Boise Pride returns for 37th year with festival, vendors and downtown parade

# What happened Boise Pride held its 37th annual festival at Ann Morrison Park, drawing thousands of people for a three-day gathering of the LGBTQ+ community, allies, local businesses and nonprofit organizations. The festival combined live entertainment, food and dozens of community resources for attendees.

# Scale and logistics

# Parade details Sunday at 10 a.m. It starts near 14th and River streets, proceeds through downtown Boise and finishes near Ann Morrison Park. The parade serves as the weekend's closing public procession and a central visibility moment for the festival.

Tom Wheeler, a member of Boise Pride's board of directors, summarized the group's purpose as elevating and celebrating the LGBTQI-plus community in Idaho and expressed excitement about the event continuing into future years.

Michael Miller, co-founder of HomeFound Group, described the festival as evidence of change in the Treasure Valley. He contrasted the absence of a festival when he left the area in 2004 with his observation that Boise Pride now attracts large crowds—he estimated roughly 60,000 to 70,000 people at Pride in recent years—and called the event personally meaningful because it made community presence visible to people who grew up without that confirmation.

# What was on offer

• Live entertainment across stages at Ann Morrison Park.

• Nonprofit and community resource booths providing services, information and support.

# Why this matters locally Organizers framed the festival as both a celebration and a resource hub for LGBTQ+ Idahoans and their allies. Local business owners and nonprofit representatives used the weekend to connect with residents and visitors, and long-time community members noted the change in public visibility compared with two decades earlier.

# Weekend timeline

• Saturday: Main festival activities at Ann Morrison Park drew large crowds.

# Practical takeaways for readers If you plan to attend future Pride events in Boise: expect a multi-day schedule with vendor aisles, multiple entertainment stages, and a morning parade that routes through downtown and finishes at Ann Morrison Park. The scale of the event suggests using public transit, rideshares or arriving early to find parking and to avoid street closures around the parade route.

# Closing note Boise Pride combined community resources with public celebration, drawing long-time and new participants to Ann Morrison Park and the downtown parade route over the festival weekend.