Now in its eighth year, the CU Pride Festival bills itself as the largest gay pride event in downstate Illinois. The three-day festival in downtown Champaign runs September 15th-17th instead of the traditional June for gay pride events, so that University of Illinois students can attend.
Festival director Josh Laskowski says Champaign-Urbana’s status as a college town has helped the event grow.
“Obviously this community is very diverse. I think every diverse group deserves to have their own festival. I think this is unlike any other festival in Champaign-Urbana. Folks really enjoy it. There’s a lot of color, there’s a lot of excitement. And I think that’s why it’s stuck around and grown.” -Josh Laskowski, CU Pride Director
Laskowski says the CU Pride Parade continues to be the most popular event in the festival. New this year is a Teen Night event, created at the request of the teen group at the UP Center, which sponsors CU Pride.