Jacksonville River City Pride Returns Oct. 4–5

Jacksonville’s River City Pride will return Oct. 4–5 in the Riverside and Five Points neighborhoods with a weekend festival, parade and headline performances, including national drag talent and guest Kristine W, that typically draw around 10,000 people. Organizers say the festival will feature vendors, a family zone, evening cabaret shows and will employ off‑duty police and licensed security for safety. This year’s Pride follows a Florida Department of Transportation directive ordering removal of rainbow crosswalks and other roadway art, prompting concerns about erasing LGBTQ+ visibility. In response, the Jax LGBT Chamber Foundation launched the “Will Not Be Erased” campaign to fund lamppost Pride banners and murals planned for Lomax Street, InCahoots and Hardwicks, while local businesses and advocates are creating private-property Pride art. Community leaders say the removals have galvanized creativity and resolve, turning concerns about erasure into new, permanent affirmations of Pride.