Salem Pride in the Park 2026

Salem Capital Pride is proud to present Pride in the Park, our annual celebration for Salem and the Mid-Willamette Valley

Join Salem Capital Pride for its 49th year of bringing the LGBTQIA2S+ community together, with Pride in the Park 2026! Our casual community celebration of Pride is bigger than ever. We’ve got over 200 booths with handmade items from queer vendors, free resources, and services for everyone. We have a full lineup of entertainment, a variety of food trucks, activities, and much more. Celebrate the LGBTQIA2S+ community with us on Saturday, September 19th from 11 AM to 6 PM at Riverfront Park in Salem, OR.

A person with a large silver wig and colorful makeup in a geometric patterned rainbow dress standing in front of many booths. They are looking off to the right and pushing their hair back with their hand.

A crowd of people walking along the park path between many vendor booths. There are trees and blue sky in the background.

A person with long multi-colored hair pulled back, wearing an orange crop top, black shorts, and white sneakers, plays a light blue bass guitar onstage. Behind them is a person playing the drums under a white tent. On the back wall of the tent is a rainbow banner for Salem Pride in the Park.

Thank you to our 2026 Sponsors!

Title Sponsors

Capitol Subaru Logo capitolsubaru.com

Diamond Sponsors

                 


Platinum Sponsors

KMUZ Community Radio 100.7 FM 88.5 FM        Spectrum Artworx Logo

Salem First Presbyterian Church Logo          Virgil T Golden Funeral Service & Oakleaf Crematory Logo 503-364-2257 www.vtgolden.com
KAISER PERMANENTE Logo

Gold Sponsors

Happy Doc Family Medicine logoMarion Polk Food Share LogoPlanned Parenthood Action Oregon Logo Act. No matter what.


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Donate

We rely on donations to keep Pride (and our other events and programs) free to the public. Donations help reduce our dependence on other funding sources, which keeps our programs independent and sustainable.

Donate to Pride

 


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Volunteer

Pride is only possible because of volunteers from the community.
Sign up to volunteer below!

Sign up to Volunteer


A drag queen in a colorful top and black skirt, with platform colorful sneakers, waves a rainbow fabric above their head with their right hand, with their left hand on their hip. There are other drag performers, tents, trees, and blue sky in the background.

Dozens of groups of people sit along the grass steps to watch the stage entertainment. Behind them are many booths lining the park paths and a rainbow balloon arch. Many people are holding rainbow flags, fans, and dressed in pride flag colors.

Inside view of a vendor booth. There are clear crystal dream catchers hanging from a cord in the foreground. Along the wall of the tent hang a variety of rainbow pride flag designs. On tiered wooden displays sit many different styles and colors of glassware, vases, cups, and mugs.


An icon of a waving flag in the colors light blue, pink, yellow, and purple

Planning Meetings

Come to our planning meetings and have your voice heard to help us make Pride amazing! We have our board meetings the first Wednesday of every month online and in person. Check our Facebook for exact details, and make sure to RSVP to our Event Page for updates!


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CODE OF CONDUCT

We reserve the right to remove anyone from the event premises for any reason. Help us keep Pride in the Park fun and safe by following our Code of Conduct as well as a few basic rules for this event:

If you witness anyone breaking the rules, do not approach them. Immediately notify the nearest member of security or Capital Pride Volunteer (they will be wearing white name tags with our logo that say Volunteer) and let them handle it.


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EVENT MAP

Coming soon!


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ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE

Coming Soon!


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QUEER MIXER TENT

Join us for a mingling session at our all day long Queer Mixer Tent! Every 70 minutes we’ll host a new group of participants for speed-dating/friending. Chat with lots of new people and make new connections, whether you’re looking for something romantic or platonic. Best of all, it’s completely free!

SCHEDULE:


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TRANS & NONBINARY ART EXHIBIT

Enjoy the traveling photo exhibit Authentic Selves: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary People and their Families, brought to Salem for your viewing pleasure by Salem Capital Pride.

“Through first-person accounts and beautiful images, this exhibit seeks to challenge damaging myths and stereotypes about trans and nonbinary people and to educate people about this community.”
Family Diversity Projects


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best dressed pet contest

Show off your pet’s pride in our Best Dressed Pet Contest.

At the scheduled time (TBD), head on over to the stage to participate for a chance to win a prize basket courtesy of PNW Pooch!

When invited by the emcee, participants may come onstage with their pets. The winner will be decided by applause, so it’s important your pet is comfortable with noise and being around other animals.



APPLICATIONS

The application period for Pride in the Park 2026 has ended. We are unable to accommodate late applications. If you are already accepted and looking for information about being a sponsor, vendor, or informational booth at this event, please review our Booth FAQ document.


Frequently Asked questions (faq)

Cost to Attend / Donating

Pride is FREE! One of our key beliefs is that Pride is for everyone! We are happy to be bringing you a free Pride as we continue to grow and expand. We do appreciate donations though to keep us growing and to help support our programs that we host year-round. If you would like to donate, you can do so on the paths to enter the event as well as at our information booth at the old amphitheater.

Vendors / Cash

Most, if not all, of our vendors accept electronic payment, but you may still want to bring cash to tip the entertainers, participate in the raffle, or otherwise spend at the event. Salem Capital Pride holds no liability for lost or stolen goods or money.

Parking

More info coming soon!

Security

We have hired private security for the event. They will be patrolling all sections of the event. If you see anything concerning, please report it to our trained security guards and do not deal with it directly. The event space will be cordoned off and we reserve the right to have anyone removed from the event for any reason.

Protestor Policy

You may see protestors outside the entrance(s) to this event. Ignore them!

Giving attention to protestors only gives them what they want and makes other attendees more uncomfortable.

We will have private security patrolling the event. If you see anyone being aggressive, breaking the rules, or encroaching into the event, immediately inform staff or one of our security guards and let them handle it.

Cops

Because of permits we have to file with the city, the Salem police are aware of our event, but we have asked them not to attend out of respect for the history of damage the police have done to our community. We ask any members of the LGBTQIA+ community who are police officers to also keep this potentially traumatic history for other attendees in mind and attend out of uniform.

Masking

COVID is still here. We will have free KN95 masks and hand sanitizer available at the entrances and at the first aid booths.

We encourage guests to mask, however, we recognize that for large events like this it will be impossible for our small group of volunteers to be able to enforce masking and therefore do not have it as a requirement for our event. We acknowledge that this may make the event inaccessible to some people in our community and for that we are deeply sorry. Pride is for everyone and we are always working toward making that goal a reality.

If you are immuno-compromised or otherwise vulnerable we ask that you determine your own risk tolerance in attending this event.

Accommodations & Accessibility

Nearly all of the booths will be along concrete paths for wheelchair-accessibility.

Seating will be available at our stage area for those who need it.
 
We will be providing ASL interpretation at our main stage for the entire duration of the event.
 
We will have two Sensory Relief booths, one near the Information booth and one near the north entrance, with earplugs, blankets, chairs, fidget toys, calming activities, etc. for anyone feeling overstimulated, anxious, or that just needs a break.
 
Free KN95 masks, hand sanitizer, water, sunscreen, snacks, paper fans, and first aid supplies are available at the First Aid booths and Cooling Stations.
 
Unfortunately, we don’t have the volunteer capacity to enforce required masking at an event of this size. We recognize that this may make the event inaccessible to some people in our community and for that we are deeply sorry. Pride is for everyone and we are always working toward making that goal a reality.
 
If you require any type of accommodation please let us know by emailing us at info@salemcapitalpride.org. We will do our best to make things as accessible as possible.
Seating

Our main entertainment will be at the amphitheater which has two different levels of grass seating, so bringing a camping chair or blanket to sit on may make things more comfortable for you. Some folding chairs will be available for those who need them.

Please be mindful of the roped off area for our interpreters, so as to not block line of sight, but otherwise sit wherever is most comfortable, and feel free to move to our popup tents for shade if you need.

Alcohol

We will have an alcohol garden at our event. You must be 21+ to enter and cannot take open containers of alcohol outside this area. Bringing your own alcohol to the event is not allowed.

Food & Beverage

We have a number of food vendors and an alcohol garden, but you are welcome to bring your own food and (non-alcoholic) beverages to have a picnic or enjoy while watching performances. Alcohol is prohibited outside the alcohol garden area.

Smoking

Smoking is prohibited at this event.

Weather

Pride in the Park is an outdoor event so you should prepare accordingly. Protection from the sun and staying hydrated will be important. You can visit our Cooling Stations for free water and our First Aid Booths for sunscreen throughout the day. If you begin to feel unwell for any reason, visit our First Aid booth.

Children / Family Friendly

Children and families are welcome at Pride! There will be an area with activities just for kids, such as face painting or button making. Please keep in mind that because this is a Pride event, there may be references to mature topics and/or artistic depictions of nudity present throughout the event. Parental guidance is suggested.

Animals / Pets

Your animal companions are welcome to join in the fun! All animals must be leashed or otherwise contained and under control at all times. Even if your companion is friendly, other attendees may have allergies, phobias, easily frightened animals of their own, etc. Please be considerate and always get consent before letting your animal interact with other attendees or other animals. This will be a large scale event, so expect pathways to be crowded and noisy at times, and determine whether your animal will be comfortable in this environment. The weather may be hot, so be sure to bring plenty of hydration for your animal and be mindful of the temperature of the pathways.

The Best Dressed Pet Contest will take place at the amphitheater. At the scheduled time (TBD), head to the stage and come up when invited to participate! First place will receive a prize basket from PNW Pooch.

After Parties

Radness Ensues Pride Afterparty
Join Radness Ensues for an all-ages Pride afterparty with DJ Greystar!
6-9pm at Radness Ensues (All ages)
3837 River Rd N, Keizer OR

Southside Speakeasy Afterparty
7pm at Southside Speakeasy (21+)
3529 Fairview Industrial Dr SE, Salem OR

Looking for something else?

If you’re looking for our Pride Parade & Block Party (our event in June), you can find that page here.