Gay Pride is part of a festival or ceremony held by GLBT communities around the nation to commemorate the struggle for gay rights and gay pride. Gay communities typically present an annual parade, sometimes in the context of a longer celebration including performances, dances, street parties, and the like to incorporate activities honoring gay and lesbian achievements, promoting tolerance and understanding, and providing a chance for fun and frolic.
Most gay pride parades take place in the summer, particularly in June, to commemorate the Stonewall riots.
Some of the upcoming Pride events from around the nation include:
Santa Fe Pride on the Plaza: June 15-24, Santa Fe, N.M. Parade and picnic. www.santafehra.org.
Kentuckian Pride Festival: June16-17, Louisville, Ky. Gay pride parade and festivities. www.bclou.org/pride.
Pittsburgh Unity Black Pride: June 17, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Pittsburgh Pride: June 17, Pittsburgh, Pa. www.glccpgh.org.
Syracuse Pride: June17-18, Syracuse, N.Y. www.cnypride.com.
Pride Northwest: June 17-18, Portland, Ore. Lesbian/Gay/Bi/Trans Parade and Festival. Non-stop entertainment from 1-11 p.m. on Saturday and 1-6 p.m. Sunday. www.pridenw.org.
Minneapolis Pride: June 17-25, Minneapolis, Minn. www.tcpride.com.
Pride of the Greater Lehigh Valley: June 17, Allentown, Pa. Parade steps off at 11th and Hamilton Streets at noon. Festival at Cedar Beach Park features free, live entertainment, vendors, games, food, and more. www.prideglv.org.
Baltimore Pride: June 17-18, Baltimore, Md. For over 30 years, Baltimore has celebrated the diversity of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in Maryland and throughout the mid-Atlantic. This year’s Pride is a grand celebration, with events and celebrations held throughout the city to reach every corner of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. www.glccb.org.
Cleveland Pride: June17-18, Cleveland, Ohio. Lesbian-Gay-Bi-Trans Pride celebrates gay, lesbian, bi and trans culture. Nearly 10,000 individuals will be on hand for Cleveland’s parade and festival, which features an incredible lineup of entertainers. www.clevelandpride.org.
Anchorage Pride: June 17-25, Anchorage, Alaska, Pride parade and parties. www.anchoragepride.com.
NYC’S LGBT Pride Week: June 18-25. New York City, N.Y. As history goes, many say that New York is where the gay community took empowerment into its own hands. The storied Stonewall Riots are widely seen as a watershed when the gay rights movement fought back for the first time against persecution and harassment. Being New York, this year’s celebrations are on a skyscraper-sized scale, with an entire week dedicated to Pride events. The theme for 2006 is “the fight for love and life” and includes five official events: The Rally (June 18), the women-only Rapture on the River (June 24), the main march (June 25), the official PrideFest celebration (June 25) and the women-only Dance on the Pier (June 25). www.hopinc.org.
Santa Barbara Pride: June 23, Santa Barbara, Calif. www.sbpride.org.
Atlanta Pride: June 23-25, Atlanta, Ga. The festival is held in Piedmont Park in the City of Atlanta and includes a market area with over 200 booths for food, beverages, art and crafts, business services and community organizations. Entertainment includes local and national performers as well as special guest speakers. The last day of the festival begins with a Pride Parade that starts in the Midtown area and ends in the park. This event alone usually draws over 60,000 people who are either in the parade or lining the streets to watch. www.atlantapride.org.
Honolulu Pride: June 23-25, Honolulu, Hawaii. Meet new friends and participate in one of the community’s largest events of the year. This year’s pride theme will be, “Kupa’a Ko Kakou” or “Together we Stand Strong.” www.glcc-hawaii.org.
New York City Dyke March: June 24, New York City, N.Y. www.lesbiannyc.com/dykemarch.
St. Pete Pride: June 24, St. Petersburg, Fla. www.stpetepride.com.
San Diego Ebony Pride: June 24, San Diego, Calif. www.ebonypride.org
San Francisco Pride: June 24-25, San Fransisco, Calif. June heralds the hanging of 500 exuberant rainbow flags up and down San Francisco’s Market Street, and the weekend ushers in the 36th Annual LGBT Pride Parade and Celebration. With Jennifer Beals as Grand
Marshal, Saturday’s celebrations kick off at the Civic Center, the site where same-sex marriages were performed (and then annulled) not so long ago. Sunday morning signals the start of Market Street’s colorful parade, featuring floats, marching bands, and more. You’ll find concurrent events, vendors, celebrations, and performances all across town, from high-energy dance arenas and a block-long “Leather Alley” to the tent and picnic atmosphere along Harrison Street’s “Bear Garden.” www.sfpride.org.
San Francisco Dyke March: June 24-25, San Francisco, Calif. www.dykemarch.org/SFO.
Columbus Pride: June 24-25, Columbus, Ohio. Pride Parade and festival. www.stonewall-columbus.org.
Denver Pride: June 24-25, Denver, Colo. The PrideFest is produced by the GLBT Community Center of Colorado. www.pridefestdenver.org.
St. Louis PrideFest: June 24-25, St. Louis, Mo. St. Louis will celebrate PrideFest in Tower Grove Park and in the Grand South District. If you’re near the area, attending is a must. www.pridesaintlouis.com
Seattle Pride: June 24-25, Seattle, Wash. www.seattlepride.org.
Savannah Pride Festival: June 24-25, Savannah, Ga. www.savannah-pride.com.
Orlando Pride: June 25, Orlando, Fla. Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Community Center is repeating last year’s successful pride picnic, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. in Bill Frederick park. www.orlandogaypride.com.
Chicago Pride: June 25-July 2, Chicago, Ill. An entire month of choral concerts, sporting events, open mic nights and special races organized by gay-friendly businesses and community organizations begin on June 1 and reach their apex at the 37th Annual Parade on June 25. Last year’s event saw crowds of more than 400,000, and this year’s numbers promise to meet and exceed all that came before. Don’t worry if you can’t make it to the Windy City until July.
The Gay Games, an international sports and cultural festival with more than 11,000 participants, lasts from July 15-22. Comedian Margaret Cho kicks off opening ceremonies at Soldier Field, and there will be tournaments in more than 30 sports including sailing, racquetball and golf. www.chicagopridecalendar.org.
Chicago Black GLBT Pride: June 30-July 4, Chicago, Ill. Experience one of the largest ethnic pride celebrations in the Midwest. www.windycitypride.org/home.htm.
Provincetown 4th of July: July 1-7, Provincetown, Me. The 4th of July week is the busiest time in Ptown, with special events throughout the week. www.ptown.org.
Outfest LA: July 6-18. Los Angeles, Calif. www.outfest.org.
Roanoke Pride: July 8-9, Roanoke, Va. www.roanokepride.com.
Hyannis Pride: July 15, Hyannis, Me. Enjoy the pride parade and festival on Cape Cod. www.capecodgaypride.org.
Tacoma Pride: July 20 – 23, Tacoma, Wash. www.outinthepark.org.
Washington D.C. Street Festival: July 22, Washington D.C. Celebrating the 29th anniversary of Capital Pride, more than 200,000 people are expected to enjoy the festival on historic Pennsylvania Avenue with featured entertainers. Street festival opens to the public at 11 a.m.
Detroit Black Gay Pride: July 26-30, Detroit, Mich. This annual celebration in Detroit is one hot and happening event not to be missed. www.hotterthanjuly.com.
San Bernardino Pride: July 28-30, San Bernardino, Calif. The festivities this year will include an Open Beer Garden, a Latin Dance Tent, Disco Da
nce Tent, Food Court and a Children’s Area. www.iepride.com.
San Diego Pride: July 28-30, San Diego, Calif. San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride serves a broad based and diverse lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities by producing an annual rally, parade and festival. www.sdpride.org.
Harrisburg Pride: July 28-29, Harrisburg, Pa. This year’s pride week includes benefit dances, art shows and the Miss Central Pennsylvania Gay Pride Pageant. www.harrisburgpride.org.
Jacksonville Pride: July 29-August 6, Jacksonville, Fla. Dont miss the 28th annual First Coast Pride Festival to be held at the beautiful Sea Walk Pavilion on Jacksonville Beach. This great outdoor event includes live entertainment, a vendor marketplace, fun, food, games, beach activities and a children’s play area. The evening parade and block party will be held the weekend before the festival in the Historic Riverside area of Jacksonville proceeded by a week long of evening activities. www.firstcoastpride.com
New York Black Pride: August 3-6, New York City, N.Y. www.blackpridenyc.com.
Jersey City Pride: August 4-6, Jersey City, N.J. Jersey City Lesbian and Gay Outreach is hosting Jersey City’s Annual Lesbian and Gay Pride Festival on the waterfront at Exchange Place in Downtown Jersey City. www.jclgo.org.
Topeka Pride: August 4-12, Topeka, Kan. www.kansaspride.org.
San Diego Dyke March: August 16-20, San Diego, Calif. The mission of the dyke march is to create visibility for the Dyke community and to come together as a united front of sisters to demand rights and educate one another. It’s also a day where women are put first and it is a day of fun. www.dykemarchsd.org.
Morning Party Weekend: August 19-21, Laguna Beach, Calif. www.willgorges.com
La Crosse Pride: August 18-20, La Crosse, Wis. Experience the annual Pride Along the Mississippi Weekend. www.lacrossepride.com.
Reno Pride: August 20-21, Reno, N.V. www.renopride.com.
Duluth Pride: August 26, Duluth, Minn. www. dspride.com.
Connecticut Pride: September 9, Hartford, Conn. This year’s event is being moved to the heart of the city, downtown Hartford, directly in front of Hartford City Hall. Vendors, exhibitors, entertainers and friends will come together for an afternoon and evening of excitment like Connecticut Pride has never seen before. www.connecticut pride.com.
Page/Lake Powell Pride: September 18-19, Page/Lake Powell, Ariz. www.pagepride.org.
Durham Pride: September 30-October 1, Durham, N.C. Pride festivities, guest speakers and lots of entertainment. www.ncpride.org
Raleigh Pride: October 7-8, Raleigh, N.C. www.ncpride.org.
Outfest Coming Out Day Party: October 8, Philadelphia, Pa. www.phillypride.org.
Gainesville Pride: October 13-22, Gainesville, Fla. www.gainesvillepride.org.
Come Out with Pride Central Florida: October 15, Orlando, Fla. Come to downtown Orlando to celebrate pride and Coming Out day. www.comeoutwithpridecfl.org.
Palm Springs Pride Festival: November 3-5, Palm Springs, Calif. The Greater Palm Springs Pride which takes place in Palm Springs Stadium and features classic cars, book signings by famous gay authors, and a pride parade down the middle of town. www.pspride.org.
Gay Pride events kicked off earlier this month around the country. Washington D.C.’s Annual Pride Week was held June 2-11. Marching through the streets of Washington D.C.
Miami/Key West, held its pride events June 3-11, with the hot bods of South Beach and the tanned revelers of Key West, with Pride-style fun in the sun.
Los Angeles Pride was held June 9-11, with Love, Equality, and Pride as the theme of this year’s celebration in West Hollywood, with celebrity appearances from Taylor Dayne, the Bangles and Berlin.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition, June 16, 2006.