PHOTO VIA GAY DAYS FACEBOOK PAGE
Gay Days Orlando (Website) has officially reversed its cancellation and will take place June 4-7 at the Holiday Inn and Suites in Celebration, organizers announced February 24. The announcement comes just two weeks after organizers said the event would not happen in 2026. The 35th anniversary celebration had been called off on February 9 due to sponsor losses, changes to the host hotel agreement, and challenges facing LGBTQ+ events nationwide.
“After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to pause the GayDays Orlando event scheduled for June 2026,” organizers wrote at the time. They cited the loss of key sponsorship support and broader challenges impacting LGBTQ+ events as making it impossible to deliver the experience the community deserves.
Moving to the Holiday Inn & Suites in Celebration appears to have resolved the hotel agreement problem, though. Whether lost sponsorships have been replaced or the event has been restructured to operate with reduced sponsorship remains unclear.
Josh Duke, co-owner of GayDays Inc., told the Orlando Sentinel earlier in the week that the event relies heavily on corporate support and individual attendance. “When either of those becomes less predictable, the financial environment becomes more challenging,” he said.
Duke told Metro Weekly that many organizations have taken a more conservative approach to corporate marketing, including sponsorships, travel, and discretionary event spending; however, he declined to name companies that withdrew support.
Organizers are urging attendees to book rooms quickly at the Holiday Inn & Suites in Celebration at 5711 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway [GMap] in Kissimmee. The entire hotel has been reserved for the event.
Gay Days began in 1991 when a small group of LGBTQ+ individuals organized an unofficial gathering at Walt Disney World. At that time, Disney posted notices warning visitors they might see “homosexual” activity during their visit.
The event has grown over three decades into one of the largest LGBTQ+ travel gatherings in the country. Attendees traditionally wear red shirts and visit Central Florida theme parks. The weekend expanded to include host hotels, pool parties, nightlife events, and performances.
The event typically draws thousands of LGBTQ+ visitors to Orlando hotels, theme parks, and nightlife venues for days of celebration that overlap with other June events, including One Magical Weekend, Girls in Wonderland, and Bear Jamboree. Those events are all still scheduled for 2026, and One Magical Weekend, operated by Pineapple Healthcare as a fundraiser, said demand for its June 2026 event surged after Gay Days announced its pause. The organization said the event is almost completely sold out.
