How to Celebrate Pride in All 50 States

It’s summer and there are rainbows all over the beer cans in your local corner store, which can only mean one thing: Pride month is in full swing.

Corporate pandering aside, this June feels different from years past. From attacks on drag shows by extremist groups to an ongoing epidemic of anti-trans violence to the conservative anti-trans legislative crusade, to say that it’s a scary time to be queer in the U.S. is an understatement.

These attacks mean that being in community can feel more important than ever. Pride has always been a radical celebration of community and life, rooted in resistance to forces that don’t want us to exist. That remains as true in 2023 as it was in 1969. Whether you’re celebrating Pride on top of a parade float or just hanging in a park with a few friends, you’re participating in a long legacy of queer resistance — and if there’s one thing we need right now, it’s resistance.

Pride Safety 101: How To Stay Safe While Celebrating Queerness 

From harm reduction tools like drug testing strips to brushing up on your protest safety tips, you can never be too careful before attending Pride events.

Luckily, there are more ways to celebrate and resist than ever before. There’s Q-Prom for queer teens in Louisiana. The Dyke and Trans People of Color March in Rhode Island. And plenty of art fairs, drag performances, and festivals. Across the country, there’s more than likely a city near you where you can celebrate your full queer self, which is why we compiled this list of ways to honor Pride in all 50 states. This is a very abridged list, so don’t fret if there are some events in your state missing from the lineup. Check it out below, and remember that Pride can be whatever you want it to be.

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming

Explore arts and crafts by local queer makers at a Pride Artist Popup in Huntsville on June 17 from 12-4 p.m. Or, if you’re in Montgomery, join The Knights and Orchids Society to celebrate Montgomery Black Pride June 15-17 with workshops and exhibitions, performances, and more.

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Head to Anchorage Pride on June 24th from 12-5 p.m. There will be vendors, performances, and (at least per GayTravel4U) lube wrestling…

Party for a good cause at Queer Goth Nite in Phoenix on June 16. Enjoy drag performances, freebies and drink specials; half the proceeds will go to Equality Arizona.

Northwest Arkansas Pride will take place June 24 at 9 p.m. — head to ​​Fayetteville for the festival and evening parade, and stick around for the 2023 Pride Bear Contest!

Looking to march in a parade with a bunch of other queers, but overwhelmed by the prospect of a big parade — or maybe you just don’t want to march next to Apple and Wells Fargo? Head into town a day or two before for San Francisco Dyke March (June 24 at 5 p.m.) or Trans March (June 23 at 6 p.m.).

Join Black Pride Colorado for a queer cookout celebrating Juneteenth and Pride with food, vendors performances and more on Sunday, June 18 from 2-6 p.m. in Denver.

Head to the Westport library at 6:30 p.m. on June 29 to enjoy an evening of live queer storytelling with OUTspoken: Stories of LGBTQ+ Pride.

If you’re near Wilmington, head to Tilton Park on June 17 for Pride in the Park from 1-5 p.m., presented by Nuestras Raices — featuring drag performances, resources, hammocks (!) and more.

Don’t be fooled — despite what Governor Ron DeSantis may have to say, you can’t cancel Pride Month in Florida. If you’re near Lakeland, join Polk Pride for their youth pride events, as well as Pride in the park, late-night drag shows, and more. Or enjoy a Pride-themed sunset at the zoo on June 23 from 5-8 p.m., if you’re in central Florida.

Head to Southern Fried Queer Pride in Atlanta from June 19 through June 25, featuring a trans cabaret and open mic (June 20), self defense and community safety workshops (June 21), workshops, dance parties, artists’ markets, and more.

Head to Hilo on the big island on June 24 for a Pride parade and festival starting at 11 a.m., featuring community resources, local vendors, shows, and more. If you’ve still got energy after all that, join the afterparty that evening at Hilo Town Tavern.

Join the North Idaho Pride Alliance for Pride on the Runway, an evening of fashion, drag performances, and more, on June 29 at 6 p.m. in Coeur d'Alene.

Go to the Queer Fam Pride Jam on June 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Chicago for art making, skateboarding, drag makeovers, a dance party, and other festivities.

If you’re in Indianapolis, join Indy Pride for a drive-in movie night on Friday, June 16 at 8 p.m. Or head to the Monroe County History Center June 24 and get your portrait taken at their Pride portrait pop-up from 1 to 4 p.m.

Join the Iowa City Public Library at City Park Pool for Pride at the Pool on June 16 from 5 to 8 p.m., featuring a drag storytime, games and activities, and more.

Head to People’s Pride in Kansas City, a new community-led celebration featuring local performers, vendors, organizers, and more, on June 25 starting at 3 p.m.

The Kentuckiana Pride festival and parade will take place June 17 in Louisville, Kentucky. Head on over for drag performances, local merchants, and more starting at 12 p.m.

Prom season may be over for much of the country, but not in Louisiana. Shreveport Pride is throwing their annual Q-Prom — a Pride month prom and celebration in downtown Shreveport — on June 24 at 7 p.m.

If you’re in Gardiner, Maine, join historians to learn more about Maine’s queer history at the Gardiner Public Library on June 14 at 5:30 p.m. Or head to Bath, Maine for a Pride-themed evening art stroll with local artists and galleries on June 16 from 4-7 p.m.

Kick off Baltimore Pride with the 6th Annual Baltimore Pride Community BBQ on June 18th from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.! The event will feature free food, live entertainment, community vendors, and more. You can also see portions of the AIDS memorial quilt on display in Baltimore on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, May 27 through June 28.

If you’re near Somerville, head to ArtsUnion’s Big Gay Dance Party on June 17. The event is free and will feature music, drag performances, and more from 5-8 p.m.

Join the Grand Rapids Pride Center to celebrate its 35th annual Pride festival on June 17 at Calder Plaza starting at 12 p.m. If you’re feeling energized, head back the next weekend on June 24 for a Pride Vendor Market featuring LGBTQ+ and kinky vendors as well as panels on protecting trans rights, liberation in sex work, and more from 2-6 p.m.

If you’re in Minneapolis, swing by Lake Harriet on June 19 to catch a free concert by the Minnesota Freedom Concert and Jazz bands at 7:30 p.m. Or if you’re looking for more community, join the Twin Cities Queer POC Happy Hour & Mixer at Roxy’s Cabaret on June 15 from 6-8 p.m.

Capital City Pride has a host of events for you to attend if you’re near Jackson. If you’re an early riser, stop by the Rainbow Run on June 17, or if a party is more your speed, they’re hosting a Queerceañera on June 24.

St. Louis Pride takes place June 24 and 25. Head to downtown St. Louis to enjoy the festivities and see headliners including Idina Menzel and Kat Graham take the mainstage. Or if you’re in the mood for a “non-corporate-sponsored queer dance party,” head to Club Zen on the 16th for Wall of Sound: A Queer Dance Party Celebrating Tina Turner from 8 p.m. on.

Join Missoula Pride at 2 p.m. on June 18 for a Pride-themed roller disco, followed by a roller derby bout featuring Hellgate Roller Derby at the Missoula Fairgrounds. (And if you still have energy after, you can roll on over to Missoula Pride’s closing party that evening!)

If you’re in Omaha, head over to the Hot Shops Art Center on June 23 for a Pride fashion show and popup market at 6 p.m.

If you’re in northern Nevada, the Pride celebrations don’t stop just because June is over. Northern Nevada Pride will take place July 22, with the parade kicking off at 10 a.m. followed by a festival in ​Downtown Reno’s Wingfield park.

Celebrate Pride weekend with Queerlective in Manchester, NH at their Queer Art Extravaganza on June 17 from 1-7 p.m., featuring interactive art, an artists’ market, community resources, and more. Or if you’re headed to Concord Pride instead, join their Community Art Day on July 15 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Atlantic City Pride Week will have an event for you, whether your ideal Pride celebration looks like a big group bike ride to the beach in the sun (June 17), a Sunday service (June 25), or a wrestling match (June 17).

Celebrate 30 years of Pride in Santa Fe with a free Pride block party in Burro alley on Saturday, June 24 from 1-6 p.m., hosted by Santa Fe’s Human Rights Alliance.

Join Rooftop Films in Fort Greene Park to celebrate queer cinema with Queerly Beloved: Pride Shorts in the Park on June 21 at 7:30 p.m. Enjoy a selection of live music and queer short films followed by a Q&A with filmmakers, all for free!

(And of course, join us and Pitchfork on June 17 for Night Out, featuring a genre-defying lineup of queer artists including Tinashe, Lido Pimienta, and more).

Head to Raleigh to celebrate at the Pride Market and Drag Show, featuring local food and makers as well as two (!) drag shows on June 17 from 12-4 p.m., with proceeds benefiting the LGBT Center of Raleigh. Or, if you’re feeling a little more adventurous, get married for FREE on June 25 at the Matthews House in Cary, North Carolina. Photographs, cupcakes, and flowers are included! All you need to bring is two witnesses.

Meet and mingle with other queers at Dakota OutRight’s LGBTQIA2S+ Social in Bismarck on June 18 from 1-4:30 p.m., featuring free food and other activities. Or for the teens among us, head to QSpace on Friday, June 16, for a Queer Prom!

Celebrate both Juneteenth and Pride with Mx. Juneteenth: A Black & Queer Liberation Celebration on June 17 from 12-6 p.m. in Cleveland, Ohio — featuring food, drag, vendors, live music, and more.

Oklahoma City’s 2023 Pridefest’s theme is Queer Joy, which you’re sure to experience June 23-25, whether you’re joining for queer pickup soccer or volleyball, or catching acts like Sofi Tukker or Adore Delano.

Celebrate Pride and Juneteenth with the 2nd annual History of Black Drag in Portland event on June 15 (BIPOC night) and 16 (all-community night). The event will feature a panel of local drag queens exploring the history and experience of Black drag in Portland, followed by drag performances.

Join Black and trans-led organization sisTers PGH in Pittsburgh for the People’s Pride Music Festival on Sunday, June 25, featuring all local artists, food, and community vendors and more.

If you’re in Rhode Island, head to Providence for the Dyke and Trans People of Color March on Friday, June 16 starting at 5:30 p.m. to march for bodily autonomy, and stick around afterwards for a community gathering.

South Carolina’s official Pride might not be till October, but you can still celebrate with Augusta Pride on June 23 and June 24 (and stick around till the 25th for a pride pool party!)

Join Sioux Falls Pride to celebrate with a Sunday bike ride (June 25) or a Friday game night (every Friday in June).

Head to W Nashville for a free (RSVP required) Pride Night Swim on Thursday, June 22 from 6-10 p.m., for an evening of music, celebration, and inclusion. Or if you’re closer to Knoxville, enjoy the Mx. Knox Pride 365! Pageant hosted by Knox Pride at Club XYZ on June 25 from 5-8 p.m.

Join Houston’s LGBTQ+ center for a free community Pride celebration on Saturday, June 17, from 4-8 p.m. The festivities include live performances, food vendors, an LGBTQ+ Houston history exhibit, and a historic 25ft Pride flag sewn by Gilbert Baker, creator of the original rainbow Pride flag.

Head to the Loveland Living Planet aquarium for Pride Under Lights on June 24, an evening of music, food trucks, and lights at the aquarium starting at 7 p.m.

Join Bethel Pridefest for their 2023 Carnivale June 22-24m featuring gay trivia (June 22), a queer masquerade ball (June 23), and drag shows, dance parties, picnics, and more (June 24).

If you’re near Danville, head to the Juneteenth Pride Party hosted by Ms. Virginia North America 2023 on June 16 from 6:30-10:30 p.m. The event will feature performances, dancing, games and more.

If your ideal pride vibe is less “parade” and more “march,” join the Capitol Hill Pride March and Rally on June 24 in Seattle starting at 10 a.m. Filled with speakers, artists, and more, the event promises “no fees, no fences, no age restrictions, just Pride and standing up for equal rights.” Sounds like a good time to us!

Celebrate farming with Pride at Farmer PRIDE Coalition’s free Farmer PRIDE event on June 20th in Huntington from 4-8 p.m. There will be local vendors, face painting, a rainbow garden raised bed workshop, screen printing, and more.

Delve into Wisconsin’s queer history with PBS’s screening of the new documentary Wisconsin Pride at the Barrymore Theatre in Madison on June 17 at 7 p.m.

Join Laramie Pridefest for their annual Pride in the Park on June 17, featuring live performances, food, and free HIV testing from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

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