Disability Pride Festival

The Post-Pride Blues - 9/24/26

There is a particular kind of melancholy that comes after the Disability Pride Festival each year. The tents come down. The tables get folded. The last box gets shoved into somebody's car. You finally stop—and suddenly something that consumed so much of your heart, your brain, and your calendar is over.

I always feel it. But this year, the bittersweetness feels a little more tangible.

Mostly because so many people made this festival what it was.

To every sponsor, partner, vendor, volunteer, artist, performer, self-advocate, staff member, family member, friend, and human being who showed up: thank you.

You didn't just sponsor an event, set up a table, perform on a stage, volunteer for a shift, or provide a service. You helped create a space where disabled people could gather, connect, celebrate, organize, laugh, make art, share stories, eat good food, and be exactly who we are.

And wow, did we do all of that.

Faces were painted. Food was eaten. Drinks were enjoyed. St. Paul Lions volunteers drove golf carts so people didn't have to travel quite so far across the Capitol grounds. Organizations shared resources and made connections. Artists and performers brought joy and energy.

Tablers were plentiful.

Tables, at certain moments, were not. 😂

So people pivoted. People shared. People helped each other. We laughed, cried, sang and screamed. We moved our bodies. We hugged.

None of it was perfect. It wasn't supposed to be.

This year's festival also happened during a week when disabled Minnesotans were asking difficult questions about our rights, our history, community living, and our future. That made the joy we created together feel even more important.

Disability Pride isn't pretending the scary things aren't happening. It is choosing joy while they are happening.

It is remembering our history while insisting on our future.

That's what all of you helped us do.

I could dwell on every detail that didn't go 100% according to plan. Trust me, my brain has offered me a comprehensive list. But what I'm carrying away from this year's festival is something much bigger: love, gratitude and grace.

Thank you for showing up.
Thank you for giving one another grace.
Thank you for making space for joy.
Thank you for being part of US.