We All Belong: Ukiah Pride Returns May 30

This is a press release from the Mendocino County LGBTIQA2S+ Community and Allies:

In an extravaganza celebrating unity and belonging, Ukiah LGBTQIA2S+ Pride 2026 will take place this year on Saturday, May 30, in downtown Ukiah. Organizers have planned a full day of inspiring speakers, festive music, joyful dancing. The day’s events will begin with Ukiah’s first City-permitted march in the street, beginning at 11:00am at 488 N. State Street at the corner of Scott Street. This year’s theme, “We All Belong,” is an open call for everyone in the community to come celebrate our diversity together.

The Mendocino County LGBTIQA2S+ community and allies have mounted a Pride celebration annually since 2002, making this the 24th year. For the past several years, Ukiah Pride has been a spontaneous event, often organized through Facebook and group chats. Late last year, a group of community members came together in an effort to plan a more intentional and inclusive LGBTQIA2S+ extravaganza. Ukiah Pride Steering Committee member Price Sheppy explained, ”We are so grateful to our friends and neighbors who have kept the spirit of Ukiah Pride alive. This year, in the face of increasing threats to our community’s safety and well-being, we wanted to create a loud, joyful, and supportive celebration of togetherness and belonging.”

The Main Event will be a rally in Alex Thomas Plaza at 310 S. State Street from noon to 4:00pm, and will feature dancing by the Coyote Valley Pomo Dancers, Drag performer Grace Towers, and a variety of local musicians and speakers, including Ukiah Mayor Susan Sher, herself a member of the LGBTQIA2S+ community. The Plaza will be sprinkled with informational booths from local support and affinity groups, pop-ups featuring handmade goods from local artists, and food trucks offering delicious treats and nourishment.

After the rally, other official Ukiah Pride events include Queer Prom, an all-ages family-friendly pizza, karaoke, and dance party at the Thirsty Axe restaurant at 209 S. School Street beginning at 3:30pm. “It was really important to us that Pride have a safe, sober space where young people could gather to raise up and support each other,” said steering committee member Izzy Kirsch. “Queer Prom has been a successful event for Ukiah’s young people for several years now, and we’re so happy to be able to include it against the backdrop of the larger community Pride celebration.”

Later in the evening, the Enchanted Forest 21+ Pride Party will take place at The Forest bar at 239 N. State St. from 9:00pm-close. Party-goers are encouraged to wear costumes and dance the night away to music by DJ Stephan. On a post about the event on the social media site Reddit, one user commented, “This is so wild. About thirty years ago I was kicked out of the Forest for being gay and now they are hosting a gay pride event. Love it.”

Also included under the Pride Ukiah umbrella, Art Center Ukiah will feature a show by local artists on the theme ‘We All Belong,’ which will run from June 5 though June 27. Artists and allies are encouraged to submit their work to the show by June 3, 2026. Diverse art mediums will be accepted, and protest poster art is encouraged. The show will open with a First Friday reception on June 5, 2026, featuring local art, music, and community celebration at the Ukiah Art Center at 201 South State Street.

Ukiah Pride 2026 is being funded by generous grants from the Rykken and Scull LGBTQ Memorial Fund and the Community Foundation of Mendocino.

For more information on the May 30 event, please contact Tor Berg, [email protected] (510) 301-4680. For more information on the Art Center Ukiah Pride Art Show on June 5, please contact Laura Fogg, [email protected].