GayDays Orlando Pauses 35th Anniversary Celebration in 2026
Organizers cite sponsorship losses and broader challenges but insist the long-running LGBTQ event will return.
Organizers of GayDays Orlando, the annual summer celebration that draws tens of thousands of LGBTQ visitors to Central Florida, have announced that the event will be temporarily “paused” in 2026.
“After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to pause the GayDays Orlando event scheduled for June 2026,” organizers from GayDays, Inc. wrote in a Facebook post. “Changes to our host hotel agreement, the loss of key sponsorship support, and broader challenges currently impacting LGBTQIA+ events nationwide made it impossible to deliver the experience our community deserves.”
The organizers stressed that “This is a pause — not an ending. For more than 30 years, GayDays has been built by and for our community. Our focus now is on reimagining the future and returning with a stronger, more sustainable event. We will share updates in the coming months as we shape the next chapter together. Thank you for your support, your patience, and for being part of the GayDays family.”
Organizers had previously promised that the June 2026 celebration — which would have marked GayDays’ 35th anniversary — would be “bigger, bolder, and brighter than ever,” according to the Orlando Sentinel. But Josh Duke, co-owner of GayDays, Inc., told the newspaper in an email that the event relies heavily on corporate support, which is dwindling, and individual attendance.
“When either of those becomes less predictable, the financial environment becomes more challenging,” he said.
In an email to Metro Weekly, Duke said organizers chose the word “pause” intentionally, signaling that they intend for festivities to resume in the future.
“Rather than move forward under uncertain conditions, our priority is to ensure that any GayDays event is supported by the right venue, partners, and resources to deliver the experience our community expects,” he said. “We are actively working behind the scenes to evaluate options and determine a stable and sustainable path forward.”
Duke pushed back on reports by other news outlets describing the celebration as “canceled,” acknowledging there has been confusion about the event’s status.
In a statement to Metro Weekly, Duke said that the “pause” became necessary because many organizations have “taken a more conservative approach to corporate marketing” — including sponsorships, “travel, and discretionary event spending” — affecting community events nationwide.
He declined to name any of the companies that withdrew support.
“Out of respect for our partners and ongoing relationships, we are not publicly identifying specific organizations,” he said.
Duke said his team expects to have “greater clarity” soon regarding future plans.
“While the official GayDays Orlando event is paused for 2026, the community itself has always been larger than any one organization,” Duke told Metro Weekly, “and we support people celebrating in whatever ways are meaningful to them.”
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