OC Pride celebrates Orange County’s LGBTQIA+ community through advocacy, education, and events, fostering inclusivity and pride since 2009.
Our History
August 2012OC Pride Returns to Downtown Santa Ana
After 2 years of Pride events at the Hidden Valley Park in Irvine, OC Pride Planning Committee members brought the festival back to the streets of Santa Ana with a full street fair, including 2 stages, beer gardens, 80+ exhibitors, a kids’ club, and much more!
January 2013OC Pride Becomes an Independent Nonprofit and Continues Producing the Successful Festival
Due to the booming growth of the OC Pride festival, OCEC and the OC Pride Committee agreed it was time for OC Pride to become an independent nonprofit. Formal documents were filed with the CA Secretary of State in January 2013. The festival remained in Santa Ana for another 10 years. And each year, the event grew.
Summer 1989Orange County Cultural Pride Festival Is Celebrated in Santa Ana
Attendees gathered in Centennial Regional Park for the first ever “Orange County Cultural Pride Festival.” The event was marred by anti-LGBTQ protestors who opposed the event, resulting in police shutting the gates to the event.
1990 - 2000Orange County Cultural Pride Moves to UCI—Then Dissolves
City officials bowed to political pressure—banning festivals at Centennial Park. OC Pride moved to UCI. And it remained there until 2001, when the original festival went dark. Orange County Cultural Pride officially dissolved in 2008.
November 2008 – August 2009Prop 8 Passes, Local Activists Create OCEC & OC Pride Returns
Major LGBTQ+ groups largely ignored Orange County during the 2008 election and Prop 8 campaign—leading to a large majority of OC residents voting in favor of the measure. In response, local activists united to form OCEC. The young organization resurrected OC Pride in August 2009 with Pride Picnic in the Park.
October 2024OC Pride Moves to OC Fair & Event Center
In light of the rapid growth of the festival, as well as budgetary and security concerns, the Board of OC Pride voted to move the festival to OCFEC in 2024. We had a record number of exhibitors and sponsors, even though the event moved from June to October.