Part of the Gay Phoenix Guide — bars, events & things to do.
Saturday, March 27 – Sunday, March 28, 2027
Heritage Square Park
Heritage Square Park, 6th St & Monroe, Downtown Phoenix, AZLive from our events calendar — updated daily.
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Rainbows Festival & Street Fair is the spring half of Phoenix Pride's calendar: a free, two-day street fair at Heritage Square Park in downtown Phoenix that Phoenix Pride says draws more than 25,000 people each year, second in Arizona only to the Phoenix Pride Festival in October. The 2026 edition ran March 28–29 from 10 AM to 6 PM. Phoenix Pride had not announced 2027 dates when this guide went up; the festival has landed on the last weekend of March in recent years, which points to March 27–28, 2027. Treat that as expected until the official page confirms it, and we will update this guide when it does.
Pro Tip
Phoenix Pride runs two big weekends a year: Rainbows in late March and the Phoenix Pride Festival and Parade in October. If you can only make one and want the parade, that is October. Rainbows is the easier weekend: free, downtown, walkable from the light rail, and over by dinner.
Heritage Square is a block of restored Victorian houses and brick plazas on the east side of downtown, and for two days it fills with vendor booths, sponsor tents, food trucks and two stages. In 2026 the stages were the Hensley Beverage Company Main Stage and the Community Stage, both with ASL interpreters, and the program runs continuously from opening to close. Phoenix Pride publishes the performer lineup closer to the date.
It is a daytime, family-and-dogs kind of event. Craft cocktails and beer are sold inside the grounds, but outside alcohol is on the prohibited list, so do not bring your own. The Phoenix Pride info booth sits at 6th Street and Monroe for lost and found, accessibility questions and interpreters.
Both days run the same hours. The festival closes at 6 PM both days, which is early for a Pride weekend and exactly why the bars on 7th Avenue and Central fill up from the late afternoon.
Pro Tip
Late March in Phoenix is usually in the 80s by early afternoon. Shade at Heritage Square is limited, so bring a hat and water.
The grounds close at 6 PM, and the weekend moves north. Two clusters are a short rideshare or light rail trip away.
The Melrose stretch of 7th Avenue between Indian School and Camelback is the city's gayborhood, and on Rainbows weekend it carries the after-party. Stacy's, The Rock, Boycott Bar and Pat O's Bunkhouse Saloon are all within a couple of blocks of each other on 7th Avenue.
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Kobalt sits at Park Central on Central Avenue, one light rail stop from Melrose, and Charlie's on Camelback is the big dance bar and a Rainbows sponsor. Cruisin' 7th on 7th Street is the neighborhood bar for a quieter night.
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Plan Your Rainbows Weekend
Every Phoenix bar, the weekend's parties and the Rainbows Festival in one place, with the map to get between them.
Downtown puts you within walking distance of Heritage Square; Midtown and Uptown put you closer to the bars. Both are on the light rail line, so either works.
Pro Tip
The Kimpton Palomar and the Westin are a ten-minute walk from Heritage Square. FOUND:RE is on Central at Roosevelt Row, one stop north, and closer to the Central Avenue bars.
Phoenix Pride produces both events. Rainbows is the free spring street fair; the Phoenix Pride Festival and Parade is the ticketed October weekend, and our guide to it lives at the Phoenix Pride hub.
Phoenix Pride has not announced the 2027 dates. The festival has run on the last weekend of March in recent years (March 28–29 in 2026), so March 27–28, 2027 is expected. We will update this guide when the dates are official.
At Heritage Square Park in downtown Phoenix, near 6th Street and Monroe. The Phoenix Pride info booth is at 6th and Monroe.
Yes. Phoenix Pride describes it as a free event open to the public.
In 2026 the festival ran 10 AM to 6 PM on both Saturday and Sunday.
Yes, on a leash.
Use the 3rd Street and Jefferson stop eastbound or 3rd Street and Washington westbound, both a few blocks from the park.
Phoenix Pride says it draws more than 25,000 people each year, with two stages and more than 150 exhibitors and sponsors, making it the second-largest LGBTQ+ event in Arizona after the Phoenix Pride Festival.
Rainbows is the free spring street fair in downtown Phoenix. Phoenix Pride is the ticketed October festival and parade. Both are produced by Phoenix Pride.
Let people know you're going, see who else is attending, and share the event with friends.
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