As Tampa Pride cancels 2026 events, St. Pete Pride ‘isn’t going anywhere’

Tampa Pride announced on social media that it was taking “a one-year hiatus” from its annual Pride Festival and Diversity Parade, citing “current political and economic climate.”

The group posted a letter dated Aug. 1 to Carrie West, the group’s former President, saying it would not be renewing her contract after it expired at the end of August.

The announced cancellation also cited “challenges with corporate sponsorships, reductions in county, state and federal grant funding, and the discontinuation of DEI programs.”

“We recognize the festival and parade’s significant financial contribution to local businesses and its vital role to our LGBTQIA+ community. However, this pause is necessary for the organization to regroup, reassess our long-term strategy, and identify additional avenues of funding to secure the future stability of Tampa Pride events,” the group wrote.

Asked about the cancellation, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, the city’s first openly gay Mayor, said she expects a pride celebration to still occur in the city next year “in some form.”

“Tampa’s Pride events have been volunteer-driven and supported by the community. The grassroots support is still there, and this moment is an opportunity to rethink and reinvigorate Tampa’s Pride celebration by drawing on history but also looking to a brighter future,” she said in a statement to Florida Politics.

Meanwhile, St. Pete Pride, which hosts the largest pride parade in the Southeast U.S., has vowed that its 2026 events will continue.

“Be assured that we remain firmly committed to keeping Pride alive across Tampa Bay,” the group wrote on Instagram. “Our LGBTQ+ community deserves safe spaces, joyful celebrations, and lasting visibility, and that’s exactly what we’ll keep building.”

St. Pete Pride said the group “still has events coming later this year” and that planning “for our 2026 celebration is already underway.”

“Together we will ensure Pride doesn’t just survive, but thrives for generations to come,” the group wrote.

The Tampa Pride cancellation comes as GOP leaders at the state and federal level continue to push back against LGBTQ+ issues, particularly transgender issues. And the state has been cracking down on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in local governments, including through state Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia’s work through the newly created state Department of Government Efficiency, which recently targeted St. Pete.

St. Pete has already removed the words “diversity” and “equity” from employee titles, while a City Attorney in Tampa has recommended it stop facilitating work through the Racial Reconciliation Committee, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

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