Upcoming Events
June Pride Events:
- June 1st:
- The Lavender Archives & Urbana Free Library Present: Reinventing Classic Queer Media | 7pm to 8:30pm | All Ages Welcome
- Join The Lavender Newsletter Editor-in-Chief Jada Fulcher as she discusses the rich history of Champaign-Urbana's queer network. Take a peek at archived issues of The Lavender from the 1980's & 1990's and dive into the incredible network of queer independent media here in the Midwest.
- Dance It UP | 7pm to 8:30pm | Phillips Rec. Center | Teens & Adults Welcome
- Join UP and the Urbana Park District for free dance classes. No experience necessary, just an interest in moving your body to music in a safe and affirming environment.
- The Lavender Archives & Urbana Free Library Present: Reinventing Classic Queer Media | 7pm to 8:30pm | All Ages Welcome
- June 3rd:
- Danville Pride | 1p - 5p | Downtown Danville | All Ages Welcome
- Celebrate Pride happening for the 1st time in downtown Danville!
- Toast to Taylor St | 4pm to 11pm | Downtown Champaign | All Ages Welcome | Live Music and a Drag Show!
- Enjoy live music from multiple area bands, do arts & crafts with the Uniting Pride team and celebrate all things PRIDE in the heart of downtown Champaign! Then at 9pm, get treated to an amazing drag show with DJ Silkee,Ceduxion Carrington, Mr. Knightly, Karma Carrington, and more to come!
- Danville Pride | 1p - 5p | Downtown Danville | All Ages Welcome
- June 8th:
- Dance It UP | 7pm to 8:30pm | Phillips Rec. Center | Teens & Adults Welcome
- Pride Trivia by CU LOCKDOWN TRIVIA | 7pm - 9pm | 25 O'Clock Brewing | 18+ Welcome
- June 10th:
- Tuscola GSA Boosters Pound The Pavement For Pride Color Run | 7am | Tuscola, IL | All Ages Welcome
- Help support the Tuscola GSA Boosters at their annual color run fundraiser! Registration starts at 7am and the race kicks off at 8am at the Tuscola Community Center!
- Love Wins Crafting Event | 2:00pm - 3:30pm | Urbana Free Library | All Ages Welcome
- Enjoy drop in craft time produced in partnership with The Idea Store, The Urbana Free Library, Urbana Arts & Culture, and UP!
- Tuscola GSA Booster Queens In The Corn Drag Show | 7pm | Tuscola, IL | All Ages Welcome
- Enjoy an all ages drag show at Ervin Park in Tuscola!
- June 15th
- The Absentee Opening Night & Reception | 7pm | The Station Theatre & Rose Bowl Tavern
- Come see the 2nd ever staging of this heartfelt queer work by Julia Doolittle. It's a provocative and touching story of a lesbian in space trying to be convinced to absentee vote. Sounds crazy, and it is - in the best ways!
- Plus join us for the opening night party to follow the show at Rose Bowl Tavern!
- Dance It UP | 7pm to 8:30pm | Phillips Rec. Center | Teens & Adults Welcome
- The Absentee Opening Night & Reception | 7pm | The Station Theatre & Rose Bowl Tavern
- June 15th - 25th:
- The Absentee | Varying times & dates see StationTheatre.com for showtimes
- June 17th:
- Pride Story Time | 10am | The Literary | All Ages Welcome
- CU Juneteenth Celebration | 12pm - 3pm | Douglass Park | All Ages Welcome
- June 19th | Juneteenth:
- Uniting Pride Offices Closed In Observation of Juneteenth
- June 22nd:
- Dance It UP | 7pm to 8:30pm | Phillips Rec. Center | Teens & Adults Welcome
- June 24th:
- MLK Jettie Rhodes Neighborhood day | 12pm - 4pm | King Park, Urbana | All Ages Welcome
- UP Center June Pride Party | 3pm - 11pm | Rose Bowl Tavern | All Ages Welcome from 3pm - 6pm; 19+ After 8pm
- Join the UP center for a pride party blow out! Celebrate all things Pride for a FREE afternoon of awesome with drag queen story time, a family friendly drag show, local vendors, arts & Crafts, DJ Silkee, face painting, and soooo much more! Then that night Rose Bowl hosts OTNES - formerly local artist Emily Blue, who is now blowing up the national music scene! This will be a ticketed show - $10 Tickets in Advance | $15 Tickets Day of Show
- June 28th | 54th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots:
- Urbana Neighborhood Nights Concert - Pride Night | 6:30pm to 8:30pm | Victory Park, Urbana | All Ages Welcome
- Bring your chairs, blankets, and other picnic fair for this Pride Night outdoor concert featuring Mank & Sass
- Urbana Neighborhood Nights Concert - Pride Night | 6:30pm to 8:30pm | Victory Park, Urbana | All Ages Welcome
- June 29th:
- Dance It UP | 7pm to 8:30pm | Phillips Rec. Center | Teens & Adults Welcome
- June 30th:
- Mama Bears Screening & Panel Presented By Illinois Public Media & The Virginia Theatre | 7pm | The Virginia Theatre | All Ages Welcome
- MAMA BEARS is an exploration of the journeys taken by Sara Cunningham and Kimberly Shappley, two “mama bears”—conservative, Christian mothers whose profound love for their LGBTQ+ children has turned them into fierce advocates for the entire queer community—and Tammi Terrell Morris, a young African American lesbian whose struggle for self-acceptance perfectly exemplifies why the mama bears are so vitally important. Come watch this moving story, with a panel discussion to follow the film.
- Axe Bar Drag Show | 9p Doors, 10p Start | 19+
- Join UP and an incredible cast of local drag icons for a drag show at Axe Bar! Let's close out June with a bang and celebrate all things PRIDE!
- Mama Bears Screening & Panel Presented By Illinois Public Media & The Virginia Theatre | 7pm | The Virginia Theatre | All Ages Welcome
Important LGBTQ+ Dates
- January 27: International Holocaust Remembrance Day
- February 19 - 25, 2023: Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week
- March 31: Transgender Day of Visibility
- April 17: Day of Silence
- April 26: Lesbian Visibility Day
- May 22: Harvey Milk Day
- May 24: Pansexual and Panromantic Visibility Day
- July 14: International Non-Binary People’s Day
- September 23: Celebrate Bisexuality Day/Bi Visibility Day
- October 11: National Coming Out Day
- October 26: Intersex Awareness Day
- October 22 - 28, 2023: Asexual Awareness Week
- November 20: International Transgender Day of Remembrance
- December 1: World AIDS Day