June is Pride Month across the US, commemorating the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City. But if you've lived in Charlotte for any length of time, you've probably noticed the city's biggest Pride celebration doesn't happen until August. The timing often confuses newcomers, but Charlotte's Pride festival wasn't always a late-summer event.

The city's first Gay Pride Day took place in June 1981 near what is now UNC Charlotte, and North Carolina's statewide Pride celebration was held in Charlotte in June 1994. The shift to August came after the creation of the modern-day Charlotte Pride organization in 2001.

Why? As Charlotte Pride grew and moved Uptown, organizers had to coordinate around street closures, permits, city resources, and an increasingly crowded festival calendar. An August date also allows Charlotte Pride to avoid competing with some of the country's largest June celebrations.

Today, Charlotte still recognizes Pride Month in June, before the city's signature events in August — a full guide coming soon.