Fuquay-Varina Pride Celebration began in 2022 when a small group of community members came together with a shared vision: to create a space where queer individuals could gather, celebrate, and feel seen. What started as a modest idea expecting 50 attendees grew into a vibrant celebration that welcomed over 300 people in its first year—and we’ve been growing ever since.

Each year, we come together to honor the strength, courage, and resilience of the LGBTQ+ community. Our signature Strut through downtown is a joyful, visible show of pride and unity. The celebration also features a lively festival with awareness booths, live music, fun activities, and a raffle—raising funds to support the LGBT Center of Raleigh.

With the support of local businesses, sponsors, and organizations, Fuquay-Varina Pride Celebration has become more than an event—it’s a movement. We proudly promote and uplift queer-focused events throughout the year, creating a more inclusive and welcoming Fuquay-Varina for all.

Fuquay-Varina Pride t-shirts will be available for purchase at the Festival at Mason Jar Lager Company.

You will also be able to enter our raffle to win assorted baskets of donated goods from local businesses, organizations, individual artists, and contributors.

We will gather, hear brief speeches from queer community members and together we Strut with pride from Falcon Park to the John W. Byrne Municipal Building! Much like a parade, but we all walk on the sidewalk and respect each other’s space.

Gather in the field at the Falcon Park Picnic Shelter. Our event will begin at 10:00 a.m. The walk is less than 20 minutes, and we will stay on a paved sidewalk.

There is ample parking at Falcon Park, Council Gym, and street parking. If you have the ability to coordinate with other strut attendees, we recommend parking near the John W. Byrne Municipal Building and carpooling to Falcon Park, as the strut route does not return to Falcon Park.

Falcon Park has four accessible parking space available. Two near the playground and two near the baseball field. In the event that those are full, there is overflow parking at Council Gym which has a paved path down to Falcon Park.

This is a rain or shine event! If the weather is permissible, we will gather in the field near the Falcon Park Picnic Shelter. If there is rain, we will gather in Council Gym. The planning committee will update our website and social media accounts in the event of severe weather.

There is so much to do downtown! The Fuquay-Varina Growers Market is just across the street from the John W. Byrne Municipal Building, or walk down Main Street and grab a coffee, sweet treat or lunch at the local businesses before heading to celebrate some more at the Festival at Mason Jar Lager Company!

Face painting, photo booth, music, awareness booths including local businesses & organizations, and a raffle with LOTS of local goodies all to benefit the LGBT Center of Raleigh!

Mason Jar Lager Company offers ample parking in the field behind the brewery. Additional parking may be found at the front of the building, and in the public parking lot across Broad St.

One ticket for $2, seven tickets for $10, and fifteen tickets for $20. There is no limit to how many tickets may be purchased. We will begin drawing tickets at 2:30 PM. One winner per basket. Winners must be present to claim their prize.

Please fill out the Donation Form to help us with the logistics. 

We can accept item donations for 2 purposes:

• Raffle Items & Certificates – For inclusion in the Celebration raffle gift baskets
  • Please note that the deadline for Raffle Items & Certificates to be delivered is June 1st.
  • Raffle Baskets are grouped by a variety of themes, such as dog-lovers, self-care, coffee-lovers, summer fun, etc.
  • Festival attendees will be able to purchase raffle tickets and drop their raffle tickets into basket-specific drawings based upon their interest in the baskets’ themes.
  • We accept both physical items (preferably locally-produced or pride-themed) as well as gift cards/certificates for services, such as for petting sitting, beauty treatments, spa services, food and beverage establishments, etc.
  • For maximum attention, consider donating an entire baskets’ worth of items or services and we’ll feature your basket prominently.
• Event Supplies & Services – Items or services donated for use directly during the event

You have the option to feature your donation on the Fuquay-Varina Pride Celebration website. If you consent, the following information can be promoted:

• A representative image of your donated item(s)
• Your small business logo
• A hyperlink to your business page
• A concise description of your business and/or services

Please visit our Support webpage for more information regarding sponsorship, volunteer, and donor opportunities.

We can accept item donations for 2 purposes:

• Raffle Items & Certificates – For inclusion in the Celebration raffle gift baskets
  • Raffle Baskets are grouped by a variety of themes, such as dog-lovers, self-care, coffee-lovers, summer fun, etc.
  • Festival attendees will be able to purchase raffle tickets and drop their raffle tickets into basket-specific drawings based upon their interest in the baskets’ themes.
  • We accept both physical items (preferably locally-produced or pride-themed) as well as gift cards/certificates for services, such as for pet sitting, beauty treatments, spa services, food and beverage establishments, etc.
  • For maximum attention, consider donating an entire baskets’ worth of items or services and we’ll feature your basket prominently.
• Event Supplies & Services – Items or services donated for use directly during the event

You have the option to feature your donation on the Fuquay-Varina Pride Celebration website. If you consent, the following information can be promoted:

• A representative image of your donated item(s)
• Your small business logo
• A hyperlink to your business page
• A concise description of your business and/or services

For additional information, visit our Support webpage

What is an Awareness Booth

Due to local ordinance and policy at our Festival host location, we are unable to have traditional vendors at our festival. Any exchange of funds onsite (excluding the brewery or food trucks provided by the host location) for products or services during the festival is prohibited. The only exchange of funds onsite during the festival may be in the form of a donation to the LGBT Center of Raleigh. This puts us in a unique situation where we want supportive businesses & organizations to have a space to promote themselves, but are unable to financially capitalize onsite during the festival. With the help of our festival location host, we came up with Awareness Booths! A 10×10 space for a business, organization or individual to promote themselves. Our awareness booth holders have ranged from law firms, therapy offices, and hair stylists to authors, animal rescue organizations, and the American Legion – our awareness booths, much like the queer community, are incredibly diverse.

What can I do at my Awareness Booth?

The intent of an Awareness Booth is much like an expo where you are promoting your goods and/or services, collecting potential customer information and directing potential customers to where they may purchase products or schedule services for a future date. Due to our limitations, we are unable to allow any Awareness Booths to take money or payment in any form during the event. We will feature your business on our webpage to encourage online engagement and/or sales.

The intent of an Awareness Booth is much like an expo where you are promoting your goods and/or services, collecting potential customer information and directing potential customers to where they may purchase products or schedule services at a future date.

Due to our limitations, we are not able to allow any Awareness Booths to take money or payment in any form during the event. We will feature your business on our webpage to encourage online engagement and/or sales.

Please visit our Support webpage for more information and to apply for a booth!

Absolutely! Just let us know when you fill out your awareness booth application that you are okay with sharing your awareness booth space and we’ll pair you with someone else who is also willing to share. (If there is someone specific that you intend to share with, please let us know in the comment section on your booth application)

Please visit our Support webpage for more information and to apply!

Consider adding on additional sponsorships or donations to our raffle baskets to further promote your organization.

• Raffle Donation Form
• Sponsorship Opportunities