RIDING THE WAVE OF PROGRESS

50 Years of Santa Cruz Pride

EST. 1975

NO GOING BACK

About Us

Santa Cruz Pride is the largest LGBTQ+ event in the Central Coast and the third oldest Pride Parade and Festival in California, attracting over 7,000 participants annually since 1975. Our 50th Anniversary is in 2025. We will be celebrating with our parade and festival on June 1, 2025 in downtown Santa Cruz.

Upcoming Events

Follow Our Journey

Throwing it back to the vital work of the Santa Cruz AIDS Project (SCAP) in the 1980s. For many in the queer community, July 3, 1981, was a sobering date when the New York Times published “Rare Cancer Seen in 41 Homosexuals.” This marked
Celebrate Santa Cruz County Queer History with Our New Podcasts! We are thrilled to introduce a series of weekly podcasts launched by Santa Cruz Pride and the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, featuring LGBTQ+ youth interviewing LGBTQ+ elders f
Transgender individuals have been pioneering trailblazers throughout history, and they continue to be powerful forces for change today. We are fortunate to have many openly transgender people in Santa Cruz County, whose contributions significantly en
Throwing it back to January 1981, when the Santa Cruz community united to stand up for LGBTQ+ civil rights at a Capitola City Council meeting. In late 1980, Capitola police conducted a controversial sweep, using undercover officers to target gay men

 Press Releases & News

Our Mission.

To provide a platform for visibility and celebration of the LGBTQ+ community.

Ride the Wave With Us!