Coeur d’Alene’s City Park filled with vendors, music, and community organizations on Saturday as the North Idaho Pride Alliance hosted the 10th annual Pride in the Park event. The June 6, 2026 gathering drew families, pets, and local businesses to one of the longest-running Pride celebrations in the North Idaho Panhandle region.
A Decade of Celebration at City Park
Now in its tenth year, the event has grown into a broad community gathering featuring live music, children’s crafts, and dozens of vendor and organization booths. Among the more memorable sights were the many dogs in attendance, a number of them decked out in rainbow-colored accessories alongside their owners.
Meagan Heyden was among those who turned out with a personal mission, carrying a homemade sign offering free hugs. “I’m here because everybody needs a hug,” Heyden said, summing up her reason for attending in a single sentence.
Churches, nonprofits, and organizations serving the LGBTQIA+ community all had a presence at the event. The Library Alliance of North Idaho also set up a booth at the celebration. The Alliance was formed in response to ongoing efforts to limit what books are available at public libraries in the region — efforts that gained a legal foundation when Idaho passed a law in 2024 requiring libraries to remove or restrict books determined to be harmful to minors. That legislation has made the Library Alliance an increasingly visible presence at community events across Coeur d’Alene and surrounding areas.
Small Businesses and Sweet Treats
Among the vendors drawing attention was Sweet Potato Bakery, a Spokane-based pet bakery co-owned by Amanda Addams. Addams spent two decades working as a pastry chef before shifting her focus to specialty baked goods for dogs, and Saturday marked her third consecutive year bringing her products to Pride in the Park.
For Pride Month, the bakery offered specialty items including Lick the Rainbow cookies and Yas Queen cookies. The treats, Addams noted, are “lab tested” — quality-checked by Wally, a chocolate Labrador — with additional input from Potato, her Pomeranian. The lighthearted branding is a reflection of what Addams described as the spirit of the event itself.
“What makes Pride really special is it’s a celebration of love,” Addams said.
Addams, who lives in Spokane with her wife, plans to bring the bakery’s Pride Month offerings to the Spokane Pride Parade and Festival at Riverfront Park as well.
Impact on Kootenai County Residents
Events like Pride in the Park serve as a visible marker of community diversity in a region that is largely conservative. Kootenai County’s rapid growth — driven in part by families and individuals relocating from larger metro areas — has broadened the range of perspectives and traditions represented at public gatherings throughout Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls, Hayden, and beyond.
The presence of multiple faith communities at Saturday’s event, with several churches operating booths and announcing openness to LGBTQ individuals, reflected the varied religious landscape in North Idaho. Organizations serving a range of social service needs also took advantage of the well-attended event to connect with residents and promote available resources.
For local businesses like Sweet Potato Bakery, Pride in the Park represents a straightforward commercial and community opportunity — a well-organized outdoor event drawing a concentrated audience of residents and visitors to Coeur d’Alene’s waterfront City Park during the busy summer season. Residents interested in other upcoming community events in the area can also look ahead to Coeur d’Alene’s Arbor Day celebrations, which offer free seedlings and tree-planting activities for families.
What Comes Next
With the 10th annual event now complete, the North Idaho Pride Alliance will likely begin planning for year eleven. For attendees and vendors like Addams, the circuit continues — the Spokane Pride Parade and Festival at Riverfront Park is the next stop on the summer schedule.
Residents who want to stay informed about future North Idaho Pride Alliance events or other community gatherings in Kootenai County are encouraged to follow local event listings and organizational social media channels for announcements throughout the summer.