Tampa Pride 2026 canceled due to 'current political and economic climate' [View all]

Tampa Pride 2026 canceled due to ‘current political and economic climate’

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Tampa Pride announced that it will be putting the city’s annual Tampa Pride Festival and Diversity Parade on hold for a year.

In a Facebook post, which appears to be a copied letter from the Board of Tampa Pride dated Aug. 1, Tampa Pride cited political and economic difficulties in maintaining the festivities for 2026.

“The current political and economic climate, including challenges with corporate sponsorships, reductions in county, state and federal grant funding, and the discontinuation of DEI programs under Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, has made it increasingly difficult for our organization to sustain ongoing operations for 2026,” the post reads.

Tampa Pride said these challenges have caused it to put the celebration on a one-year hiatus for all Tampa Pride events.

(Williams Institute Data: A 2021 report from the Williams Institute estimated about 188,500 LGBT adults in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area.)