It’s June, baby—and in Champaign, we don’t just wave the rainbow flag. We paint the town with it. Pride Month is a time to love louder, support deeper, and show up in every color. And the Champaign Center Partnership is here to guide your glittery, gorgeous journey across Downtown, Midtown, and Campustown all month long.
Whether you’re browsing LGBTQ+ books, booking your glam at a local salon, or showing up for an all-out street party, this is how we celebrate Pride—boldly, proudly, and locally.
🎉 DO THIS: Pride Events in Downtown Champaign
🍻 Toast to Taylor Street: PRIDE Edition
📍 Sunday, June 22 | 4–11 PM | Taylor Street, Downtown Champaign
Get ready for a street party with heart. This PRIDE edition of Toast to Taylor brings music, community art, local vendors, and open-air celebration right to the heart of Downtown. Come loud, proud, and ready to vibe.
❓ Queer Trivia Night at Hound’s Rest
📍 Thursday, June 26 | 7–9 PM | 120 N Walnut St, Downtown Champaign
Whether you’re a RuPaul scholar or queer history buff, this trivia night hosted by Uniting Pride is for you. Allies welcome, bragging rights encouraged. $5 suggested donation.
🛍️ SHOP THIS: CCP Businesses That Celebrate You
📚 The Literary (Downtown)
A bookstore + bar where queerness is always on the shelf. Join them for Drag Story Time, Queer Joy Poetry Night, and explore their curated LGBTQ+ selections. Read, sip, repeat.
📖 Jane Addams Book Shop (Downtown)
Your go-to for discovering queer voices in history, memoir, and literature. This iconic shop is a sanctuary for thinkers, readers, and change-makers.
🪴 Plant Mode (Downtown)
Plant Mode is your go-to for greenery with personality—think bold foliage, sculptural pots, and curated gifts that say “you’re rooted in love.” This month, show your colors by picking out a vibrant plant for yourself or someone in your chosen fam. It’s giving leafy, it’s giving fresh, it’s giving queer joy in a pot.
Bonus: Plants make great parade prep partners and even better post-brunch gifts.
💄💇♀️ Gilded Lily Studio (Midtown)
This is your glow-up era.
Gilded Lily brings the fabulous with:
✨ Lived-in, low-maintenance color
💁♀️ Luxury hair extensions
🪞 Brow tinting, lamination, & hyperrealistic permanent makeup
💋 Special occasion makeup that’ll have you runway-ready
This isn’t just hair—it’s a transformation. Book now and walk out feeling like the star you are.
f Pride has a pulse in Champaign, Uniting Pride of Champaign County is the heartbeat. This powerhouse nonprofit works year-round to uplift the LGBTQ+ community through advocacy, education, resources, and celebration.
Whether you’re attending a workshop, volunteering at an event, or simply learning something new, Uniting Pride creates space for connection and progress.
🗓️ Here’s how you can engage this month:
Attend their events—like Toast to Taylor, Queer Trivia, and more
Donate to support their youth programming, affirming spaces, and advocacy efforts
Follow them at @unitingpride and learn how you can stay involved year-round
💻 Visit UnitingPride.org for a full Pride Month calendar and ways to get involved. Whether you’re out and proud or showing allyship, UP is how we make Pride powerful—not just in June, but always.
💜 LIVE THIS: Pride, the CCP Way
Supporting local during Pride Month means being the community you want to see—one that’s loud, loving, safe, and unapologetically inclusive. Every dollar spent, every event attended, every post shared tells the world: Champaign stands with our LGBTQ+ neighbors.
So dress up. Show up. And celebrate like you mean it.
📸 Tag us @champaigncenter and show how you’re celebrating #PulseOfPride all month long!
🫶 From all of us at Champaign Center Partnership—Happy Pride!
Where local lives. And love always wins.