ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Blue Ridge Pride Festival, the annual September celebration of Asheville’s LGBTQ+ community, was held today in Pack Square Park.

This year, the theme of Blue Ridge Pride was “Resilience and Resistance,” named in honor of the anniversary of Hurricane Helene, which hit Western North Carolina exactly one year ago on Sept. 27, 2024.

Read about the festivities in our story here.

There were hundreds of Pride participants celebrating in downtown Asheville, most decked out in their best rainbow regalia. Several rainbow umbrellas also dotted the crowd as rain fell, but Asheville’s queer community weathered the storm, dancing, singing and chatting as bands played on the two festival stages.

Check out our photos from Blue Ridge Pride below. For more information about the organization or festival, visit www.blueridgepride.org/festival.