Back in 2008, Stephan Hengst and his husband, Patrick Decker, were living on the south side of the City of Poughkeepsie on Hooker Avenue.
The couple had always been “socially connected people,” according to Hengst, but after speaking more and more with friends in the area, they realized their circles weren’t aware of what was going on locally, particularly for the queer community.
Going on 20 years ago, Hengst said there was no common place to share information and happenings to bring people together, other than the few gay bars that existed at the time.
Thus, Big Gay Hudson Valley was born. What started as a Facebook page is now the central hub for all things Pride Month in the Hudson Valley, including our mid-Hudson Valley slice.
“It’s all grown very organic and naturally over the years — to a point now where we’re super excited to have partners like the Walkway Over the Hudson and New York State Parks making events like Pride in the Sky Happen,” Hengst said.
Pride in the Sky
Pride in the Sky, a free event, will be held Saturday, May 30, on the Walkway Over the Hudson, from 3-10 p.m.
It’s one of Big Gay Hudson Valley’s signature events among a core group of happenings the organization tries to produce annually, such as Out on the Farm, a queer, family-friendly fall festival.
The 2026 Pride in the Sky event will be its third. More than 5,000 people attended the inaugural event in 2024.
It’s a fun opportunity to be on the walkway after dark — the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park typically closes around sunset at 8:30 p.m. during this time of year.
For the first time, Big Gay Hudson Valley has organized a Queer Families Festival as part of the event, happening on the Poughkeepsie side of the river from 3-6 p.m.
It’s an initiative they’ve undertaken in collaboration with the Dutchess County Pride Center, and it will feature a drag story time, ice cream social meetup, family yoga with The Yoga House, live music, arts and crafts activities and a meeting with Rascal from Hudson Valley Renegades.
“We’re hoping that this year’s Queer Families Festival will allow more parents to connect, more young kids to connect who have queer parents and straight families too, that have queer kids, that just want them to know that they’re represented and that they’re a part of the community,” Hengst said.
On top of this, there will be a pride community festival from 3-6 p.m. to connect with local organizers, a pride flag procession, as well as live entertainment and dancing under the stars.
For the full lineup of events, including specific times for each and to register for the event, visit biggayhudsonvalley.com/events-calendar/pride-in-the-sky/.
More on Big Gay Hudson Valley
“There’s always people that are coming into the Hudson Valley from other places, and lately, we’ve found many more people,” Hengst said.
From his experience, it used to be mostly people traveling up from New York City, but apparently, other big cities are hearing about the area, too. Folks from San Francisco to Dallas and Seattle, Hengst said, are finding their way to the area.
Queer people have said to Hengst they’ve wanted to find a place where they’d be welcomed, and this area has the resources, but finding your place in it might not be such a simple task.
“In the digital age, it’s easy to find resources, but it’s not always easy to find community,” Hengst said.
Big Gay Hudson Valley strives not just to tell you where the LGBTQ+ events are happening, but to bring people together and connect in person, while showing you the other community groups there for Pride season, and the rest of the year.
Hengst even took it a step further after losing his full-time job during the pandemic. He got his real estate license and for almost three years worked with couples and clients to find their Hudson Valley home in LGBTQ+ friendly communities.
He doesn’t do that so much anymore, but he will still make referrals from his brokerage to other agents who can help folks find their home and community.
Mid-Hudson Valley Pride
Here are some of the many Pride Month events across Dutchess, Orange and Ulster counties, ordered by date.
Find Pride marches, festivals and community-centered Pride Month events near you or plan for month-long festivities.
“Everyone’s got a little bit of a different flavor,” Hengst said about the organizations putting these Pride Month occasions together. Some are focused on arts or entertainment, while others are centered on families or even emulating the big city pride parades and festivals.
Town of Poughkeepsie Rainbow Crosswalk Painting: May 29, 6-7:30 p.m.; meet at Dutchess County Pride Center, 766 Main St., Poughkeepsie; free event; email hello@dutchesspride.org to let them know you’re going; visit dutchesspride.org/events/rainbow-crosswalk-painting-part-1 for details.
City of Poughkeepsie Rainbow Crosswalk Painting: May 31, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.; meet at the intersection of Main and North and South Bridge Streets, by Zeus Brewing Company; free event; email hello@dutchesspride.org to let them know you’re going; visit dutchesspride.org/events/rainbow-crosswalk-painting-part-1-dywcy for details.
Beacon Queer Liberation Rally: May 31, 1-3 p.m.; Polhill Park, Main Street and South Avenue, Beacon; free event; this is not a parade, but an annual speak out; visit instagram.com/beaconlgbtq/ for details.
Beacon Annual Pride Picnic: June 6, 12-2 p.m.; Long Dock Park, 23 Long Dock Park Road, Beacon; free event; this picnic is for all ages, family-friendly and no alcohol or substances allowed; bring your picnicking essentials, including food; visit queeroutdooradventures.com/upcomingevents/annual-pride-picnic for details.
Beacon Pride Queer Flash Tattoo & Dance Party: June 12, 6-11 p.m.; Industrial Arts Brewing Company, 511 Fishkill Ave., Beacon; 6-8 p.m. outdoor party for all ages with queer crafters, makers and artists; 8-11 p.m. tattoos and tunes 18+ portion of event; visit instagram.com/industrialartsbrewing/ for details.
Stanford Pride: June 6, 1-4 p.m.; Bangallworks, 97 Hunns Lake Road, Stanfordville; find community, food and music; visit stanfordnypride.org for details.
New Paltz Pride March & Festival: June 7, 12-5 p.m.; parade on Main Street and festival at Hasbrouck Park, Plattekill Avenue, New Paltz; parade begins at noon and festival runs from 12:30-5 p.m.; visit newpaltzpridecoalition.org for details.
Red Hook Youth Pride: June 7; Linden Avenue Middle School, Linden Avenue Circle, and Red Hook Village Hall; parade line-up is at the middle school at 11 a.m. and step-off is at 11:45 a.m.; festivities will be held at the Red Hook Village Hall parking lot at noon; visit instagram.com/rhyouthpride/ and instagram.com/beckhookpride/ for details.
Pride Night with the Hudson Valley Renegades: June 10, 6:35-9:05 p.m.; Heritage Financial Park, 1500 Route 9D, Wappingers Falls; Hudson Valley Renegades vs. Jersey Shore BlueClaws; visit milb.com/hudson-valley/tickets/promotions and dutchesspride.org/events/pride2026-hvrenegades-pride-night for details.
Poughkeepsie Pride March & Festival 2026: June 13, 12-4 p.m.; parade line-up is at 11 a.m. at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House on Market Street; the route immediately heads left down Main Street to the festival at Waryas Park, which kicks off at noon; festival will feature dozens of queer-owned businesses, local artists, creators, and food vendors, LGBTQ+ organizations, community resources, and family-friendly programming; visit dutchesspride.org for details.
Woodstock Pride Weekend: June 12-14; events all weekend in honor of Pride Month; parade line-up starts at 11:30 a.m. at Comeau Upper Lot, with a 1 p.m. step-off to Colony and 1:30 p.m. celebration there; visit woodstocknypride.org for details.
Warwick Pride 2026: June 14, 11-3 p.m.; parade line-up at 10:30 a.m. at the Warwick Valley Community Center on Hamilton Avenue; 11 a.m. parade step-off to Veteran’s Memorial Park Pavilion off of Forester Avenue; celebrations following at the park; visit warwickvalleycommunitycenter.org for details.
Newburgh Pride on the Green: June 20, 12-4 p.m.; Safe Harbors Green, 111 Broadway, Newburgh; visit instagram.com/newburghpride/ for updates and other Newburgh Pride month events.
Bardavon Theatre Free Film Pride Night: June 26, 7:30 p.m.; watch “The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love,” a 1995 film; note movie is rated R; tickets will be given out day of show when entering the theater; visit bardavon.org/shows/free-film-the-incredibly-true-adventure-of-two-girls-in-love-1995/ for details.
Poughkeepsie Pride Fun Run 5K: June 28, 9-11:30 a.m.; Fleet Feet Poughkeepsie, 1895 South Road, Poughkeepsie; fundraising event for the Dutchess County Pride Center; register for the run and visit runsignup.com/fleetfeetpoughkeepsiespridefunrun for details.
Pine Hill Pride 2026: July 11, 12-4 p.m.; Find a parade, street fair, music performances, drag queen Tina Turner, drinks and cocktails, food trucks, community BBQ; visit pinehillny.com/pride-2026 for more information.
For more Pride events across the mid-Hudson Valley, check out Big Gay Hudson Valley’s website at biggayhudsonvalley.com/events-calendar/ and check out their Pride Along the Hudson 2026 post. For Dutchess County-specific events, visit dutchesspride.org.
“It’s just nice to know that people don’t necessarily have to choose. If they want, they could spend every day of the month of June, and much of May, and even into July traveling around to Pride events,” Hengst said.
Nickie Hayes is the Breaking & Trending News Reporter for the Poughkeepsie Journal and focuses on how to make the most of what the mid-Hudson Valley has to offer. See her most recent articles here. Contact reporter Nickie Hayes: NHayes@poughkee.gannett.com, 845-863-3518 and @nickieehayess on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: What is Big Gay Hudson Valley? Find a mid-Hudson Pride Month event
Reporting by Nickie Hayes, Poughkeepsie Journal / Poughkeepsie Journal
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