The Best LGBTQ+ Food, Wine and Spirits Festivals From Coast to Coast

Halfway into Pride Month, we’ve started noticing that LGBTQ+ wine festivals and similar events continue to emerge, joining long-established fundraisers and community celebrations across the United States. Everyone’s welcome, regardless of sexual orientation, so these events offer fun, education and connection—in many cases all at once.

“The world of hospitality is overwhelmingly diverse, yet LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities are often the least represented in visible food and beverage culture,” says Remy Drabkin, owner and winemaker at Remy Wines and founder of Queer Wine Fest in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. “Being intentional in supporting diversely-owned businesses, whether they’re queer-owned or BIPOC-owned, is elemental right now, and including minority-owned wineries in ways the industry has chosen to promote from within is essential.”

Gary Saperstein owns Out in the Vineyard, a wine country event and travel company catering to LGBTQ+ travelers visiting Sonoma County, California. In 2011, he and Mark Vogler created Gay Wine Weekend, which has grown significantly over the years, making it the oldest, longest-running and largest LGBTQ+ wine event. 

Shining in a Time of Strife

“During these challenging times where we have an administration that wants to erase us, especially our trans brothers and sisters, it is vital that we find community. To celebrate our joy, our power and our resilience so that we can go out there to fight the fight,” Saperstein says. “This year is the first time I have chosen a theme and it’s ‘When We Gather, We Shine!’ We need to not only thrive right now, but shine, as well.”

Near our nation’s capital (home to this year’s WorldPride event, which took place during the first weekend of June), the third annual Pride in the Vines wine trail gives locals and visitors more than a month to discover Loudoun County, Virginia’s wineries that support the LGBTQ+ community through inclusivity measures, providing safe places to gather and in some cases donating to charities that align with queer community issues. The three founding wineries of the event boast deep ties to the community; two, Two Twisted Post and Williams Gap Vineyard, are queer-owned.

“LGBTQ+-focused festivals, like Pride in the Vines, are essential because they create intentional, affirming spaces where people can feel seen, celebrated and safe, something that hasn’t always been guaranteed at traditional wine festivals,” says Bridgette Smith, general manager at Williams Gap Vineyard and one of the event’s founders. “While all wine lovers may enjoy a glass of rosé or a day at the vineyard, LGBTQ+ festivals go a step further by centering a community that often has to wonder if they’ll be truly welcomed.”

Corporate Pride Sponsors Pull Back

After the Trump administration’s recent attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion, many long-term corporate Pride sponsors have either scaled back or completely pulled out of supporting events. Critics have felt that these companies were merely capitalizing on the Pride movement, rather than genuinely wanting to connect with these consumers in an ongoing capacity. 

Anheuser-Busch has declined to renew its sponsorship for St. Louis, San Francisco and Columbus Pride. Diageo, Miller Lite, Absolut, Jack Daniels, Skyy Vodka and Summer Water Rosé have all either reduced support, backed out or asked for their involvement in various Pride events to go unpublicized. 

These large-scale reversals highlight the importance of authentic support. “What makes Pride in the Vines in Loudoun County stand out is how deeply the local wine community has come together to create something inclusive and meaningful, not focused on a marketing moment, but as a genuine celebration of diversity,” says Smith. “It’s about more than wine—it’s about visibility, joy and connection. When winemakers, tasting room teams and businesses proudly support the LGBTQ+ community, it sends a powerful message that everyone belongs here.”

So, in the spirit of ensuring that everyone is welcome while tasting wine after wine (or perhaps bourbon, innovative cuisine or whatever else), we present a chronological collection of annual festivals across the country where people can unite, sip and savor with family.

Pride in the Vines

Loudoun County, Virginia

Dates: Now through June 30 

Pride in the Vines offers a self-guided tour of the region through a passport system directing wine lovers to nearly two dozen wineries across Loudoun County. The event kicked off on May 15, but there’s still time for participants to collect a stamp at each winery. After 10 stamps, they can enter drawings for prizes, including private wine tastings, vineyard tours, wine gear, event tickets and bottles of wine, of course. 

Queer Wine Fest 

Willamette Valley, OR

Dates: June 29, 2025

Queer Wine Fest shows the love for Oregon Wines, this time at Remy Wines where Remy Drabkin celebrates the event’s fourth year. To be part of the event, all wines poured must come from companies with LGBTQ+ leadership, ownership or employ queer-identifying winemakers. The event has grown from simply featuring Oregon wines to include both California and Washington brands that fit the above criteria. Live music, food, aerialists and at least one surprise await on the lush grounds outside the Remy Wines tasting room.

Gay Wine Weekend 

Sonoma County, CA

Dates: July 18-20, 2025

Gay Wine Weekend has been celebrating the bounty of Sonoma County for more than a decade. Due to the size of this particular wine region, the multi-day event relocates annually to different towns and vineyards, featuring a series of tastings, winemaker dinners, a pool party and a drag brunch, among other activities. This year, the event takes over the Russian River Valley and Healdsburg areas, allowing participants to experience all-new venues, restaurants and vineyards. Proceeds from the event benefit Face to Face, Sonoma County’s HIV/AIDS Network.

Bourbon & Belonging

Louisville, KY

Dates: October 3-5, 2025
Bourbon & Belonging: Kentucky’s Queer Bourbon Week returns for a second year to welcome autumn with soul-warming bourbon. Created by the nonprofit Queer Kentucky, the event spans four different cities and areas throughout the region: Lexington, Louisville, Northern Kentucky and Paducah. This year’s events have yet to be announced, but in past years they’ve included distillery tours, tastings, live music, silent auctions, brunches, drag and burlesque shows and pool parties.

Looking Ahead to 2026

Queer Food FEASTival

Salt Lake City, UT

Dates: TBD May 2026
Queer Food FEASTival takes a food-focused approach to bringing the community together in Salt Lake City. The event showcases culinary delights, craft cocktails and live entertainment from an LGBTQ+ perspective, with numerous queer-owned businesses encountering sell-out crowds each year.

Equality Wine & Food Fest

Palm Springs, CA

Dates: TBD June 2026

Equality Wine & Food Fest has already poured its last sip for the year, but returns next June to downtown Palm Springs. The event focuses on California wines, but also features varietals from other top wine regions. Each year, festivalgoers can sample more than 100 wines, enjoy bites from local chefs, participate in a silent auction, learn during live demonstrations and toast to new friends with a live music soundtrack.

Big Queer Food Fest 

Location TBD

Dates: TBD 2026
Big Queer Food Fest made its way to Boston this past April, but over the last nine years, the event has hopped around the country to destinations including Nashville, San Diego, New York and West Hollywood. Each year, top chefs, winemakers, distillers, purveyors and nonprofit organizations join forces to produce an event that highlights the creativity and talent of the LGBTQ+ culinary community. Immersive chef dinners, parties, happy hours and Q&A sessions with chefs and authors supplement the main tasting event.

Made with Pride

Milwaukie, OR

Dates: TBD June, 2026
Made with Pride gives participants the chance to taste wines from around a dozen queer-owned Oregon wineries, along with queer-owned food purveyors and other vendors. In 2025, proceeds were divided evenly and distributed to local nonprofits Outside In and The Marie Equi Center. 

More LGBTQIA+ Coverage

• Inside Sonoma’s thriving LGBTQ+ wine scene.
• What it’s like to open a lesbian bar in 2023.
• LGBTQ-owned and -led distilleries to support all year long.
• Brewers release special beers to celebrate Pride Month.
• Before Stonewall, there was Julius’, NYC’s oldest gay bar.
• Three LGBTQ+ wine pros making a more inclusive industry.

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