PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Phoenix Pride is planning its 2026 calendar and preparing for its Rainbows Festival following this week’s announcement that Tucson Pride is canceling its 2026 festival and shutting down after 50 years.
“Community is the heartbeat of pride,” said Mike Fornelli, executive director of Phoenix Pride. “Why Tucson was so shocking is because it was just announced.”
The announcement from Arizona’s first and longest-running LGBTQ+ organization shocked many in the community. Tucson Pride cited financial challenges and declining sponsorships as reasons for dissolving the organization.
Fornelli said the struggles facing Tucson Pride are not unique to that organization.
“With all those DEI cuts and those funding cuts, it’s a trickle-down effect, right?” Fornelli said. “So there’s still businesses, there’s still companies to support, but now they don’t have that money to be able to support the capacity that they could.”
Similar challenges emerged in 2025 on the West Coast, when Anheuser-Busch, Comcast and Nissan pulled sponsorships from San Francisco Pride, costing the organization hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“We are working very diligently to make sure that does not happen,” Fornelli said.
Fornelli said Phoenix Pride is adjusting in response to the news out of Tucson to ensure the organization remains sustainable long term. The organization is planning quarterly town halls as part of its 2026 initiatives.
Tucson Pride said all funds received for the 2026 festival, including vendor fees and sponsorships, will be refunded within the next 90 days.
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