Under a rare stretch of clear April skies, City Park filled with color — flags draped over shoulders, music playing songs of pride and laughter weaving through the crowd. For a few hours, the space became more than just a festival — It became a place of belonging.
On April 25 from noon to 4 p.m., Little Apple Pride brought together students, families and Manhattan community members for a day centered around visibility and connection. With vendors, performances and nonprofit organizations lining the park, the event fostered an environment where people could show up as themselves — some for the first time.
Maria Snyder, co-chair of Little Apple Pride, has been involved with the organization on and off since 2008, when she was a student at Kansas State. For Snyder, the group’s mission is rooted in creating space.
“The primary function of Little Apple Pride is that we try to create spaces for the LGBTQ community to experience joy, have fun and be comfortable with who they are,” Snyder said. “We do a handful of community events that kind of act as fundraisers for our big community event, which is Pride.”
While Little Apple Pride hosts smaller events throughout the year, it holds its main Pride event in April, aiming to involve K-State students.
“It’s really about the community who is here, the students who are coming in and out every year and the folks on Fort Riley who are coming in and out every year,” Snyder said. “It’s the nature of this place [Manhattan] that it’s just a transient group.”
That constant turnover, Snyder said, makes it even more important to create spaces where people can find connection — even if only for a short time.
“We always have a really different population, but we want to make sure that we’re creating the spaces for the community that is here,” Snyder said.
For many attendees, that community and space are what keep them coming back.
“I’ve been here the last two years, and this is just one of my favorite events that happen citywide every year,” Derek Foster, junior in news and sports media, said. “It’s so loving, it’s so accepting and it makes me happy every time I’m here.”
Foster said the event stands out in a city where opportunities for LGBTQ+ expression can feel limited.
“There’s nothing else like this in the city,” Foster said. “It’s just special to me that way.”
For others, Little Apple Pride offers something even more personal: a chance to exist openly as themselves.
Kaz, freshman in creative writing, attended Little Apple Pride for the first time this year after hearing about it from friends.
“I’m excited to be here,” he said. “I’m excited to be gay because I don’t really actually get to do that except like with my close friends, where I can actually be myself. I definitely don’t get to just run around with a trans flag on my back, you know? This is the one day I get to do that.”
Even beyond the event itself, Kaz said knowing Pride exists in Manhattan makes a difference.
“I think even if I didn’t show up, it would have meant a lot just knowing that this happens,” he said. “Now I know that where I live has a big enough population of queer people that we could all get together and celebrate.”
