Pride in the Park marks 10 years in Coeur d'Alene
From 50 people in 2016 to more than 3,500 last year, Pride in the Park marked 10 years at City Park with bigger crowds, more support and a scholarship push.
Pride in the Park filled Coeur d’Alene City Park on Saturday as North Idaho Pride Alliance marked the 10th anniversary of an event that has grown from a small gathering of about 50 people in 2016 into one of the largest public LGBTQIA+ celebrations in North Idaho. The free event ran from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with local performers on the bandshell and a 4:30 p.m. headline set by Amelia Day, the Washington-born singer-songwriter.
The milestone mattered because the event has become a barometer of how public life in Coeur d’Alene has changed. North Idaho Pride Alliance said more than 3,500 people attended last year, and organizers expected this year’s crowd to be even larger because they had more vendors, more volunteers and more sponsors than ever. Dr. Sarah Lynch said the gathering was meant to create a safe place where people could celebrate identity and community while showing support for queer neighbors in Kootenai County and across the Inland Northwest.
The anniversary also carried a local history that gave the day more weight than a typical festival. North Idaho Pride Alliance was established in 2016, the same year the first Pride event in Coeur d’Alene was held. Lynch said that first event drew about 50 people. A decade later, the organization planned to honor some of its original founders as grand marshals, underscoring how a once-small gathering has become part of the city’s civic calendar and the kickoff to the monthlong CDA4Pride campaign.
The growth has not happened without friction. Some local readers have criticized Pride coverage in letters to the editor, a reminder that the event remains a point of political and cultural debate as well as celebration. Security has also been part of the story, and in 2023 organizers expected a few thousand attendees and the event included an increased law-enforcement presence.
Alongside the festival atmosphere, North Idaho Pride Alliance has tied Pride in the Park to direct support for young people. The group’s endowment allowed it to expand its Pride scholarship this year to two awards for queer youth pursuing college degrees, and it also launched a separate scholarship program for Region 1 high school and home-school seniors planning college, university or trade school in the 2026-2027 academic year. That combination of visibility, safety and material support is what has made Pride in the Park endure for 10 years in Coeur d’Alene.
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