Pride season is underway! Several cities across the world are going above and beyond to ensure that the LGBTQ community and its supporters who visit during their specific Pride week or weekend have a blast from start to finish.
Take a look at 12 places and events you should check out over the next couple of months. Each has something unique and fantastic that will give you a truly outstanding time.
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA
PRIDE COMEDY NIGHT
Berkeley | June 23, 2019
Website: www.thefreight.org/event/1847379-lisa-geduldig-pride-comedy-berkeley
Pride Comedy Night will feature a very funny, diverse, eclectic array of Bay Area, LA, and Santa Cruz-based LGBT comedians who span a few generations of comedy and have been performing for between 10 and 30 years. This multicultural (Latina, African American, Asian American, Jewish…) line up consists of Marga Gomez, Sampson McCormick, Irene Tu (Berkeley show only), and Lisa Geduldig.
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
BELGIAN PRIDE 2019
Belgium | May 17-19, 2019
Website: www.visit.brussels/en/article/belgian-pride-brussels-the-weekends-highlights
The gay-friendly capital of 500 million Europeans will celebrate its 24th annual Pride celebration this year, with a fabulous colorful parade, a vibrant rainbow village in the Grand-Place, and tons of pride parties to celebrate all weekend long. The theme of this year’s Belgian Pride is All for One. Through #AllforOne, Pride wants to emphasize that everyone is unique and deserves their place in society without discrimination.
CINCINNATI, OHIO
CINCINNATI PRIDE
Cincinnati | June 22, 2019
Website: www.cincinnatipride.org
Cincinnati Pride Parade and Festival isn’t something to miss – a week-long celebration of the Queen City’s LGBTQ diversity, #CincyPride includes a grand two-hour parade, a main festival with music, drag queens, beer and spirits and a family-fun zone. The festival, which formed out of a political rally in 1973, celebrates its 46th anniversary this year. In 2018, the annual celebration drew over 120,000 attendees and this year promises to draw even more!
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA
CHARLOTTE PRIDE WEEK
Charlotte, NC | August 9-18, 2019
Website: www.charlottepride.org/2019event
This weeklong celebration is filled with color and joy, culminating in a huge festival that draws people from across the state. Drawing 165,000 attendees and 43 parade floats last year, Charlotte Pride aims to promote the visibility of the LGBTQ community in the Charlotte area – all are welcome!
CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE
CHATTANOOGA PRIDE
Chattanooga, TN | October 6, 2019
Website: www.chattanoogapride.com/pride2018
A few highlights of Chattanooga Pride Week will include an exciting kickoff party, a queer film festival, and various celebrations highlighting the LGBTQ community in Tennessee. Pride Week will culminate on Sunday, October 6 with a parade from the corner of 4th and Cherry Street to the scenic Ross’s Landing. The festival will feature live music, a drag show, food & drinks, vendor markets and a kid’s activity area.
GREATER PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA
PALM SPRINGS PRIDE FESTIVAL
Palm Springs | November 2-3, 2019
Website: www.pspride.org
Known for its crystal blue skies, year-round sunshine, stunning landscape, palm tree lined streets and starry nights, the City of Palm Springs comes alive during the annual Greater Palm Springs Pride celebration. Rainbow flags and glitter will fill the streets as the ever-present Mount San Jacinto Mountains star in the most scenic pride parade and festival in the world. The downtown parade steps off at 10 a.m. Sunday and travels along historic Palm Canyon Drive. The two-day festival is FREE and open to everyone.
LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA
LONG BEACH PRIDE FESTIVAL
Long Beach | May 18-19, 2019
Website: www.longbeachpride.com
A two-day LGBTQ+ event with live music, community programming, and food and drinks from local eateries. The Long Beach Pride Festival is inclusive and strives to promote an environment that is free from prejudice and bias. Over the past several years, the festival has become one of the premiere Pride events nationwide now attracting over 80,000 participants over two days.
MENDOCINO, CALIFORNIA
MENDOCINO’S FIRST EVER PRIDE
Mendocino | June 21-23, 2019
Website: https://visitmendocino.com/pride-2019/
Boho chic Mendocino County is Northern California’s secret and welcoming weekend retreat for all. Known for its dramatic coastline, towering redwoods, charming inns, award-winning wines, and a heritage of local cuisine, the area is just a three-hour drive from San Francisco. This year, for the first time ever, a special Mendocino Pride: Chasing the Rainbow experience will be held from Friday, June 21 to Sunday, June 23, making it the perfect place to unwind before San Francisco Pride (June 29-30). KCBS Radio’s “Foodie Chap” Liam Mayclem is the MC for three days of activities that comprise a fun exploration of what Mendocino has to offer in a scenic and festive setting. Festival goers will enjoy wine tasting and a welcome reception on Day 1, a sandcastle contest and a Rainbow Express ride aboard the Skunk Train on Day 2, and a brunch at Queenie’s and a visit to B. Bryan Preserve on Day 3. Two gracious inns offer special lodging packages, rounding off a complete experience. Mendocino Pride Festival Passes are priced at $225 and can be purchased here.
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
KENTUCKIANA PRIDE PARADE AND FESTIVAL
Louisville | June 14-15, 2019
Website: www.kypride.com
Taking place at the Big Four Lawn of Waterfront Park in Louisville, this year, the Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau is celebrating its 19th annual Kentuckiana Pride Festival. The Kentuckiana Pride Parade will kick off the weekend festivities on Friday, June 14, and the festival will begin right after at the festival grounds, representing many of the local organizations to benefit #KYPride. Entertainment will include Daya, Mykki Blanco, Cakes Da Killa, Dusty Ray Bottoms and more, with a special tribute to Stonewall 50.
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
OAKLAND PRIDE FESTIVAL
Oakland | September 8, 2019
Website: www.oaklandpride.org
Located just east of San Francisco, it’s no surprise that Oakland has deep roots in the LGBTQ community. Resistance is in the core of the East Bay, which makes it great for activists and artists. In fact, the area has been named a hotbed for LGBTQ creativity! Together, Oakland celebrate the cultures and diversity of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) community in Oakland and the East Bay.
Oakland Pride is committed to facilitating leadership and coalition building for the funding and development of the first LGBTQ community center in Oakland for everyone.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
SEATTLE PRIDE FEST
Seattle, WA | June 23-24, 2019
Website: www.seattlepridefest.org
Seattle welcomes everyone in a city that is safe and friendly to all. In fact, Visit Seattle launched a year-long campaign called #WeSEALove, aiming to empower and celebrate the city’s own LGBTQ community.
During the month of June, rainbow flags are proudly flown as the city comes out in full force to support its LGBTQ community. The festivities reach their peak at the two-day PrideFest (June 23-24), which includes the Seattle Pride Parade (June 24). Summer also brings a collection of concerts, food trucks, a craft bazaar, and more at the Volunteer Park Pride Festival (June 9).
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI
PRIDEFEST ST. LOUIS
St. Louis, MO | June 29-30, 2019
Website: www.pridestl.org/pridefest
Taking place at the newly-renovated Soldiers’ Memorial Park, PrideFest is an annual celebration, one of the most-attended events in the Midwest region. The festival includes a parade with floats and contingents, twenty hours of live entertainment ranging from pop, disco, jazz, rock, country and rap on two stages. Attendees can enjoy a variety of acts and performances, including music, dance, and visual arts. 300,000 people attended PrideFest in 2018.
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Gay Pride for Ever