I enjoy this "Phoenix Pride 2" annual event. It doesn't cover as much space and isn't quite as grand as Pride in April does. However, that's the point of this venue. It is designed to be a toned-down version of Phoenix Pride, doesn't have a parade and has more of a Main Street USA feeling. It's a street fair that fills Heritage Square the first weekend of October, making it a second injection of gay events after the summer heat passes. Pride takes place at Steele Indian Park and has more of a sequestered feeling, but the Rainbows Festival has a more street-fair-feeling as it is surrounded by Downtown Phoenix rather than grassy knolls and plains. It feels more inviting as there are entrances to the fair on multiple sides. Because it's in a part of Downtown Phoenix in which historic relics survived demolition, it has more of a small town atmosphere, which relays more of a community feeling amongst queer folk than anonymity and parties. This allows the Rainbows Festival to convey a consensual feeling of commonality and unity, providing people with a shared culture and civic space. Go to the fair expecting it to be more intimate, but do not go with the mindset that it will be at Pride's scale.