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 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
Throwing it back to 1979 with the Creative Radical Faerie Floats that shimmered and sparkled in Pride Parades! That year, Harry Hay, a founder of the Mattachine Society, invited gay brothers to gather in the Arizona desert for three days in September
We in Santa Cruz Pride have updated our logos and added a slogan to better reflect our response to the current attacks against our community. Our mission as Santa Cruz Pride is to encourage visibility, celebrate our LGBTQ+ community, and fight to mai
Throwing it back to 1971, a pivotal year for LGBTQ+ representation at UCSC! Alan Sable, one of the first openly gay professors in the nation, came out during a class, inspiring many students to embrace their identities. He openly discussed his sexual

 Press Releases & News

Our Mission.

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

Ride the Wave With Us!