Boone Pride Parade and Festival Happening June 28, 2025
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Boone Pride returns to downtown Boone on Saturday June 28 for a Pride Parade and Festival. What started in 2022 as a small march on the sidewalks of King Street and a rally at The Jones House, has grown to include a parade down King Street and a half-day festival with vendors, live music, drag performances and food trucks.
“I remember that first year scrambling to pull something, anything together in just two weeks,” states Boone Pride co-founder and Boone town council member Todd Carter. “It is important to me that the Town of Boone recognize and celebrate LGBTQ Pride Month so that every single person who lives, works, plays, and visits our beautiful town knows that they are welcome here.”
The Boone Pride Parade will begin at 12 noon in the upper parking lot of the Watauga Agricultural Conference Center. The parade is open to all LGBTQ community members and its allies, including affirming faith groups, supportive businesses, and welcoming civic organizations. If you plan to have a float or motorized vehicle in the parade, please plan to arrive no later than 11:00 am. If you are marching, walking, rolling, or riding a bicycle in the parade, please plan to arrive no later than 11:30 am so that organizers can ensure a timely start. For the first time the Boone Pride Parade has announced a Grand Marshal, RiverGirl Fishing Company and its owners Kelly McCoy and Renata Dos Santos.
“We wanted to honor the challenges, sacrifices, and ingenuity of these two amazing women in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene,” said Carter. “The way that they brought the community together, working tirelessly to help our friends and neighbors deserves to be celebrated. Kelly, Renata, and RiverGirl are a living definition of ‘mountain strong community.’”
Directly following the parade, the Boone Pride Festival will kick off in the lower parking lot of the Watauga Agricultural Conference Center and run from 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. The family-friendly festival will include face painting, Kids-Zone, Boone Pride T-shirts for sale, a complimentary cooling tent and over forty vendors, many of them small Queer owned businesses selling art, jewelry, and other goods. Festival entertainment will include live music, local Drag Queens and Kings from Ashe, Avery and Watauga Counties, and a headline performance by Washington D.C. drag artist Desiree Dik. Food trucks on hand will include The Cardinal Burger Wagon, The Tasty Traveler, and Valencia Flavors.
Later that evening, a 21+ only Pride Afterparty, featuring local legends Missi V. Sour and Bubbles Liqueur, takes place at Lily’s Snack Bar. Tickets are $7.00 in advance or $10 at the door. Doors open at 9:00 p.m., the show begins at 10:00 p.m. and a dance party at midnight wraps up the evening.
Now in its fourth year, Boone Pride is a collaboration between the High Country LGBTQ Youth Alliance and the Town of Boone Human Relations Commission. Boone Pride 2025 sponsors include Lily’s Snack Bar, Elevated Body Art, and Beach Ventures of the High Country as Rainbow level sponsors. Festival level sponsors include neaco, Sheetz, Nordic IT Solutions, Cynthia Viola Photography, FA Fitness Studio, Jeff’s Realty and Investment Properties, and Mountaineer Village Apartments
“We are incredibly grateful for the support this year and for the way that Boone Pride continues to grow,” said Boone Pride organizer Kirstin Morgan. “To have individuals and businesses contribute over $12,000, and to see the enthusiasm from volunteers is the boost we needed, especially right now when the rights and freedoms of LGBTQ+ people are under constant attack from our federal and state governments.”
The Boone Pride Parade and Festival are both free to attend. Individuals and families wishing to cheer on the parade are encouraged to line the sidewalks of King Street, down to Appalachian and Howard Streets. To stay up to date on all things Boone Pride, follow them on Instagram @boonepride or Facebook @boonencpride. For additional questions or information please email
