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About Omaha
Omaha's Pride is called Heartland Pride. It is run by a local nonprofit of the same name, which has organized the event for many years and also keeps an online directory of LGBTQ-friendly businesses and services around the metro. The celebration takes place downtown in summer, and the program stretches from an easygoing afternoon to a big evening show.
The event usually runs over two days. The first is a Youth Pride celebration aimed at young people. The second is the main festival, with vendors and exhibitors, karaoke, interactive activities, local artists and an afternoon drag show. A headline show closes the night; recent editions used venues such as the Holland Performing Arts Center and Steelhouse Omaha. The organizers work with Omaha Performing Arts, which runs the city's main stages. There is also a parade; entries register through Heartland Pride, and the route and time are announced closer to the date.
After the festival, the city's queer bars take over. The Max in the Old Market is the big dance club, Flixx in Little Italy is an LGBTQ-owned cabaret bar with drag on weekends, and Omaha Mining Company on Leavenworth Street is known as the oldest gay bar in town. All three sit within a short ride of the festival sites.
Outside Pride season, Omaha ForUs runs an LGBTQ+ center in the northwest of the city for queer people and their families in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. Heartland Pride posts dates, lineups and ticket details on its own website, usually a few months ahead.
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