Tampa Pride on March 23, 2025. Credit: Photo by Dave Decker

If you’re doing Tampa Pride on Saturday, make a plan to wake up pretty and take it easy at breakfast because your long day technically starts at 10:45 a.m. when gates open on a street festival that includes vendors on E 9th Avenue—in the Hillsborough Community College (HCC) parking lot, and in between N 13th and 15th streets—plus performances from the Tampa Bay Pride Band, guest speakers and featured entertainers on the main stage located at the Cuban Club courtyard (1320 E 9th Ave.).

The indoor Pride Lounge on the first floor of the Cuban Club allows festival goers a chance to cool off, grab a drink at the bar and enjoy live entertainment on the second stage. Nearly two dozen drag queens appear on the event’s poster.

While the festival closes at 4:15 p.m., the food truck alley—between the Cuban Club and HCC will be open until 11 p.m.

Tampa Pride 2025 diversity parade

The spirit of Gaybor reclaims 7th Avenue starting at 4 p.m. when floats take off from Nuccio Parkway on an almost one-mile parade route where revelers line streets and get peppered with beads and a whole lot of love.

Keep an eye out for Amari Lavish and Niomi Onassis Knight Long, aka Mr. and Ms. Tampa Pride.

Natives know this, but newbs who want to really experience the pre-party before the parade takes off should always make a point to walk through the staging areas, this year housed in four sections between N Nebraska Avenue and both Nuccio Parkway and 7th Avenue. Bring ear protection for the little ones as some floats blast their music pretty loudly.

If you’re staying home, Tampa’s ABC affiliate WFTS is streaming the parade via abcactionnews.com.

There’s no cover for the Tampa Pride 2025 diversity parade and street festival happening Saturday, March 29 in Ybor City. 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.