The 2025 Akron Pride Festival, whose theme this year is “United As One,” kicks off Friday with a 5K — here’s the rest of the schedule, including the Saturday march, along with performances on two stages.

2025 Akron Pride Festival and Equity March schedule of events

Friday, Aug. 22

Akron Pride Festival 5K steps off at 6:30 p.m. from Canal Place, 520 S. Main St. Check-in starts at 5 p.m., with an awards ceremony at 8 p.m.

This event welcomes participants of all abilities and backgrounds.

Register for the in-person race (registration ends Aug. 22 at 6:45 p.m.), or a virtual version (registration ends Aug. 21 at 11:59 p.m.), at https://racepenguin.com/events/akron-pride-5k/

Pre-race packet pickup will be from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Akron Art Museum, 1 S. High St. downtown. The Akron Art Museum is open Thursday nights until 9 p.m. and offers free admission every Thursday. Race organizers ask that you consider visiting the galleries and any special exhibits when you pick up your runner’s packet.

The map of events for the 2025 Akron Pride Festival downtown.
The map of events for the 2025 Akron Pride Festival downtown. (Screenshot courtesy of Akron Pride Festival)

Saturday, Aug. 23

The Equity March kicks off from the Spaghetti Warehouse parking lot at 10 a.m. and proceeds .6 miles north on South Main Street through downtown.

Akron Pride Festival organizers consider this event a march rather than a parade, “until complete and full equality and equity has been achieved for all LGBTQ+ people.”

Lock3 Stage entertainment schedule

10 a.m. – DJ Honk

11 a.m. – Singout

Noon – Dreamstates

1 p.m. – D.Airy

2 p.m. – Anthony Covatta

2:30 p.m. – DJ Nikolina

3 p.m. – Drag  Show FT,  Suzie Toot

5:30 p.m. – MTP: The Cast of Hairspray

6:30 p.m. – David Archuleta

7:30 p.m. – Drag Show FT, Onya Nurve

10 p.m. – Fireworks

Dexter Stebenson of Bedford Heights
Dexter Stebenson of Bedford Heights shows off some rainbow pride as he watches the march on South Main Street during 2024 Akron Pride Festival. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)

Equity Stage (on South Main Street north of Mill Street)

11:30 a.m. – Timi Funk

12:30 p.m. – Mia Herrera

1:30 p.m. – Elek: Trik Dance Crew

2:30 p.m. – Wednesday Demonstration

3:30 p.m. – Girl Cologne

4:30 p.m. – Krown Bay

5:30 p.m. – The Last Go Round Band

6:30 p.m. – Edwen

Want to find more things to do around Akron? We’ve got you covered from big events to neighborhood happenings. Discover more things to do in Akron here.

Ripley, who was at the 2024 Akron Pride Festival with his owner, Emily Haseltine.
Ripley, who was at the 2024 Akron Pride Festival with his owner, Emily Haseltine, gets some pets as he wears a rainbow tutu. Haseltine was attending the festival as a representative of the Akron Public Schools. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)

A Kids’ Zone area will be held on Cascade Plaza

Downtown parking information:
https://www.downtownakron.com/getting-around/parking

Signal background

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Editor-in-Chief (she/her)
Zake has deep roots in Northeast Ohio journalism. She was the managing editor for multimedia and special projects at the Akron Beacon Journal, where she began work as a staff photographer in 1986. Over a 20-year career, Zake worked in a variety of roles across departments that all help inform her current role as Signal Akron's editor in chief. Most recently, she was a journalism professor and student media adviser at Kent State University, where she worked with the next generation of journalists to understand public policy, environmental reporting, data and solutions reporting. Among her accomplishments was the launch of the Kent State NewsLab, an experiential and collaborative news commons that connects student reporters with outside professional partners.