Austin MN Pride

We love how our friends over at Rochester MN Pride put together these graphics! Happy International Non Binary Awareness Week!

International Non-Binary Peoples Day, First celebrated in 2012, the day highlights the diversity of the non-binary community, raises awareness of the unique challenges non-binary individuals face globally, and advocates for equal rights and visibility.

💛 Hi, folx!

In an effort to take care of ourselves before we continue pouring into our community, we've made the decision to cancel this month's Karaoke Night, which was scheduled for this Friday at the Austin Area ArtWorks Center.

The truth is, every single person behind Austin MN Pride is a volunteer. We all balance jobs, families, personal lives, and countless hours behind the scenes planning events, building community, and preparing for everything that's ahead. Lately, life has been especially full, and we're feeling a little stretched.

One of the things we talk about often is the importance of self-care, setting healthy boundaries, and giving ourselves grace. We realized it's time for us to practice what we preach. After all, you can't pour from an empty cup.

The good news? While we're taking a breather this week, we've been hard at work behind the scenes planning some really exciting things! Thank you for always understanding, supporting us, and showing up for this community. Your kindness allows us to take care of ourselves so we can continue creating spaces where everyone feels welcomed, celebrated, and loved.

We'll see you again soon and we'll make the next karaoke night worth the wait. 🎤💙

Well... if our latest reel is going to get thousands of views thanks to the haters, we figured we might as well use that attention for something good. 💛🌈

Austin MN Pride is built by our community, for our community, and we're so close to making this year's festival fully funded!

Our biggest expenses are things that keep our event safe, accessible, and unforgettable:
✨ Security
🎶 Sound
🎤 Entertainment
🛡️ Insurance

While our Zeffy fundraiser currently shows a lower total, it doesn't include sponsorship checks that have already come in. In reality, we're sitting at about $8,500 raised, and we only need a few thousand more to fully fund this year's festival.

If you've been thinking about supporting us, now is the perfect time. Every single dollar gets us one step closer, and no donation is too small. ❤️

We've also created an Amazon Wishlist filled with items that help us run the festival. Every purchase makes a real difference.

🌈 Donate here:
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/donationssponsorships-for-austin-mn-pride-2026-festival

🎁 Amazon Wishlist:
https://a.co/09oUbatz

Let's cross that finish line together! 🏳️‍🌈

Today!
Come join our friends over at Rainbowatonna for there Pride in the Park!

📣 A quick update for everyone who applied to perform at Austin MN Pride!

We officially sent out emails to all of our entertainment applicants in June. If you applied and *didn't receive an email from us*, please send us a message here on Facebook and we'll make sure to resend it.

We also want this to serve as a genuine apology to anyone who found themselves caught in the crossfire while our original application system went down and we worked to build a new one. We're truly sorry if that affected your experience.

Earlier this year, our original application platform unexpectedly stopped working without our knowledge. People could still submit applications, but we lost the ability to contact many of those applicants. As soon as we realized what had happened, we scrambled to move everything over to a Google Form so we wouldn't lose any more applications. It wasn't a perfect solution, but we were doing everything we could to keep things moving.

We tried to share updates on social media, but we know not everyone sees every post. If you were one of the people affected by all of this, we're sincerely sorry.

Behind Austin MN Pride is a small team of volunteers. The applications, emails, fundraising, planning, social media, and everything else are handled by just a handful of people who care deeply about creating something meaningful for our community. We're trying our very best over here - TRULY we are & we're LEARNING so much! Every challenge teaches us something, and we're committed to learning from each experience so we can continue improving and serving our community better.

The silver lining? This whole experience pushed us to create our brand new website, where WE control all of our applications and information moving forward. No more relying on a platform that can disappear overnight. 😅

While our Entertainment Applications are now full, we're STILL looking for VENDORS and more FOOD TRUCKS!

If you're a food truck or a vendor offering crafts, resources, community information, or an interactive activity, we'd love to have you join us! You can apply through our brand new website here:

✨ https://austinmnpride.org/festival/ -there

Thank you for your patience, your kindness, and for believing in what we're building. We couldn't do this without you. ❤️

Morgan, An, Wendy, Emma and Cheyenne

Austin, MN Pride Festival 2026 – Sat, Oct 10 Join the free Austin, MN Pride Festival on Saturday, October 10, 2026 at Bandshell Community Park. Live entertainment, food, vendors, all ages welcome.

✨ It's here. Welcome to the new home of Austin MN Pride. 🌈

Behind every page of this website are countless hours, thoughtful conversations, late nights, revisions, dreaming, storytelling, and so much heart.

A website isn't just a place to find information. It's often the first impression someone has of who we are. It might be where a young person searching for community realizes they're not alone. It might be where a parent finds resources to better support their child. It might be where someone discovers a way to volunteer, donate, attend an event, or simply feel connected.

That mattered deeply to us.

From the beginning, we wanted this site to tell our story while also serving our community. A place where people can find resources, make meaningful connections, learn about our mission, discover ways to get involved, and know that they belong.

We couldn't have done it without the incredible team at Aurora Web Solutions. They poured just as much care into building this website as we pour into building this organization. They listened, collaborated, refined every detail, and helped bring our vision to life. We are endlessly grateful for their partnership.

It's hard to believe that just over a year ago, a small group of passionate community members came together with one goal: bring Pride back to Austin.

In 2025, we did just that.

Today, we're a registered nonprofit with more than 30 active members working year-round to create safe, affirming spaces, provide resources, build community, and continue growing something that belongs to all of us.

This website represents where we've been, but even more importantly, where we're going.

Take a look around. Read our story. Explore the resources. Find ways to get involved. Share it with someone who might need it.

Because Pride has never just been about one festival.

It's about creating a community where every person knows they are seen, valued, supported, and exactly where they belong. ❤️

Visit us at: https://www.austinmnpride.org 🌈

Austin, MN Pride – LGBTQ+ Festival & Community Austin, MN Pride is a volunteer-run LGBTQIA2S+ nonprofit in Mower County. Find our free fall festival, year-round events, and ways to get involved.

YA'LL have SHOWN UP!
We’re at *$8,700 of our $10,000 goal* and we couldn’t have gotten here without YOU! ✨

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/donationssponsorships-for-austin-mn-pride-2026-festival

Every donation helps us create a Pride Festival that is **safe, inclusive, accessible, and unforgettable**. Your support helps fund:
🏳️‍🌈 Security teams to keep our celebration safe
🎤 Talented entertainers who bring Pride to life
🔊 Professional sound and production
📍 Venue costs, permits, insurance, signage, and accessibility efforts
💖 The details that make sure everyone feels welcomed, valued, and celebrated

We’ve also been blown away by the support from our community!Sponsorship letters have gone out, local businesses and community members have stepped up, and so many of you have shown up for our events, purchased pins and stickers, donated, and helped us continue growing.

We’re almost there! 🌈 Help us cross the finish line and bring an even bigger, safer, and more vibrant Pride Festival to Austin this year.

🏳️‍🌈 Pinball For ALL! 🎮

Austin MN Pride is bringing back Pinball For ALL!

Join us for an afternoon of pinball, community, and fun at this all-ages event! Whether you're a pinball pro, have never touched a machine before, or just want to spend time with friends and family, everyone is welcome.

📅 Date: Sunday, July 26
🕑 Time: 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM
💵 Entry Fee: $1 per person

Your $1 entry helps cover our official player fee with the pinball association, and then the fun is up to you!

✨ Choose your own adventure:
Jump into the optional pinball tournament.
Play casually all afternoon.
Meet new people and connect with the community.
Cheer on players and enjoy a welcoming, inclusive space.

No tournament experience is needed - participation is completely optional!

Austin MN Pride will also have merchandise available for purchase, with proceeds helping support our nonprofit and future community programming.

We can't wait to see you there! 🌈💜