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2018 Guide to Coast-to-Coast Gay Pride

Travel Tips | Jim Werner | June 3, 2018

Break out the rainbow flags, this weekend is the official start of Pride season. All month long cities across the country will roll out the rainbow carpet to celebrate their LGBTQ+ communities.

Pride celebrates our freedom and promotes equality in this great country (thank you, Stonewall rioters.) With support for same-sex marriage at an all time high, states starting to ban conversion therapy for minors, and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” ruling the cable ratings game, the LGBT community has plenty of reasons to be proud.

However, we cannot ignore that the past year has been rough for our community. From fighting legislation that restricts where we can use the bathroom, where we can live, if businesses can refuse to serve us, and most recently, whether we can adopt children — we also know this: There is a lot more to do, and we need to show up and proudly proclaim our rights and our life.

So, start researching your Pride getaway here. Then pack your bags, let your flag fly high and let everyone know: We’re here! We’re queer! And we won’t give up until our whole community has equal rights!

Pride Highlights:

Brooklyn Pride – June 9

As it does most things, the borough puts its own distinct spin on Pride. The more laid-back, neighborly vibe is a pleasant departure from the norm.

Key West Pride – June 6-10

Relaxed and tropical, Key West Pride is part-vacation, part-celebration, all amazing. Pro tip: head to The Gates Hotel Key West for a foam pool party on June 9 from 2-5 pm.

Rhode Island Pride – June 16

The country’s smallest state proves that size isn’t everything. Sometimes it’s the smaller cities that have the bigger Prides. And this year you’ll want to sashay your way to Providence with Drag Race stars Monét X Change and Laila McQueen headlining the illuminated parade through downtown.

San Francisco Pride – June 23-24

I recognize that San Francisco is an obvious choice but you really should experience Pride in a very gay city—one that gets even gayer at the end of June. It feels like the entire destination is in on Pride.

NYC Pride March courtesy of nycpride.org

Pride All Over:

Quick tip: Some of the dates listed below are for the actual Pride parades, but LGBT events fill the calendar in the days and weeks before. These are listed by end date and not ranked in order of importance.

Asbury Park, NJ – June 3

Buffalo, NY – June 3

Cleveland, OH – June 3

El Paso, TX – June 3

Kansas City, KS – June 3

Provincetown, MA – June 3

Salt Lake City, UT – June 3

Santa Cruz, CA – June 3

Queens, NY – June 3

Cheyenne, WY – June 9

Indianapolis, IN – June 9

Yonkers, NY – June 9

Albuquerque, NM – June 7-9

Kalamazoo, MI – June 8-9

Spokane, WA – June 8-9

Albany, NY – June 10

Olympia, WA – June 10

Philadelphia, PA – June 10

Sacramento, CA – June 10

Birmingham, AL – June 1-10

Boston, MA – June 1-10

Pittsburgh, PA – June 1-10

Des Moines, IA – June 7-10

Milwaukee, WI – June 7-10

Washington, D.C. – June 7-10

Long Island, NY – June 8-10

New Orleans, LA – June 8-10

Detroit, MI – June 9-10

West Hollywood, CA (Los Angeles Pride) – June 9-10

Huntsville, AL – June 11

Baton Rouge, LA – June 16

Syracuse, NY – June 16

Wilton Manors, FL – June 16

Anchorage, AK – June 9-16

Boise, ID – June 15-16

Louisville, KY – June 15-16

Portland, OR – June 8-17

Fayetteville, AR – June 14-17

Bisbee, AZ – June 15-17

Columbus, OH – June 15-17

Baltimore, MD – June 16-17

Denver, CO – June 16-17

Bend, OR – June 23

Cincinnati, OH – June 23

Flagstaff, AZ – June 23

Harlem Pride– June 23

Houston, TX – June 23

Chicago, Illinois – June 24

Minneapolis, MN – June 24

New York City, NY – June 24

Seattle, WA – June 24

Orange County, CA – June 17-24

Santa Ana, CA – June 17-24

Augusta, GA – June 21-24

Oklahoma City, OK – June 22-24

Nashville, TN – June 23-24

St. Louis, MO – June 23-24

St. Petersburg, FL – June 22-24

Biloxi, MS – June 30

Lexington, KY – June 30

San Antonio, TX – June 30

Santa Fe, NM – June 30

Norfolk, VA – June 21-30

Omaha, NE – June 29-30

Wichita, KS – June 29-30

Related Article

10 Tips To Enjoy Gay Pride

 

Photos by Flickr user Thomas Hobbs used under Creative Commons and courtesy of New York Pride

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And let’s be honest, that’s pretty darn gay.
 

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