This year’s Ann Arbor Pride is anticipated to be the largest event in the past six years. Featuring well over 200 vendors, including food trucks, and entertainment like live music and a kid zone. Pride hosts, the Jim Toy Center, says everyone in attendance at the thirty-first edition of the celebration will enjoy a nonstop stream of entertainment.
Starting Saturday, August 1st, 2026, Ann Arbor Pride starts at noon till 9 p.m., on Ann Arbor’s Main and West Liberty Street. Jim Toy Center president Joe Halsch said this year will also feature a unique setup of two stages spread across Ann Arbor’s downtown Main Street.
“My goal is to present a representation of the community. I think that is what pride should show.” Halsch says, “Detroit Pride should look like the Motor City. Ypsi Pride should look like Ypsi, and the same thing for Ann Arbor. In our city, you will find other nonprofit organizations. You will find political groups, social groups and spiritual communities at Ann Arbor Pride.”
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This year’s Pride will feature live performances from drag superstars Erika Norell, Natalie Cole, ShaeShae LaReese, Latrice Royale, Christopher Hamblin, and Terri Vanessa Coleman. According to the Ann Arbor Pride Facebook, the event will also include a special guest, actress and model Dominique Jackson.
“This year, as opposed to one headliner, we have five headliners. We are doing a legends theme, featuring drag legends. We were able to book queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race. We also have queens from the New York ball scene, and a few beauty pageant queens who have been in the business for over 20 years. We are bringing them from across the country, and we are really excited to continue to tell the story of art and drag through these living legends.”
In addition to the annual drag performance, this year’s pride will include a pre-show event happening the night before at Necto Nightclub and an additional afterparty following the event at Ann Arbor’s Uplift. Halsch says, while there will be a highlight on their special guest performers, a second stage will also be set up for their annual kids zone event, which Halsch says will be used for fun karaoke performances.
“We want to reflect our community, and there are queer parents and kids in our community, and they deserve a spot at pride. The Drag Queen Storytime has been a staple of pride.” Halsch says, “This year, we wanted to make sure that there was continued love and support. A lot of the attacks this year have been on kids in particular, and so if there is anything that we can do to make them feel a little bit more special, more loved, and more okay to be themselves, we want to do that.”
With Pride celebrating its 31st year, Halsch said he would love nothing more than to have the community show up to celebrate the annual event.
“Showing up to Pride is an act of bravery. Pride still is a protest. Pride still is a demonstration, and Pride can be a target.” Halsch says, “Showing up in these spaces absolutely is an act of bravery, and for all that can make it and show up in your own way, we so appreciate that, whether you are there for five minutes or you are there all day, we want you to know that we love and support you.”
For those looking to take part in this year’s Pride celebration, more information can be found at annarborpride.com. According to Halsch, you can also apply to be a volunteer, which he says is always needed throughout the event. He says this Pride calls for 75-100 participants.
Antonio Cooper is a freelance journalist from Detroit, Michigan. His coverage of music festivals and interviews with local celebrities appeared in The E-Current Magazine, The Detroit Metro Times, XXL Magazine, RichMagDigital, The Ann Arbor Observer, and Pop Magazine.
