remember, and several other bands.
Fort Wayne Gay Resources
Check out online resources on Fort Wayne’s gay scene, such as The Word gay newspaper, which serves Indiana and neighboring states. Also take a look at the excellent travel site produced by the city’s official tourism organization, Visit Fort Wayne.
