Over 20 years later, World of Warcraft is finally getting its first official Pride event, supporting this amazing long-running community initiative

As the world continues down its steep, divisive slope, Blizzard has, refreshingly, pushed back against the socio-political tides. The World of Warcraft community Pride event, Running of the Trolls, has supported The Trevor Project for over a decade, and it's now being ratified as an official in-game celebration. The Darkspear Dash is set to take place at the end of June, reportedly bringing with it some colorful cosmetics.

Set to take place on Feathermoon-US, World of Warcraft's Darkspear Dash is, according to Wowhead, set to begin in the Troll starting zone on the Echo Isles. All you have to do is turn up to the MMO beach party with your vibrant hair color of choice. Current datamining efforts suggest you'll have to chat to a Darkspear Dash Event Coordinator to portal over, before following the parade across Azeroth to the Silvermoon City fountain.

This is all very par for the course if you've previously taken part in the Running of the Trolls. Having entered its 12th year, the community-led initiative has raised thousands of dollars for The Trevor Project, a non-profit organization focused on suicide prevention for young LGBTQIA+ people. Though we don't have official numbers for its most recent iterations, it managed to contribute over $4,000 back in 2018. Hopefully, then, with Blizzard's full support firmly behind it, even more critical funds can be accrued.

World of Warcraft's Darkspear Dash event is set to take place between Saturday, June 27, and Monday, June 29, 2026.

I'm honestly surprised it's taken two decades for World of Warcraft to put on an official Pride event. Then again, considering the vocal anti-'utter woke nonsense' cabal that enjoys spending its time on Earth making the lives of others miserable, I'm perhaps a little less shocked that Blizzard has avoided stepping on potential landmines. Last year, Old School Runescape opted to cancel its own Pride event, with CEO Jon Bellamy claiming that the annual event had become "controversial in a way it didn't used to be." It was a massive cop-out, and I desperately hope normal service resumes soon.

Now that the DEI moral panic is somewhat more subdued than it has been in previous years, there's real hope that normal service can begin to resume, more initiatives can sprout up, and, crucially, more lives can be saved. I don't really care how you feel about it, because at the end of the day, keeping good people alive is always a cause for celebration.