CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte does Pride a bit differently compared to the rest of the country. For starters, most cities celebrate in June, during Pride Month, while Charlotte's festival is in August.
But what other differences does Charlotte have when it comes to pride events?
Let's connect the dots.
June celebrations
Charlotte Pride has become an August staple, but it hasn't always been that way. Back in 1981, a precursor to Charlotte Pride was celebrated near the UNC Charlotte campus in June.
Pride in August
Over the years, Pride moved around the Queen City and finally got more organized in 2001 with an August date.
Believe it or not, the August planning was done because the event didn't conflict with any other pride celebrations or summer events in Charlotte.
Largest Charlotte parade
Today, Pride is the largest parade Charlotte hosts. Nearly 200,000 people attended the parade in 2019, the last one before the COVID-19 pandemic, and organizers are expecting an even bigger crowd this year.
Big bucks
Those hundreds of thousands of people managed to spend around $8 million during Charlotte Pride weekend, meaning it could mean big bucks for a lot of Uptown businesses.
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