Anheuser-Busch drops out as PrideFest sponsor. ‘Deeply disappointed,’ Pride St. Louis says

ST. LOUIS — Anheuser-Busch has dropped out of PrideFest, ending its sponsorship of the annual festival here, the nonprofit Pride St. Louis announced Tuesday.

Pride St. Louis said it was “devastated” that the brewery has declined to sponsor the festival after more than 30 years of partnership.

“At a time when many sponsors have already reduced their contributions, this decision is especially painful,” the group said in a release.

Anheuser-Busch has not released a statement explaining the move, and the company’s media team did not reply to messages seeking comment. A-B has given about $70,000 in donations and in-kind contributions to Pride St. Louis over the years, said Jordan Braxton, a spokesperson for Pride St. Louis.

Other organizations have also trimmed donations to the local festival, which is now about $150,000 short overall compared with donations received last year, Braxton said. The nonprofit is now asking the public for help with a fundraising campaign called #45for45 in honor of the festival’s 45th anniversary here.

People are also reading…

“This anniversary is a testament to the strength, resilience and love within our community,” said Marty Zuniga, president of Pride St. Louis, in a release. “While we are deeply disappointed that Anheuser-Busch has chosen to step away from supporting PrideFest this year, we remain hopeful that the community will step up where they have stepped down.”

Braxton said Pride festivals across the country are seeing a similar drop in funding this year.

“It’s because of the current administration, the climate that we’re in, and people are afraid to get attacked,” Braxton said.

Forbes magazine reported last week that LGBTQ Pride celebrations in San Francisco, New York City and Houston have lost large chunks of funding as corporate support appears to be shrinking. Earlier this month, San Francisco Pride announced that Anheuser-Busch backed out of participating in the parade this year, as have Comcast, beverage company Diageo and wine company La Crema.

It appears A-B will continue sponsorship of some pride events, such as PRIDEChicago. That event’s marketing director, Karyn Terrones, said A-B has been a partner of the event for over a decade and its monetary commitment remains unchanged.

“They’ve been very supportive,” Terrones said on Tuesday.

Bud Light is also listed as a sponsor for Charlotte Pride and Toronto Pride this year.

In 2023 Bud Light saw a significant drop in sales as some consumers called for a boycott of the brand following a collaboration with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

Since the Mulvaney fallout, A-B has shifted its marketing efforts to focus on things like sports, the military charity Folds of Honor and music in an effort to win back conservative consumers. Company leaders said that surveyed consumers expressed that they want to enjoy their beer without debate or politics.

Bud Light is currently the official beer sponsor of UFC, a mixed martial arts organization, and A-B has recently worked with country music stars like Dierks Bentley and Zach Bryan.

This year, A-B is set to launch a new drink in partnership with 1st Phorm , a Fenton-based energy drink and supplement company. The collaboration will include Dana White, president and CEO of UFC and supporter of President Donald Trump.

Tax forms show that in 2023, Pride St. Louis Inc. saw $740,128 in revenue for PrideFest but spent most of it, $685,747, in festival expenses.

That year, the organization received $29,545 in contributions and grants, dropping from the $32,625 it received the year prior. That number is also largely down from earlier years. The organization reported $64,094 in gifts, grants and contributions in 2017.

In 2023, A-B reported that it spent over $7 million on charitable purposes.

PrideFest this year is scheduled for June 28-29 in St. Louis. It is in downtown St. Louis in the parks surrounding Soldiers Memorial and across from City Hall. The festival includes a march down Market on Saturday and a parade on Sunday.

Photos: 2023 St. Louis PrideFest and parade

2023 St. Louis Pride parade downtown

2023 St. Louis PrideFest

Krista Freed, from Granite City, cools off in a spray of water from a St. Louis fire truck as she walks around St. Louis PrideFest in downtown St. Louis on Saturday, June 24, 2023. Temperatures soared into the mid-90s and dozens of people had to be treated for heat sickness at the event.

2023 St. Louis Pride parade downtown

2023 St. Louis PrideFest

2023 St. Louis Pride parade downtown

2023 St. Louis PrideFest

Lisa Bogart, left, has her face decorated by her son Bear Bogart, 6, while her daughter Evie Bogart, 3, watches during the St. Louis PrideFest in downtown St. Louis on Saturday, June 24, 2023. The Bogarts, from Kirkwood, were at the festival because Lisa Bogart was working a booth at the festival for her employer, Charles Schwab.

2023 St. Louis PrideFest

Protest at 2023 St. Louis PrideFest

Sassafras Flick, left, and Chris Barrett, right, with Gays Against Groomers Missouri, each use their megaphones to blare sirens at each other during a protest and counter-protest near an entrance to St. Louis PrideFest on Saturday, June 24, 2023. Gays Against Groomers Missouri were protesting St. Louis PrideFest allowing children into the event and voiced their objections to children receiving medical gender transition care. The counter-protesters believe children should have access to medical gender transition care and felt PrideFest was for everyone.

Protest at 2023 St. Louis PrideFest

Video: Protesters and counter-protesters at St. Louis PrideFest

2023 St. Louis PrideFest

Rhiannon Sartain, from Mount Vernon, cools off in a spray of water from a St. Louis fire truck as she walks around St. Louis PrideFest in downtown St. Louis in 2023.