Akron Pride Festival 2026 in photos: Rainbows, rain and revelry
From colorful costumes and flags to dancing, live performances and a little rain, see the people and moments that filled downtown Akron for the 2026 Akron Pride Festival.
Kailyn Kreitzburg (center) and her wife Ari Kailyn (right) watch performers at Lock 3 Stage during the 2026 Akron Pride Festival in downtown Akron on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)
Rainbows, colorful costumes and plenty of dancing filled downtown Akron on Saturday as the Akron Pride Festival marked its 10-year celebration.
The daylong festival, which included an Equity March, brought local and national entertainers, exhibitors, food trucks and other activities to Main Street. Signal Akron Multimedia Reporter Ryan Loew captured the people, performances and pups along the way — including some puddles of rain.
Barberton resident Shauna Harper walks her dog Duke in the 2026 Akron Pride Festival in downtown Akron on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)Scores of people fill South Main Street in downtown Akron for the 2026 Akron Pride Festival Equity March on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)Bubbles abound as participants young and old walk in the 2026 Akron Pride Festival in downtown Akron on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)Stow resident Gail Herrilko holds a flag while watching the 2026 Akron Pride Festival Equity March progress down South Main Street on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)People shelter under umbrellas during a downpour at the 2026 Akron Pride Festival in downtown Akron on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)Allison Darrah, of the Collage Pride Guard, performs at the start of the 2026 Akron Pride Festival Equity March with his husband Preston Reynolds (right) on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)Lady B Davenport performs on the Lock 3 Stage at the 2026 Akron Pride Festival in downtown Akron on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)
Cleveland resident Mike Benzick (left) walks in the 2026 Akron Pride Festival Equity March with his husband Preston Reynolds (right) on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)Akron Pride participants dance in the rain at Lock 3 park during the festival on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)New Philadelphia resident Kimberly Montague sits under an umbrella at the 2026 Akron Pride Festival in downtown Akron on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)Drag queen Mya Garrison, of Canton, walks in the 2026 Akron Pride Festival Equity March with his husband Preston Reynolds (right) on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)A message on the Akron Civic Theatre’s marquee welcomes Pride participants on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. Now in its 10th year, Akron Pride Festival organizers expected 50,000 people to attend Saturday’s celebration. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)Akron resident Dominique Carter watches the 2026 Akron Pride Festival Equity March as it progresses down South Main Street on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)Members of the Elek:Trik Dance Crew perform on the Equity Stage at the 2026 Akron Pride Festival in downtown Akron on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)Drag queen Cherry Veneer cheers people on as they participate in the 2026 Akron Pride Festival Equity March on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)Cierra Hancock, of Green, snaps a photo of her friend Katie Stonemetz, also of Green, at the 2026 Akron Pride Festival in downtown Akron on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)Mistress Chinchilla performs on the Lock 3 Stage as a downpour starts at the 2026 Akron Pride Festival in downtown Akron on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)A person walks along a pathway in Akron’s Lock 3 park following a strong rainstorm that momentarily interrupted the 2026 Akron Pride Festival in downtown Akron on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)Akron resident Brooke Riddle (center) watches as the 2026 Akron Pride Festival Equity March progresses down South Main Street on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)Jenna Haynam (left) takes shelter under an umbrella with her girlfriend Anna Quade (right) in Lock 3 park as rain starts to fall during the 2026 Akron Pride Festival on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)
Managing Editor (he/him)
Gary is returning to Akron after previously working at the Akron Beacon Journal as a sports reporter from 2003 to 2006. He is committed to delivering authoritative, trustworthy journalism that is accessible to everyone. Gary mostly recently worked as a newsroom leader in Clarksville (Tenn.), Murfreesboro (Tenn.) and Nashville, where he was the business, race and culture editor at The Tennessean. He is a native of New Orleans and a product of Southern University and A&M College. In his free time, you can find him cycling, playing paintball and smoking meats.
