Tucson Pride returns to Reid Park for the first time since 2019.

 Mike Christy, Arizona Daily Star 2017

After a two-year hiatus courtesy the COVID-19 pandemic, Tucson’s annual Pride festival returns this weekend for the 45th time.

The three-day Tucson Pride kicks off Friday, Sept. 30, with the annual Pride Parade, winding from downtown to Armory Park beginning at 7:30 p.m., and wraps up Sunday, Oct. 2, with the Tucson Pride Drag Brunch at HighWire Lounge, 30 S. Arizona Ave., off East Congress Street and South Sixth Avenue.

The big day is on Saturday, Oct. 1, when dozens of vendors and food trucks pull into Reid Park’s DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center for OUTober Fest 2022. The event runs from noon to 10 p.m. and features live music.

Tucson Pride has been hosting its annual festival celebrating Tucson’s LGBTQ-plus community since 1977, when community members held a memorial picnic at Himmel Park. The Tucson event is recognized as the oldest pride event in the state.

On the Tucson Pride website, organizers said the group’s mission is to empower the LGBTQ+ community of Southern Arizona through community building, enhanced visibility and unwavering support. Organizers could not be reached for comment.

More than 5,000 people attended Pride in 2019, the last year it was held, and nearly 150 vendors were on hand, organizers said. The event was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic.

Admission to the parade is free. It’s $5 to $15 to attend Saturday’s festival and Sunday brunch tickets are $39.99 through tucsonpride.org.

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Cassandra Scott is a University of Arizona journalism student apprenticing with the Star.