June 12, 2022 marks the 6-year anniversary of the tragic Pulse Nightclub shooting, a day that devastated—and united—the Orlando community. In honor of the 49 lives lost and all of those affected by the Pulse tragedy, we’ve put together this list of Pulse memorial events, exhibits, and more happening around the city to honor all of those affected by the events of June 12, 2016.
While the pain, hurt, and confusion will never subside, we continue to remember and honor those whose lives were lost by taking action, spreading love and kindness, and remaining united. And this year, the ability to be together again in person to honor and remember the survivors and victims carries even more meaning.
We will continuously update this list, so check back often for new information.
Updated May 2022 by Beth Bell
SIX-YEAR PULSE REMEMBRANCE WEEK EVENTS (JUNE 4 – 11)
6th Annual 4.9K CommUNITY Rainbow Run
June 4, 2022 | 7am at Wadeview Park
Honor those affected by the Pulse tragedy with a special 4.9k run beginning in Wadeview Park, or opt for a virtual run anywhere in the world. The course’s final stretch takes runners past Orlando Regional Medical Center and the Pulse Interim Memorial. After the run, head back to Wadeview Park for the CommUNITY Festival, with entertainment, food and games. There is even a Kids Fun Run, if you want to get the whole family involved. Proceeds raised from the race will benefit onePULSE Foundation.
Cost: $49
CommUNITY Run
We See You(th): A Rally for a More Inclusive World
June 4, 2022 | 6pm at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church
Gather with people of all backgrounds to discuss and support a more inclusive world where everyone can thrive. Led by author and pastor John Pavlovitz, this event will be held onsite in the Founder’s Hall and livestreamed on the church’s Facebook page (confirm FB).
FREE
Qlatinx Community Conversation
June 5, 2022 | 12:30-3:30pm at Lake Eola Park, Northeast Lawn
Join Qlatinx, with the support of Latino Justice and Everytown for an interactive community listening session on gun violence, which disproportionately affects members of the LGBTQIA and Latinx communities. Hear from survivors and local leaders and learn more about what you can do to take action and change the narrative. There will be an artistic component to the conversation.
FREE
Straight Men Real Makeup
June 5, 2022 | 6pm at Hamburger Mary’s
Straight Men Real Makeup is an annual benefit event for onePULSE Foundation. Now in its sixth year, the show features eight straight men stepping out in full drag and performing individual choreographed routines for tips and bragging rights. All tips benefit onePULSE Foundation, so be sure to bring plenty of cash! Call (321) 319-0600 to make your reservation before the show sells out.
Cost: a $20 donation per person, benefiting onePULSE Foundation, will be added to your bill
We See You: How the Church Loves Our LGBTQ+ Neighbors
June 6, 2022 | 7pm at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church
Join pastor John Pavlovitz and a panel of community leaders to discuss how the church supports and loves Orlando’s LGBTQ+ community.
FREE
UCF Remembers
June 6, 2022 | 7:30pm at UCF Main Campus, MIllican Hall
UCF Social Justice & Advocacy will be hosting a vigil to honor the lives taken on June 12th, 2016. The vigil will take place in front of Millican Hall, on the UCF Main Campus, where during the ceremony, the building will be lit in the colors of the LGBTQ+ Pride flag. For more information, contact Michael Nunes, at Michael.Nunes@ucf.edu, or Justin Andrade, at Justin.Andrade@ucf.edu
FREE
How to Talk With Children About Pulse Remembrance Week and Why It Matters
June 9, 2022 | 12pm virtual event
Join the Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida for a one hour virtual discussion on how and why we should tell children about Pulse Remembrance Week. The discussion will be led by onePULSE Foundation’s Barbara Poma and feature Keith Newhouse, the author of a children’s book inspired by the Pulse nightclub tragedy.
FREE
Orlando Sings Concert
June 9, 2022 | 7:30pm at the First United Methodist Church of Orlando
Orlando Sings is a group committed to access, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the second performance of their First Annual Orlando Sings Choral Festival is dedicated to the 49 victims of the Pulse nightclub tragedy. Together with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, the chorus will present a concert of Maurice Duruflé’s “Requiem” and Andrea Clearfield’s “Tse Go La,” two pieces that reflect on life and death.
Cost: $39.50+
United We Dance
June 10, 2022 | 6pm-12am in Thornton Park – East Washington Street, Orlando, FL 32801
Celebrate the spirit that made Pulse such a beloved safe space in the Orlando community at this colorful annual dance party. Honor the victims, survivors, first responders, and citizens of Orlando and come together to share the healing power of dance and music.
Cost: $20 advance / $25 day of
New Moon Yoga
June 10, 2022 | 6pm at The Center Orlando
New Moon Yoga for the Pulse Remembrance is an event created together with community members to practice restorative yoga as a way to channel intentions six years after the Pulse tragedy. We pause to acknowledge our emotions and sow seeds of hope and transformation. For more information, please visit @qlatinx on Instagram.
OnePULSE Foundation International Culture of Remembrance Symposium
June 10 – June 11, 2022 | UCF Downtown Campus
This free two-day symposium brings together scholars and experts in memorial culture to share ideas on building a global dialogue around remembrance culture. Listen to speakers from onePULSE Foundation, Cultural Vistas, Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center, 9/11 Memorial & Museum, and more.
FREE to all registered attendees. Register and see the schedule of events here.
The Dru Project’s Tropical Memorial Party
June 11, 2022 | 12pm at the 808 in Thornton Park
Put on your best Hawaiian garb and shift “anguish into action” with The Dru Project, a LGBTQ+ advocacy group named after Christopher Andrew Leinonen. A close friend of the founders, Drew was a LGBTQ+ advocate and one of the 49 victims of the Pulse tragedy. This year’s annual event is a drag brunch to celebrate the winners of The Dru Project’s annual scholarship program and raise funds to support next year’s grants and awards programs.
JUNE 12 PULSE MEMORIAL EVENTS
Remembrance Day Memorial Blood Drive with OneBlood
Noon, Orlando City Hall and the Pulse Interim Memorial
Honor the injured and victims by donating blood on the Big Red Bus so that we can maintain a safe and sufficient blood supply for those battling cancer, trauma patients, or for when unexpected tragedies occur. Donors will receive a free Pulse Remembrance T-shirt and a $20 eGift Card.
49 Bells at UMC Orlando
June 12, 2022 | 12pm
On June 12, 2022, bells will toll 49 times in unison around the world as a tribute to the victims taken during the Pulse Nightclub tragedy. One Orlando Alliance invites all to attend the annual 49 Bells Ceremony at First United Methodist Church of Orlando. Attendees are encouraged to arrive at 11:45 a.m., as the 11 a.m. worship service is concluding. All attendees are also welcomed to join First UMC for their worship service at 11 am which will include songs by the Orlando Gay Chorus. Following the ceremony, the Sanctuary will remain open for quiet reflection until 1 pm. For more information, visit firstchurchorlando.org
Legacy Work
June 12, 2022 | 6pm at The Center Orlando
This event is intended for staff members of organizations that support survivors and community members affected by the Pulse tragedy six years ago. The event will be facilitated by experienced licensed mental healthcare providers that focus work on legacy projects. The main purpose is to have time to acknowledge not only the impact of the tragedy over our professional and personal lives, and to identify the work that has been done through many efforts and initiations that have supported survivors and the community in general. For more information, please visit @qlatinx on Instagram.
FREE
Six-Year Pulse Remembrance Ceremony
June 12, 2022 | 7pm-8pm at the Pulse Interim Memorial
The annual Pulse Remembrance Ceremony brings together the families of those whose lives were tragically taken and provides them a space to remember their loved ones in peace. The ceremony also honors all who survived, the brave first responders and the trauma teams who sacrificed so much to save so many.
The ceremony will be streamed live for the general public via Facebook.
FREE
Image credit: onePULSE Foundation
OTHER PULSE MEMORIAL EVENTS
Lunch & Learn – Pulse: Six Years Later
June 3, 2022 | 12pm at Orange County Regional History Center
Join History Center staff in discussing the unique role of preserving history as it unfolds and the responsibility of caring for artifacts related to the Pulse nightclub tragedy. Hear about new objects and compelling stories gathered over the six years of the One Orlando Collection.
Image credit: Orange County Regional History Center
Keep Healing Orlando
June 18, 2022 | 5pm-9pm at Ace Cafe
Keep Healing Orlando is a holistic wellness event founded by Impulse Orlando and QLatinx with the intention to bring the community together. This experience offers a lineup of activities including massage/yoga meditation, various workshops, speakers and vendors that are all associated with wellness, selfcare, positivity, and respect. For more information, please visit @qlatinx on Instagram.
EXHIBITS, MURALS AND INSTALLATIONS
Pulse Memorial Crosses
June 10 – 12, 2022
The Orange County Regional History Center will host the Pulse memorial crosses and offer free admission from June 10 to June 12, in honor of all those impacted by the Pulse nightclub tragedy.
FREE
Pulse Interim Memorial
Open daily from 7:30am-midnight (extended hours during Pulse Remembrance Week)
1912 South Orange Avenue
Establishing a sanctuary of healing and a beacon of hope by memorializing the lives taken, the lives saved and all the lives affected by the Pulse Nightclub tragedy of June 12, 2016 – ensuring Pulse’s legacy of love lives on.
Image credit: onePULSE Foundation
Murals:
- Pulse LOVE by Michael Owen at Einstein Bros. Bagels, 1901 S Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32806
- #OrlandoStrong mural by @luceskyart and @hepsfury at Pho Hoa, 649 Primrose Drive
- Love Orlando Orange mural by @rhettwithey and @ashleybgraphics at Pho Hoa, 649 Primrose Drive
- #OrlandoStrong mural by Track Shack staff and volunteers at Track Shack garage, 1050 N. Mills
- Orlando Strong mural by Ric Sosa at The Center, 946 N. Mills
- Love Wins mural by Patty Sheehan and Zebra Coalition youth at 948 N. Mills
- We Matter mural by Patty Sheehan and Zebra Coalition youth at Zebra House, 911 N. Mills.
- You Mattered mural by Andrew Spear at iFixYouri, 1200 E Colonial Drive
- NEW – Pulse Memorial Mural at Motortrend Certified Vehicles of Orlando, 2000 Principal Row, Orlando, FL 32837
- Diversity Heart Mural at Lamp Shade Fair, 1336 Mills Avenue
- You Matter Mural by Scott Bowles & Jack Hoffman at Bites & Bubbles, 912 N. Mills
- Pulse Wall, artist unknown, at Barcodes, 4453 Edgewater Dr, Orlando, FL 32804
#OrlandoStrong Mural by @luceskyart and @hepsfury at Pho Hoa, 649 Primrose Drive
GET INVOLVED
Support an LGBTQ+ Supporting Organization. The One Orlando Alliance list is a good place to start.
Make a donation to the onePULSE Foundation, The Dru Project, Contigo Fund, Better Together Fund or The 49 Fund.
#ActLoveGive.
Read the stories of the Orlando 49 in this series from Orlando Weekly. You can also view the names of the 49 victims here.
Do you know of an event, memorial, or project that we missed? Please share it with us and we’ll get it added to this listing.
Feature image credit: @chriskernstock