Your Guide to Up North Pride Week 2026

Fresh off a recent move, the local organization is ready to celebrate

When the building Up North Pride occupied on Eighth Street was sold, the organization knew it was only a matter of time before they’d have to move. Thankfully, they’ve found a new home at Commongrounds, where they are able to not only have office space, but also use meeting rooms and community rooms for programming.

“It may be a shared space, but it’s consistent. People can get used to it, that stability of where you can find us,” explains Executive Director Adrienne Brown-Reasner.

The new location and its community-building atmosphere has already expanded on Up North Pride’s connections. “We can partner with a lot more of the organizations that are in that building,” says Brown-Reasner. “For example, we worked with Folded Leaf on a new writers circle that started at the beginning of summer.”

Community is at the heart of what Up North Pride does. “We’re very fortunate to have so many wonderful community partners,” says Brown-Reasner. “Artemis Books hosts art night every month. Also, we’ve been holding our monthly line dancing night at Suttons Bay Friendship Community Center, which is not only a partnership with a location but is getting us out into Leelanau County a bit more and helping us reach people who don’t get to Traverse City. We also work alongside the Universal Unitarian congregation for youth group programming, and we have a wonderful partnership with Higher Grounds, who help us get coffee for our monthly senior coffee gathering. We couldn’t do it without all these partners.”

Brown-Reasner is committed to letting the community define how Up North Pride grows and what kind of programming they offer.

“The more that we’re doing, the more people want us to keep doing,” she reflects. “I want people to tell me what they need our organization to be. Is it just the social piece of it, is it more of that support, do you want to know there’s a space to come and be, or do you want to be more involved in activism pieces? I’m committed to meeting what the community wants us to be doing.”

That kind of feedback has led to a shift from Up North Pride hosting three or four big events during the year to hosting year-round support groups, meetups, and 12-15 smaller programs and events every month. Earlier this year, the organization was awarded a seed grant from Rotary to start a parent support group, and on Sept. 1, they were awarded a community partner award through TART Trails for the Rainbow Run.

Now, the team is looking ahead to Up North Pride week, which runs Sept. 22-26.

“Being able to be together as a community and celebrate that we can do this here … is the whole reason we do this week,” Brown-Reasner says. “To know there is a place that will allow people to come and be unapologetically who they are, that they are welcomed and supported and wanted, that’s my favorite thing about Pride Week.”

Mark your calendars! Here’s how to show up this September:

Queerstory
When: Tuesday, September 22, 7pm
Where: The Alluvion
How Much: $15
Queersory is a live storytelling and poetry event of heartfelt, humorous, insightful, and
sometimes horrifying stories that tell life’s many truths. The event will feature storytellers and poets from the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

Sign Making Party & Pride Happy Hour
When: Wednesday, September 23, 6pm
Where: The Little Fleet
How Much: Free!
Join Up North Pride at The Little Fleet for the annual Sign Making Party and Happy Hour to make a statement and prepare for the Pride Visibility March on Saturday.

Comedy Night featuring Full Tilt Comedy
When: Thursday, September 24, 8pm
Where: The State Theatre
How Much: $20
Enjoy a night of laughs with performances from Full Tilt Comedy and special guests Jeff
Bouthiette and Liz Joynt Sandberg.

The Intimi Affair
When: Friday, September 25, 7pm
Where: Venue Blue at Discovery Pier
How Much: Tickets $75, $700 for VIP experience
This year, the Intimi Affair Lingerie Fashion Show for the Up North Pride community takes a daring turn...imagine the decadence of the late 18th century colliding with the electricity of modern performance. 21+ only.

Visibility Rally, Resource Fair, Drag Night, and Silent Disco
When: Saturday, September 26, all day (times vary)
Where: F&M Park and Open Space Park
How Much: Free! ($75 for VIP experience with Silky)
Kick off the biggest day of Pride Week with the largest participant-driven Pride March in Michigan beginning at F&M Park and walking through downtown to the Open Space. A resource fair will be held at the Open Space in the afternoon, followed by the annual drag show (featuring RuPaul’s Drag Race star Silky Nutmeg Ganache this year!) and concluding with a Silent Disco under the stars.

For the full schedule, volunteer opportunities, and a resource directory, visit upnorthpride.com.

Photo by OB&Co, courtesy of Up North Pride

View On Our Website