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Pacific Pride Festival

Rooted in Pride: Celebrating 50 Years of Pacific Pride Festival

On August 23, Chase Palm Park became a living, breathing testament to love, resilience, and joy. Thousands gathered to honor our history, celebrate our present, and imagine our future—together.

A miniature horse and two spotted sheep eat hay from a netted feeder in the petting zoo at the Pacific Pride Festival.
Attendees enjoy the Family Zone at the Pacific Pride Festival, playing with a beach ball and relaxing under colorful umbrellas on the grass.
Two fluffy dogs wearing rainbow bandanas enjoy the Pacific Pride Festival, looking into the distance on a sunny day.

Festival Vibe

From the bustling vendor village to a packed Family Zone, the energy never dipped. DJ Darla Bea kept families dancing, the Kids Stage overflowed with laughter, and the petting zoo delighted kids and grown-ups alike. Our 21+ Beer Garden gave guests a lively spot to raise a glass, and the Pride Pet Parade turned the walkway into the cutest, most fashionable runway in town.

Two performers host onstage at the Pacific Pride Festival; one wears a bright, sequined costume with a headdress, and the other wears a tropical floral dress, both holding microphones in front of a colorful festival backdrop.
A diverse crowd of attendees watches a stage performance at the Pacific Pride Festival, seated in rows of white chairs with tents and rainbow flags in the background.

Main Stage Magic

Hosts Vivian Storm and Jackette Knightley set the tone with humor and heart, welcoming 25+ performances across drag, bands, and dance crews. Jessica Wild headlined with star power and charisma that brought the crowd to its feet—and our incredible local drag performers left it all on the stage. Standout sets included Mariachi Arcoíris de Los Angeles, Grupo Folklórico Fusión Mexicana, Brasscals, East Valley Road, Sammulous, and the Santa Barbara Gay Men’s Chorus, with DJ Suz driving the momentum between acts from start to finish.

A young woman poses next to a large interactive butterfly wing mural at the Pacific Pride Festival, while another person sits nearby coloring it in with rainbow tape.
Two attendees color in a butterfly wing mural at the Pacific Pride Festival, using markers and rainbow-colored tape on a whiteboard labeled “Color Me.”

Art & Reflection

The grounds also held space to remember and reflect. More than 30 panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, presented by Quilt Project Gold Coast, created a moving tribute to lives lost and love enduring. A community butterfly installation in collaboration with the Santa Barbara Museum of Art invited everyone to add their voice, and offered an immersive experience of memory, transformation, and resilience.

Colorful memorial quilts hang along a fence at the Pacific Pride Festival, each honoring loved ones lost, with benches placed in front for reflection.
Close-up of a quilt panel honoring Ruben Varela, 1946–1996, from Santa Barbara, decorated with roses, the word “Hola,” and fabric patches referencing “The Pub” and “Ruben Varela and Karl Krebs.

A Moment of Extraordinary

Generosity In one unforgettable moment, Claude Raffin, honoring the life of his partner Jon Gathercole, presented two $50,000 checks to Pacific Pride Foundation. The park erupted in applause—a wave of gratitude that will carry our programs forward across the Central Coast.

Honoring Community Leadership

This milestone year also lifted up those who built the foundation we stand on and those leading us forward.

A group of eight people, including two hosts, pose onstage at the Pacific Pride Festival after receiving Pride Legacy Awards, standing in front of a colorful backdrop with palm fronds and a rainbow sunburst.

Pride Legacy Award Honorees

David Selberg • Claude Raffin and Jon Gathercole • Lynn Cunningham Brown • Clay Tedschi • Brad Willis

A group of ten people stand together onstage at the Pacific Pride Festival after receiving Community Pride Champion Awards, smiling in front of a bright rainbow and palm tree backdrop.

Community Pride Champion Award Honorees

Gary Clark • Robert Mendez • Megan Overland • Ralph Barbosa • René García 

With Gratitude

To our volunteers: your time, care, and heart shaped this festival from first light to last song. To our community partners: your pre-festival events—art shows, panels, dance parties, and socials—built momentum, amplified voices, and turned Pride into a season of connection. To everyone who showed up: thank you for dancing, laughing, remembering, and making history with us.

A smiling woman poses at the Pacific Pride Festival wearing a red crop top and white skirt, while someone next to her holds a large rainbow-colored fan.
Festivalgoers stand behind a metal barricade at the Pacific Pride Festival, smiling and arm stretched out toward the camera under colorful umbrellas.
A lively marching band performs at the Pacific Pride Festival, with musicians playing saxophones and flutes while walking across the lawn, surrounded by pride flags and balloons.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

The Pacific Pride Festival 2025 would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors. With deep gratitude, we thank:

  • The Kimpton Canary Hotel
  • Santa Barbara Airport
  • Gilead
  • ViiV
  • Deckers Brand
  • Sutter Health

Your commitment makes it possible to celebrate Pride at the scale and vibrancy our community deserves.When we root ourselves in Pride, we flourish.

Logos of Pacific Pride Festival sponsors, including Kimpton Canary Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Airport, Gilead, ViiV Healthcare, Sansum Clinic now part of Sutter Health, and Deckers Brands.