Pride is alive in rural America!
Pine City’s East Central Minnesota Pride is the very first rural Pride celebration in the country, and this year marked its 20th anniversary of breaking down barriers and building community in the rural Midwest.
What started as a small Pride picnic back in 2005, ballooned into an annual tradition that has become a fixture of Minnesota’s summer calendar and proves every year that queer folks belong in the farm country.
This year’s event was hosted in Robinson Park and featured live music, food trucks, LGBTQ+ resources, and a drag queen story hour. Drag queen and Broadway Baby of the Twin Cities Martina Marraccino hosted the event, which featured performances by singer-songwriter Barb Ryman, funk musician Salty Dog, hometown folk duo The Harlow Pennies, jam band The Big Wu, and the Oshikii Giishik singers.
Pine City may only be a town of 10,000 people, but LGBTQ+ people and their allies come from all around the state to celebrate Pride Month together. It’s just further proof that when we come together to celebrate and fight back, we can make our voices heard.
Keep scrolling to see how rural Minnesota celebrates Pride Month!
All photos are courtesy East Central Minnesota Pride.
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How many of these Pride facts did you know?
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If you want to celebrate Pride Month, but you’re not sure where to start, check out our Pride 2025 calendar and our lists of every Black Pride event, Dyke March and Trans Pride celebration in the country.
Don't forget the first Pride was a riot. Know your Stone Wall Uprising history!
Is this your first Pride? Here's 5 essential tips you need to know!