Pride season is almost upon us, but the planning has been happening for months. We love Pride, we love being with like-minded people, and we love a great time.
But do you stay home for Pride or do you take this opportunity to combine our community’s celebration with travel? Now, especially after the last two years we have all had, is the perfect time to plan on taking your Pride on the road to explore and experience a new city. One such great destination we have our eyes set on is Washington DC.
DC is already a great destination for us to visit as it has one of the largest LGBTQ+ communities in the nation, but to experience it when the rainbow carpet is rolled out for Capital Pride, this is something to look deeper into.
Here are some of the events we are looking to enjoy when we arrive in our nation’s capital for Pride this year. Will we see you there?
If you’re able to start your Pride celebrations early and are free Memorial Day Weekend, mark your calendar for DC Black Pride (May 27 to 30th). For more than 30 years, growing from 800 people in 1991 to a total of 900,000 visitors over the years, DC Black Pride has been a place for the Black LGBTQIA+ community to celebrate each other and to raise awareness and funding for HIV/AIDS. This was THE pride that was the catalyst for the Black Pride Movement, leading to more than thirty other Black Pride celebrations across the globe.
DC Black Pride kicks off DC’s Capital Pride season over Memorial Day Weekend while other Pride events take place from June 10th to June 14th.
If you love being there when the doors open, get your rainbow self to DC for the Official Opening Party – RIOT! on June 10th. Labeled DC’s largest Pride party and main event, RIOT! will supply you with top entertainment like RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Season 13 winner, Symone, music from S.H.E., Haus of Bambi, and more.
Go ahead and party your body on opening night but be sure to get over to the Pride Parade route that will wind through Logan & Dupont Circle Neighborhoods. The return of the historic Capital Pride Parade (June 11th) will find the joyous parade participants marching a modified route that will honor the LGBTQ+ history that has helped shape DC into the vibrant, exciting, and accepting community that it is. If you like large, loud, and loving parades, everyone is saying this will be one of the largest Pride Parades to ever take place in the United States Capital.
Every Pride I attend, I need to find the answer to this question – Where is the Block Party? The parade is a given to attend and so is the block party. Capital Pride Block Party (June 11th) will be going on before, during, and after the parade so we are going to have to plan accordingly.
There better be some energy left after the parade and block party as the Official Capital Pride Saturday Party ReMIX! (June 11th) will continue the Pride celebration into the night. From 9 PM to 3 AM, ReMix! will feature four unique dance floors (Flashy, Cake, Pop Culture, Eagle’s Nest), multiple DJs, and enough dancing to satisfy anyone’s and everyone’s needs and desires. See you when the ugly lights come on.
What better way to recover from all-day and all-night celebrating than to stroll through a pride festival. Capital Pride Festival (June 12th) will commence at Noon (thank goodness), go until 10 PM, and will stretch along America’s Mainstreet, Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Known to be the largest annual event in the national capital region, this free to the public event will have three stages, food, drink, and over 300 exhibitors. Visiting a Pride festival is one of the best ways to see what a city has to offer for LGBTQ+ support and community development.
Yes, everything must come to an end and that goes for Prides, too. The Pride Concert (June 12th) will be what ends Capital Pride, but oh what a finale! Three stages will rock the celebration with DNCE and lead singer Joe Jonas headlining. Also helping to close out the weekend will be this year’s winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Willow Pill, and season 13 winner, Symone.
Pick one, some, or all the official events of Capital Pride in DC. I know I have my favorites already. Will DC and Capital Pride be your destination city this year to celebrate our community? With offerings for all, you and everyone in your chosen family will enjoy the festivities in our nation’s capital. See you there!
And while visiting, don’t be afraid to go off schedule and fill some of your down time to experience what other LGBTQ+ aspects DC has to offer. As one of the largest LGBTQ+ Communities in the nation, you’ll find a variety of LGBTQ-Owned Businesses in DC. From LGBTQ Bars and Nightclubs to restaurants, breweries, gift and coffee shops, to so many more. Check out business websites for hours and a way to stay in touch when you head back to your own gayborhood.
Keep checking back on the Capital Pride main website or the individual event ones linked in this post for continued updates on performers, schedules, and other helpful information.
