Utah Pride Center releases financial, community report of this year’s Pride festival

The Utah Pride Center released a report on the 2024 Utah Pride Festival financial and community involvement. This year, they say, the festivities marked a major financial and community success, setting a strong foundation for the Utah Pride Center’s future endeavors. Under the leadership of executive director Chad Call, this year’s Pride Festival and Parade not only revitalized community spirit but also achieved impressive financial gains, putting the organization back on solid ground after a challenging year.

“Chad’s leadership and deep expertise in event production truly transformed the Utah Pride Festival and Parade,” said Jessica Couser, board chair of the Center in a statement. “His vision and ability to inspire the team were pivotal in driving the success of both events, positioning the Utah Pride Center for continued growth. We are incredibly fortunate to have someone with his background guiding us through this exciting time.”

The Utah Pride Parade saw over 18,000 participants march across two miles of downtown Salt Lake City, cheered on by more than 50,000 spectators. The accompanying Utah Pride Festival attracted over 30,000 attendees and featured more than 220 vendor booths, creating a vibrant celebration of LGBTQ+ identity and culture. Importantly, the festival generated over $350,000 in revenue, which will directly support the Utah Pride Center’s essential programs and services.

A team of over 500 volunteers, including members of the Utah Pride Steering Committee, played a key role in the smooth execution of the event.

“Since the Utah Pride festivities, our small and focused staff has been working tirelessly to revive and expand our programs, and we are proud to announce that we now host weekly programs at the Utah Pride Center for both youth and all ages,” Call said.

The financial turnaround was particularly significant, given the challenges the organization faced in 2023. Overspending on last year’s Pride events left the Utah Pride Center hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, forcing the temporary closure of the Center last September and the sale of its building to cover outstanding costs.

To ensure success this year, Call and his team implemented strategic budget cuts, particularly in staging, production, and talent costs. Planned spending for the 2024 Pride Festival and Parade was significantly reduced from 2023 levels, with the total production budget slashed by 80% to align more closely with 2022’s expenditures.

“We focused on showcasing Utah talent and scaled-down stages and nighttime events to reduce costs,” Call explained.

Despite the cost-saving measures, key areas such as security remained a priority. Given the ongoing threats to the LGBTQ+ community fueled by political rhetoric, the security budget for this year’s event was $180,000 — higher than 2022 but a reduction from last year’s $300,000.

Overall, the 2024 Pride event brought in $1,458,000, with a third of the revenue coming from sponsorships, another third from ticket sales, and the remainder from beverage sales, vendor fees, and parade entrance fees. Total expenses amounted to $1,084,000, covering significant costs like tenting, security, equipment, and entertainment.

In the end, the Utah Pride Center was able to generate $374,000 in revenue, which will be reinvested into programs that serve the local LGBTQ+ community.

“We extend our deepest gratitude to everyone involved in making this year’s Utah Pride a celebration to remember,” said Call.

By the Numbers

Participation:
18,000 parade participants
50,000 parade spectators
150 parade entries
30,000 Festival attendees
220 Festival vendor booths
Nearly 75 performers

Income:
$480,000 in sponsorships
$480,000 in ticket sales
$240,000 in beverage sales
$220,000 in vendor fees
$38,000 in parade entries

Expenses:
$210,000 in tenting
$180,000 in security
$140,000 in beverages
$130,000 in equipment and fencing
$120,000 in entertainment
$95,000 in parade expenses
$65,000 in point of sale operations
$54,000 for permits and lease of Washington Square
$50,000 in staffing
$30,000 for marketing
$10,000 for the march

Balance:
Income $1,458,000
Expenses $1,084,000
Revenue: $374,000