MAPLEWOOD’S DIVISION OF ARTS & CULTURE CELEBRATES PRIDE MONTH OUT IN MAPSO 2025
MAPLEWOOD, NJ (May 2025) — OUT IN MAPSO is back! Our vibrant and powerful month-long celebration returns this June to celebrate LGBTQIA+ identity, visibility, and community in Maplewood and South Orange.
Our 2025 calendar boasts a slate of fun and inclusive events ranging from our annual Equality March and Youth Pride Picnic to Lavender Graduation, Big Queer Youth Prom, the NJ Pride Festival, pickleball, theatre performances, and other family-friendly opportunities throughout the month.
This year’s festivities will officially kick off on Sunday, June 1st, with the MAPSO Equality March and Pride Flag Raising Ceremony at Maplewood Town Hall followed by the annual Youth Pride Picnic. Our opening day march signals the start of our local pride month festivities and is rooted in resistance and resilience of the LGBTQ+ liberation movement.
Throughout the month, events will be hosted by a coalition of dedicated partners, including North Jersey Pride, SOMSD, CHS Spectrum Club, NJ Safe Schools Coalition, Downtown South Orange, South Orange Village, among others.
OUT IN MAPSO 2025 continues the tradition of celebrating our unity, inclusion, and resilience in Maplewood and South Orange, inviting all residents to stand in solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community in love and with PRIDE.
Maplewood proudly reaffirms our commitment to equality, inclusion, and the celebration of our LGBTQIA+ community—whose strength and spirit help define who we are. Join us at this year’s events as we stand together in love, pride, and solidarity. – Maplewood Mayor Nancy Adams
It’s especially critical this year to come together and stand together in celebration and in protest, with pride and renewed, uncompromised commitment toward LGBTQIA+ inclusion, equality, safety – here at home and everywhere. – Maplewood Township Committee Member, Dean Dafis – Maplewood’s first LGBTQ+ elected representative
All students deserve welcoming inclusive safe schools, where they feel seen, heard and welcomed. Lavender Graduation is a time to celebrate joy, resilience and milestones. We look forward to celebrating and honoring each of our graduates and their achievements. I want all LGBTQIA+ youth to know that – You matter. You are loved. You belong. You are not alone. – Shannon Cuttle, they/them, former SOMSD Board Member.
Our current 2025 lineup includes:
• Sunday, June 1st:
o MAPSO Pride Equality March & Flag Raising (Maplewood Village / Town Hall)
o Youth Pride Picnic (The Gazebo, Springfield Ave, Maplewood)
o North Jersey Pride Run (Grove Park, South Orange)
• Friday, June 6th:
o MAPSO Lavender Graduation (Columbia HS)
o Big Queer Youth Prom (The Woodland, Maplewood)
• Sunday, June 8th:
o North Jersey Pride Festival (Memorial Park, Maplewood)
• Tuesday, June 10th:
o Pride Night Out (The Carriage House, Millburn)
• Friday, June 13th:
o Pride Under The Stars (Spiotta Park, South Orange)
• Saturday, June 14th:
o Pickle with Pride (Orange Lawn Tennis Club, South Orange)
• Thursday, June 19th and Friday, June 20th:
o Interact Theater presents “This Is Our Story” (The Woodland, Maplewood)
Full schedule of events will be continually updated and available at: https://www.outinmapso.org. Please reach out to Maplewood Division of Arts & Culture Manager, Andrea Teutli, at ateutli@maplewoodnj.gov or (973) 843-7157 for more information.