Queer the air: Here’s a quick guide to Tampa Pride weekend 2025

Tampa Pride 2025 kicked off this month with a proper introduction to this year’s grand marshalls and sponsors. It continued last Monday with an interfaith Pride service at The Portico—but the big party happens this weekend in historic Ybor City with a festival and parade that kicks off a busy summer of love.

Look below for links to everything you need to know to have a gay old time this weekend.

Thursday, March

• The Alliance Tampa Bay Presents: It’s Pride! Drag Queen Dueling Pianos (Showbar, Ybor City)

Friday, March 28

• Hillsborough County’s LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus: Rex Fund Pride Fundraiser (1920 Ybor, Ybor City)

Saturday, March 29

• Girl Pride Tampa: DJ Ace Vedo w/Kristy Lee/Shevonne/The Cheaters/Dirty Dolls/Mister E/Ivy Les Vixens (Crowbar, Ybor City)
• Tampa Pride official brunch (Showbar, Ybor City)
• Tampa Pride 2025 diversity parade and street festival (Ybor City)
• Tampa Pride at Night: Actual Bank Robbers w/Shanty Santos/more (Cuban Club, Ybor City)

Volunteers At the heart of Tampa Pride are community members who give up their time to support the city’s LGBTQ+ community. There are still open spots for this weekend’s festivities, but making Tampa Pride happen is a year-round effort.

Tampa Pride team All of it is put together by a dedicated board, which includes Deb Cano Ducko, who started as a volunteer before becoming more and more entrenched, on the way to presently serving as Tampa Pride’s Recording Secretary. Ducko is joined by Tampa Pride’s Director Joe Ebbing who came to the organization through his church, which had a float in the parade from the very beginning, and Tampa Pride’s 5K and Family Youth Pride co-chair Elliot Wheeler, who also DJs and serves on several City of Tampa Boards. Tampa Pride’s Rainbow Run co-chair Vanessa Russell has served her kids’ schools on the PTA and brings her IT background to the nonprofit. Dr. Ru Ducko, Tampa Pride’s trans liaison, has a doctorate of pharmacy from Florida A&M University and has volunteered with the organization for six years, including two years leading Tampa Pride’s trans, family, friends, and allies parade unit.

Readers are invited to submit their own events to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s things to do calendar.

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This article appears in Mar 20-26, 2025.