by Virginia Fay
posted on June 2, 2017
Summer is here, and it’s kicking off with one of the most colorful, important celebrations of the year: Pride Month. Cities across America are celebrating with everything from big-name concerts to monthlong dining specials to baseball games. Plus, of course, parades — so many parades.
New York City, NY
With five boroughs to celebrate across, New York just does it right. Hosting one of the biggest pride events in the world, there’s a little something for everyone in the Big Apple. It all starts with The Rally on June 16th, in honor of the first NYC Pride Rally, which took place a month after the Stonewall Riots in June 1969. To get the kids involved, there’s a Family Movie Night (The Lion King is the feature film this year!) to celebrate all families. The march down 5th Avenue, on June 25th, will have over 80 floats, and the same day, PrideFest will take over Hudson Street. Groove to headliner LeAnn Rimes, pick up some Pride swag, and snack on tasty treats.
Houston, TX
With this year’s theme of Wonderland, downtown Houston is transformed into a colorful cacophony of celebration from June 18-25. The only city with a nighttime parade, after the daytime festival winds down, the streets are lit up by the main event. Keep the party going at the official Beyond Wonderland after party, then have one last hurrah at the Mad Tea Closing Party, held at Rich’s Houston.
San Francisco, CA
As is fitting, San Francisco plays host to one of the biggest LGBT celebrations in the world. The weekend of June 24th, the city by the bay becomes one magical celebration of diversity — even more so than usual. Civic Center Plaza is overrun by the main celebration on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and the parade overtakes Market Street in an explosion of color on Sunday morning. For a swankier pride experience, check out the VIP party that evening at City Hall. All in all, you’ll be hard pressed to find a bigger or more joyous pride celebration.
Seattle, WA
Seattle takes a full month to celebrate pride in arguably the best way to celebrate anything: with food. From the start of the month to the day of the parade (June 25th), Dine With Pride features over 50 specials at restaurants around the city for $15, $25, or $35. This dining event is both a show of support for the LGBT community and a fundraiser for the parade. Plus, it’s delicious. Midway through the month, there’s also the Volunteer Park Pride Festival, held June 10th in Capitol Hill. Look forward to live music, food trucks, and a beer garden.
Los Angeles, CA
In classic LA fashion, LA Pride is multifaceted and diversity-centric. Events are prolific throughout June: LGBT night at Dodger Stadium, LA Sparks Pride Night, and Pride is Universal at Universal Studios (with exclusive after-hours entrance) to name a few. The festival, on June 10-11, is held at West Hollywood Park and has headliners including Brandy and Chromeo. Where better to celebrate pride than Hollyweird?
Virginia Fay
Virginia is equally enamored with words and globetrotting. Whenever possible, she likes to combine the two through travel writing to help other wanderers discover and fall in love with the world.
