Kalamazoo Pride welcomes tens of thousands to an 18 year tradition
News Channel 3 | by Colin Roose
Published June 7, 2025
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — It's become a nearly two-decade tradition for Kalamazoo, but it looks a little different this year.
Kalamazoo Pride drew tens of thousands this year, despite fewer sponsors and a changing political landscape.
The festival was inaugurated in 2007, but organizers say an observance in Kalamazoo goes all the way back to 1970.
Balloons and streamers lined downtown, as crowds poured in to support the city’s LGBTQ groups.
As a fundraiser for OutFront Kalamazoo and its housing and mental health services, attendees walked, shopped and danced to kick off the month of June.
Local shops brought everything from tumblers to necklaces with rainbow colors, with the city’s larger businesses like Pfizer and Oberon also pitching in.
OutFront Executive Director Christopher Terkos says Kalamazoo has never been much of a parade community. They want to include as many people as possible with a festival.
"We've been growing so much," he said. "Last year, we had 26,000 people we're anticipating around the same or potentially more this year,"
To help with such a large crowd size, this year features a more spread-out layout to accommodate those with disabilities.
Terkos says one of the challenges in 2025 is a drop in corporate sponsorship, mirroring a nationwide trend affecting other cities.
"It's not an anti-DEI response though," he explained. "It is much more people being uncertain of the economy."
Aside from the music and food, organizers emphasized physical and mental health. Condoms were handed out at the entrance, with free HIV testing also available.
Lesa Brenner says she comes every year to tell young people who are suffering that they don’t have to be alone.
"A lot of our youth across the board are struggling post-pandemic, lots of anxiety," she said.
Even with lower funding, OutFront adopted a pay-what-you-can method for tickets this year.
Terkos says that way everyone can be included in the work hundreds of volunteers pulled together to achieve and see how much Kalamazoo cares for everyone within its boundaries.
"If you can't afford to come in or you can't afford the price, come anyway," he said. "You will get in, nobody gets turned away from Pride."
He says planning for next year will begin as soon as this event ends.