Missoula Pride Director Reflects on Celebration Full of Love

This year’s Missoula Pride was the biggest celebration since its debut in 2022. Missoula Pride hosted a collection of events over the span of three days.

There were over 50 events, the largest turnout being the performance of Missoula Pride’s Headliner, Slayyyter. Missoula Pride Founding Director, Devin Carpenter, said that Slayyter was thrilled with the audience and would love to return for another performance. Carpenter also said that the other events like the Drag Shows and the Comedy Club had sold out. He also said, “Monks[Kettle] was the most packed I’ve seen it in ten years.”

Missoula Pride was three days packed with celebration, however, there were some acts of retaliation. Outside of the Import Market there was footage of a group of men tearing down pride flags, throwing them in the trash, and then urinating on them. It is suspected that the same group of men slashed Missoula Pride banners, but it is still being looked into.

Important Market returned the complaint by hanging out three times as many pride flags. The directors of Missoula Pride repaired the slashed banners and presented them at the Pride Parade.

Carpenter said, “There’s always a moment when the parade is going… and I look around and I see all the happiness in people and I get a little teary eyed and I get a grin on my face and it just blows me away how much joy is around.” He explained people come from all over to celebrate pride. Sometimes Missoula Pride attendees can only be their true selves during Pride. Carpenter shared stories of how people come to Missoula Pride because it’s the one time a year they can be themselves.

Missoula Pride is going to get bigger and Carpenter and other directors of Missoula Pride are already planning for next year’s Missoula Pride.