3-minute read
The Second Annual Rainbow Roots Festival will be held at the Lake Mirror Auditorium on Sunday, Oct. 4, from noon to 5 p.m. The family-friendly festival features more than 38 queer-owned and operated exhibitors including artists, food vendors, small businesses, and community organizations. It is free and open to all ages.
In 2026, festival attendees will have the opportunity to view a “remarkable piece of LGBTQ+ history,” according to a press release from organizers. “Panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on display, marking the first time in roughly 20 years pieces of what is known as the ‘world’s largest community arts project’ have been in Polk County.”
Dating back to 1985, the panels of the quilt are three by six feet, roughly the size of a burial site, and feature the names of some of the 700,000 people who have lost their lives to HIV and AIDS in the U.S. According to organizers, the quilt was displayed for the first time in Polk County in 1989 at the then-named Polk Museum of Art.
Solidarity and remembrance
WHAT: Second Annual Rainbow Roots Festival
WHEN: Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, noon to 5 p.m.
WHERE: Lake Mirror Auditorium, 121 S. Lake Ave., Lakeland, FL
ADMISSION: Free, family-friendly and open to all ages
Jason DeShazo, founder of the Rose Dynasty Foundation and Polk County drag performer Momma Ashley Rose, said bringing the quilt back to Polk is the result of a partnership with QLatinx, a grassroots racial, social, and gender justice organization dedicated to the advancement and empowerment of Central Florida’s LGBTQ+ Latinx community.
“I have worked in HIV testing and prevention for almost 20 years myself,” DeShazo said. “I wanted to make sure this was represented at the festival this year, especially with the rise in HIV cases in Polk County, but also with our partnership with Pineapple Healthcare at the Rose Dynasty Center, where we provide no-cost HIV testing, treatment, and prevention.”
According to the Florida Department of Health (FDOH), the state continues to rank third in the nation in the cumulative number of AIDS cases and second in the nation in the cumulative number of HIV cases. In 2024, FDOH reported more than 414 people for every 100,000 people in Polk are living with HIV.
“Having this quilt here will bring solidarity and remembrance,” DeShazo said. “We will also have the quilt on display at the Rose Dynasty Center later this year for a couple of months.”
Family-friendly entertainment
According to organizers, over 900 people attended the first Rainbow Roots Festival, hosted by the Rose Dynasty Foundation in partnership with Pineapple Healthcare in 2025. The event featured 25 performers and 38 vendors.
“My goal is 2000 (attendees) this year,” DeShazo said. “I want to see this grow as a safe space for everyone.”
This year’s second annual event will welcome back many of the same vendors and a bigger entertainment lineup, including singers, dancers, and local stories of LGTBQ+ history.
Organizers decided not to include drag performances this year after seeking legal guidance regarding Florida’s “Protection of Children Act” (SB 1438), which prohibits children from attending adult live performances.
“Drag is a part of our history and community. Drag can be family-friendly no matter what people think and say,” DeShazo said. “But on stage this year, we decided to focus on the other performing arts — singers, dancers, poetry, storytelling, book readings, and history stories, just like we did last year. Many performers are returning, and new ones are joining us this year too.”
Roots that run deep
The 2026 Rainbow Roots Festival will also feature a pop-up Little Free Pantry, which has a permanent location outside the Rose Dynasty Center. Attendees will have access to free, non-perishable food and hygiene supplies, and those who bring a donation will be entered to win $50 toward a commissioned art piece by Katrina Evans Art, a vendor at the festival.
“The success of the Rainbow Roots Festival is a testament to the LGBTQ+ community and allies in Polk County, who continuously show up to celebrate and honor the rich history in our area and beyond,” DeShazo said in the release.
Look back on the opening of the Rose Dynasty Center
“We have been working hard to make this year even bigger, cementing this as a family-friendly, ‘can’t-miss’ event for many years to come.”
latest news
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
