22 Top Pride Parades and Celebrations for 2024

Pride has a long and storied history. On June 28, 1969, in the New York City neighborhood of Greenwich Village, police raided a popular gay bar called the Stonewall Inn, causing nearly a week of protests by LGBTQ people who were fed up with the frequent raids and harassment from law enforcement. The world-famous Stonewall built on years of LGBTQ activism. Similar homophobic and transphobic persecution by police had previously sparked other uprisings in the U.S., such as nearly three years earlier in San Francisco at Gene Compton’s Cafeteria, or a decade before in Los Angeles’ Cooper Do-nuts.

On the anniversary of Stonewall in 1970, activists held a march known as Christopher Street Liberation Day in New York to commemorate the uprising on that very street a year before. This parade drew thousands of marchers and prompted other cities to hold Pride events, which evolved into the annual celebrations in June that we know today. Even now, the rights and legal protections of gay and trans communities across the U.S. continue to be under immediate threat from state legislation and violent assaults. This year’s Pride events are more than just celebrations – they’re acts of unity and solidarity.

Here are the top destinations to champion and celebrate Pride nationwide in 2024.

Every year New York City throws one of the biggest Pride celebrations in the world. In 2019, the city was chosen to host WorldPride, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Stonewall and bringing an estimated 5 million people to New York to partake in its Pride events.

This year’s NYC Pride will pay tribute to the 40th anniversary of Heritage of Pride, the nonprofit responsible for putting together NYC Pride events, as well as the 55th anniversary of Stonewall. There will be no Pride Rally and Pride Island concert, but you’ll still have many ways to celebrate Pride in the city in 2024.

Events are set to kick off on June 22 with “TEAZE: A Queer Party Experience Like No Other,” a 21-and-older dance party. Join revelers on the streets of Manhattan at the city’s signature Pride March on June 30, then celebrate with the community at many other Pride events and experiences throughout the weekend. You can attend Bliss Days, a celebration of LGBTQ women with live music and dancing; walk the streets of New York for the annual PrideFest street fair; take your youngster to Youth Pride at the South Street Seaport Museum; or dance the afternoon away at NYC Pride’s StageFest – the main performance stage.

Providence is a city with a small-town vibe and a vibrant arts community. Its first Pride event was held in 1976 after a court ruling allowed local gay and lesbian communities to march through the city. About 75 people marched in that parade. Today that number has grown to 125,000-plus attendees to the annual PrideFest in Providence.

The 48th annual Rhode Island PrideFest & Illuminated Night Parade is slated for June 15. During the day, you can enjoy more than 250 nonprofit vendors with live entertainment and plenty of food. The Rhode Pride Illuminated Night Parade is New England’s only nighttime LGBTQ parade. Paradegoers can expect to see buildings and floats light up as participants make their way through downtown Providence after dusk.

For more than half a century, this city at the northern tip of Cape Cod has been hailed as an LGBTQ-friendly destination. Provincetown boasts plenty of gay bars, beaches and year-round Pride events to welcome LGBTQ travelers. One of the city’s famed events is the annual Pride Rally – accompanied by the “Sashay” to Tea dance event – that is scheduled to take place in the heart of town on June 1 this year. The Provincetown Business Guild is partnering with Obodo, a youth-led nonprofit based in Nigeria that advocates for the rights of LGBTQ Nigerians, for the Reimagining Queer Africa art exhibition in June.

Be sure to check out the Provincetown Business Guild’s second annual Pride Festival and Marketplace. The free invite includes music, food and local vendors. Get a good laugh at the Queer Comedy Showcase at Town Hall or visit the Provincetown Pride Center for the Obodo Nigerian Art Collective Panel Talk. Other Pride weekend events in Provincetown include the Pride Underwear Party, the Official Pride Dance Party at A-House and the Feet Over Front Street 5K event.

Coinciding with Pride is the Womxn of Color Weekend, which celebrates queer women of color with workshops, parties and shows throughout the weekend of May 30 to June 2.

This city has birthed the organization called GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders – not to be confused with GLAAD – as well as Wicked Queer, which is among the longest-running LGBTQ film festivals in North America. This year’s Pride celebration will take place on June 8 with a parade and festival, complete with live entertainment, vendors and food.

There are plenty of activities going on in Boston throughout Pride Month as well. Celebrations begin on June 1 with the Sober Pride Dance Party at The Phoenix and the BIPOQ Pride DTX Block Party. The Boston Symphony Orchestra‘s Pride Night with drag star Thorgy Thor is planned for June 1 as well. You can also attend the Boston Dyke March on June 7 as well as Fenway Park‘s Pride Night on June 11, when the Boston Red Sox take on the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Boston Black Pride Weekend begins on June 29 with its Black Pride Health Summit, and festivities will continue on July 2 with the Youth Pride & Resource Fair. Other events during the multiday festivities include the Welcome to Boston party on July 4, the black-tie Masquerade Boat Ride on July 5 and the Black Pride Day Party on July 6. The weekend concludes on July 7 with the Black Pride Parade & Music and Arts Festival and a finale event.

Located less than 60 miles from NYC, Asbury Park has been considered a haven for local LGBTQ communities for more than a century with an abundance of gay and lesbian bars and tearooms. The New Jersey town remains a popular LGBTQ-friendly destination, even scoring a perfect score in the Human Rights Campaign’s 2023 Municipal Equality Index.

Pride festivities kick off May 30 with the Solid Pink Disco Pride Kickoff Party at the Stone Pony Summer Stage, with drag star Trixie Mattel hosting and performing as a DJ. New Jersey’s 32nd annual LGBTQ+ Pride takes place June 2 in Asbury Park. The parade is considered the largest and oldest Pride celebration in the state with more than 20,000 spectators typically in attendance. See floats, marching bands and marchers make their way from city hall to the Rally and Festival grounds where the parade route ends. From there, revelers can enjoy live entertainment, food and family-friendly activities for a $10 admission fee.

Several other events are happening in Asbury Park for Pride Month. The Paranormal Museum is slated to host a Pride weekend the first weekend in June. Party at the museum’s haunted Pride mixer or take a walking ghost tour. At Paradise – believed to be Asbury Park’s longest-running gay club – enjoy live entertainment including the Tea Dance throughout the same weekend.

Baltimore is considered one of the most LGBTQ-friendly cities in the U.S., with its historic Mount Vernon neighborhood serving as one the area’s biggest gay havens for decades. The city is also home to one of the oldest Pride events in the U.S.: Baltimore Pride has been running since 1975. Hosted by Pride Center of Maryland, several Pride events will be held during the week of June 10 to 16.

Attend the annual Twilight on the Terrace gala on June 14 to dance under the stars. Also on June 14, Mount Vernon will mark Pride with music, food and vendors, and the B&O Railroad Museum is set to host Ridin’ The Rail: Pride Train & Party. The main event of the week – the Baltimore Pride Parade – takes place on June 15, followed by the Block Party, headlined by rapper Saucy Santana. The weeklong recognition ends with Pride in the Park on June 16 at Druid Hill Park. Enjoy live music alongside food and drag performances.

Outside of the official celebration in Baltimore, see the Baltimore Orioles take on the Texas Rangers at their LGBTQ+ Pride Night on June 27, or attend the Baltimore Trans Pride Grand March and Block Party on June 29.

Nestled between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore is the quaint historic town of Annapolis, Maryland. Its Pride parade is one of the newer events in the area, heading into its fourth year with up to 10,000 paradegoers expected to attend. The Annapolis Pride Parade and Festival is set for June 1. Join revelers on the parade’s new extended route beginning at City Dock and concluding on Amos Garrett Boulevard. Annapolis native and “Project Runaway” winner Christian Siriano will serve as the parade’s grand marshal. The parade will also host its first float judging contest.

Afterward, head to the Annapolis Pride Festival at its new location outside of the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts and the Bates Athletic Complex. Baltimore-born L. Rodgers, an acclaimed singer and 2024 contestant on “The Voice,” will be the festival’s headliner. Festivalgoers can enjoy drag performances, nearly 150 vendors and family-friendly activities throughout the afternoon.

The Annapolis Pride festivities coincide with the Annapolis Arts Week, set for June 1 to 7. Enjoy artwork from LGBTQ artists and other local artists as well. On June 2, the Graduate Annapolis hotel will host a drag brunch. Later in the month, learn more about gay history at the “From Twilight into Sunshine: LGBTQ+ History in Maryland” talk on June 24, and ride around historic Annapolis on June 28 for the Annapolis Bike Party Pride Ride.

Washington, D.C., is home to the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington, D.C., or GLAA, which is one of the country’s oldest continuously active LGBTQ civil rights organizations. The city’s history also includes the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1979. Furthermore, what started as a one-day block party in 1975 has grown into a massive celebration at the annual Capital Pride Parade and Pride Festival, drawing up to 500,000 attendees.

On June 8, while the 2024 parade takes attendees through the historic streets of Washington, the Capital Pride 17th Street Block Party is set to host a daylong celebration in the Dupont Circle area (though the parade route will not go through the historic neighborhood this year). The subsequent Capital Pride Festival and Concert, scheduled for June 9, will provide partygoers with three stages for entertainment as well as food, beverages and up to 300 advocacy exhibitors. Headliners for this year’s concert include Ava Max, Billy Porter and special guest Keke Palmer. While the festival and concert are free, you can purchase VIP or Pit access.

See fireworks at Pride on the Pier on June 8 at the Wharf. You can also chill out by the pool at the Pride Rooftop Pool Party on June 5 or at the Capital Pride Trans Pool Party on June 8. Or, dance the night away and enjoy drag performances at RIOT!, the city’s official opening Pride party on June 7 at Echostage.

Washington, D.C., will be the host city for WorldPride 2025 for the 50th anniversary of Capital Pride. The festivities will take place May 23 to June 8, 2025.

The first community Pride event in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia was a potluck picnic in June 1986 held by the Mandamus Society. The group, which would later become Hampton Roads Pride, has been hosting annual summertime Pride events since the 1990s. This year, the historic Norfolk neighborhood of Ghent is slated to host the Ghent Pride Party at the Palace Shops on June 17. Partygoers can enjoy food and cocktails from local restaurants, a silent auction, and live music.

Running since 2011, the city’s free PrideFest & Boat Parade is scheduled for June 22. At Town Point Park, see boats decked out in Pride decor sail along the Elizabeth River. PrideFest, taking place at the same park, is one of the largest festivals in the area and will be full of food, live entertainment and family-friendly fun. This year’s headliners include artists Todrick Hall and Mariah Counts. Partygoers have the option of purchasing VIP tickets.

The NorVa theater will host the Camp Pride Block Party on June 21 in Norfolk, while Pride at the Beach will take place in Virginia Beach on June 23.

New Orleans is a year-round LGBTQ-friendly destination where art, culture, food, music and history collide. The city is home to Lafitte’s in Exile, one of the oldest gay bars in the U.S., plus the Fat Monday Luncheon, one of Louisiana’s oldest organized LGBTQ events. Visitors will find plenty of things to do in New Orleans for Pride Month – or at any other time of year.

Before the Pride parade commences on June 8, spend the day at New Orleans Pridefest, a block party headlined by Big Freedia with plenty of food and entertainment. The NOLA Pride Parade is a nighttime celebration, taking you through the Marigny and French Quarter neighborhoods. See extravagant floats, dance troupes and musical ensembles parading the streets – not to mention all the rainbow flags.

Other Pride events in New Orleans include the Big Gay Art Market at the Ace Hotel New Orleans on June 1 and GrrlSpot’s Pride kickoff party on June 7, followed by Grrlspot Pride XII at Café Istanbul on June 8. New Orleans Black Pride will host the Black Queer Legacy Summit on June 7 and the Black Queer Community Fest on June 8.

San Antonio’s LGBTQ history has evolved over the years since the drag performances of the 1930s, with the city’s first Pride march in 1976 transforming into the jampacked monthlong celebration of LGBTQ communities that we see today. The 2024 festivities are set for June 29. By day, enjoy live performers, a Pride wedding event, a health fair, food and more at the Pride Bigger Than Texas Festival. Admission is $12 for ages 12 and older if you purchase tickets online in advance, and leashed pets are allowed at the festival. At night, cool down while watching participants in the Pride Bigger Than Texas Parade, which is free to view.

There are plenty of other ways to celebrate Pride in San Antonio. June 1 is the Pride River Parades & Celebration, where you can enjoy a day of live performances at the entertainment stage before attending the parade. The march runs twice: first in the Museum Reach section along the river, then in the downtown portion of the River Walk.

San Antonio FC will play Memphis 901 FC at Toyota Field for Pride Night on June 1, and the third annual Y’all Means All Pride 5K Race is set for June 15. For even more of a thrill, Six Flags Fiesta Texas’ water park will host two Pride after-hours celebrations on June 15 and June 22.

Ohio’s capital and biggest city is one of the fastest-growing and most LGBTQ-friendly cities in the country. As such, Columbus holds the second-largest Pride march in the Midwest. Second only to Chicago Pride in the region, Columbus welcomes more than 700,000 spectators to its Pride festival and march.

The Stonewall Columbus Pride March is slated for June 15. If you’re looking for a good view of the march, revelers can watch the event from one of the three eateries that make up Pride on High. Proceeds from the Pride march viewing areas go to local LGBTQ charities. The Stonewall Columbus Pride Festival, set to be held on June 14 and 15, will feature more than 200 vendors, two performance stages, a wellness area and a dance section.

Starting on June 1 with the Pride Month Kick-off, Stonewall Columbus Pride will also host a number of events throughout the month, such as a fundraiser brunch on June 2 and a charity softball event on June 16.

The Motor City’s first Pride march was held in 1972 to protest homophobic laws and uplift LGBTQ communities. The march has gone through its own evolution since then and expanded to include a PrideFest celebration. In 2003, the festival was given its current name: Motor City Pride. The celebration has more than 50,000 attendees yearly. In 2024, the Motor City Pride Festival scheduled for June 8 and 9 will include live music, drag performances and food trucks. There is a $5 entrance fee to attend the celebration; children younger than 12 get in free. The Motor City Pride Parade in Detroit is slated for June 9 and is free for all to attend.

The College for Creative Studies will open a new exhibit entitled “Mighty Real/Queer Detroit: ‘I’ll Be Your Mirror'” running June 2 through June 29. The exhibit focuses on the mirroring relationship of art and self to create meaningful representations of LGBTQ people. For some Pride baseball fun, catch the Detroit Tigers playing the Washington Nationals at Pride Night at Comerica Park on June 11.

The Ruth Ellis Center – a social services agency for LGBTQ youth named after the activist who lived to be one of the oldest openly gay Black women in the world – is holding the Catfight for the Crown event on June 14.

The Windy City lays claim to the first U.S. gay rights organization: The Society for Human Rights was founded by Henry Gerber in Chicago in 1924. His former home, the Henry Gerber House, has become the second National Historic Landmark designated for its association with LGBTQ history – Stonewall was the first. Chicago is fittingly home to the biggest Pride parade in the Midwest, which is slated for June 30 this year. On average it sees more than 1 million spectators and runs through the “Boystown” neighborhood, which in 1997 Chicago recognized as an official gay village.

The weekend before the parade (June 22 to 23) brings the lively Chicago Pride Fest. About 60,000 festivalgoers attend the event each year for music, food, drag shows, and arts and craft vendors. Headliners for this year’s fest include Natasha Bedingfield and JoJo Siwa, among other artists. There is a suggested $15 donation at the gate.

The Queer Fam Pride Jam is set to be held at Millennium Park on June 2. This year the family-friendly event is coinciding with the Chicago House Music Festival. On June 29, the Navy Pier Pride will feature family-friendly activities, food, educational programming and music. Those who love staying active can sign up for the annual Pride Race 5K and 10K on June 30.

Like many other U.S. cities post-Stonewall, Milwaukee began hosting a Pride event by the Gay Peoples Union in 1974. In 1988, a new Pride event was created by the Milwaukee Lesbian/Gay Pride Committee, which would eventually evolve into PrideFest Milwaukee. In 2023 the three-day event had more than 40,000 attendees. The event is considered Wisconsin’s largest LGBTQ festival.

This year’s PrideFest at Henry Maier Festival Park takes place June 6 to 8. The festival includes a health and wellness area as well as several stages, including one for kids, one honoring Stonewall, a stage for dancing and of course a main stage. Headliners for this year’s festivities include drag performers like Ada Vox, Envy Peru, Violet Chachki and Alaska from “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” in addition to music artists such as David Archuleta, CupcakKe, Icona Pop and Mya. Ticket prices range from $18 to $25 for single-day admission.

June 9 is the Milwaukee Pride Parade. The event is heading into its 20th year with about 20,000 spectators expected. More than 5,000 participants will walk, dance and sashay their way through the streets of Milwaukee.

In 1975, Minneapolis became the first U.S. city to pass a nondiscrimination ordinance; since then the area has cultivated a reputation as one of the friendliest cities for LGBTQ people in the country – and even earned the distinction of being considered one of the “gayest” U.S. cities. The Twin Cities’ massive Pride parade is one of the biggest in the Midwest and nationwide.

Twin Cities Pride held its first march in 1972. The parade this year on June 30 starts on Third Street and Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis and ends in Loring Park, where the festivities continue at the three-day Twin Cities Pride Festival. The festival, which starts on June 28 with Youth Night, features music performances, a variety of food and drink, and 650-plus vendors.

Several family-friendly events are happening during Pride Month in the Twin Cities area, including Youth Pride presented by the Minnesota School Outreach Coalition on June 1, St. Paul Pride Festival & Parade on June 15, Family Fun Day on June 23, Pride Palooza on June 28 and the Rainbow Run 5K on June 30.

Albuquerque is a thriving and diverse southwestern city. It is also an LGBTQ-friendly destination, achieving a perfect score in the 2023 Human Rights Campaign Municipal Equality Index. The city has been hosting a Pride event since 1976 that has since expanded from one day to a weeklong celebration.

Throughout the week, revelers in Albuquerque can commemorate Pride with events such as Silverfest on June 3, which celebrates LGBTQ people ages 55 and older, and Kids Fest on June 4. She + Fest on June 5 is a 21-and-older celebration of femininity, and the Pride Memorial Candlelight Vigil on June 6 remembers lost loved ones at Morningside Park – where the city’s first Pride event was held. There is also a free Prefest on June 7, leading up to the city’s main Pride events: the Albuquerque Pride Parade and Pride Fest on June 8. The parade takes floats, marchers and music performers down a portion of the famous Route 66.

Afterward, continue the party at the Pride Fest at Balloon Fiesta Park, where the city’s annual hot air balloon festival is held in October. Enjoy drag performances, music, food and vendors. There is a $25 admission fee for adults 18 and older.

Denver has an energetic LGBTQ scene with multiple gay-friendly bars, hotels and Pride events. The annual Denver PrideFest weekend is the largest Pride event in the Rocky Mountain region, typically drawing more than 500,000 participants to its festivities. In 2024, Denver celebrates 50 years of Pride.

The 2024 PrideFest slated for June 22 and 23 will have drag performances from Alyssa Edwards, Shea Couleé and Mirage – all featured on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” – in addition to drag queen and environmentalist Pattie Gonia, who was named one of National Geographic’s 2024 Travelers of the Year. The Coors Light Denver Pride Parade will take place on June 23 and allow visitors to enjoy marchers, dancers and floats down Colfax Avenue, the longest commercial street in the U.S.

The city has numerous other events to help you celebrate Pride. Learn more about flamingos and see their new habitat at the Denver Zoo’s Zooiree Pride event on June 12. To take your celebration outdoors, hit Coors Field for the Colorado Rockies’ Vizzy Pride Night on June 15 or run the Denver Pride 5K on June 22 to raise money for LGBTQ programming at The Center on Colfax.

In the 1960s Life magazine deemed San Francisco the “gay capital” of the U.S. because of its emerging LGBTQ communities. The city’s Castro neighborhood was one of the earlier “gayborhoods” in the U.S. and was home to Harvey Milk, who in 1977 was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors as the first openly gay elected official in California history. Decades later, the city remains one of the most LGBTQ-friendly destinations.

The San Francisco Pride festivities include one of the biggest Pride parades in the country. Expect to see LGBTQ community members and allies make their way down the parade route on June 30, with numerous groups and exhibitors participating. The accompanying two-day Pride celebration from June 29 to 30 will feature multiple stages and venues to enjoy live music and entertainment.

Also new this year is the Purple Pride Block Party on June 1 with local LGBTQ vendors, resources and food trucks owned by people of color. Party with revelers at the SF Pride Kickoff Party on June 7 at the Tenderloin Museum, or take in a San Francisco Giants game on June 15 as the baseball team celebrates Pride Day at Oracle Park – one of the best baseball stadiums to visit. Music lovers can catch a performance of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus in collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony on June 18.

Los Angeles is home to one of the largest populations of LGBTQ people in the U.S., and the city has played a huge role in gay rights history. One of the first lesbian publications, Vice Versa, was published in the late 1940s in Los Angeles. The first Supreme Court case that dealt with homosexuality and First Amendment rights – One Inc. v. Olesen in 1958 – centered on the LA government’s attempt to censor a gay magazine. LA was also at the epicenter of one of the earliest organized LGBTQ protests, so it’s only fitting that Los Angeles holds one of the largest Pride parades in the country.

Start the festivities at LA Pride in the Park, held in Los Angeles State Historic Park on June 8. You can see performances by Ricky Martin, MUNA, Tokischa, JoJo Siwa and more. The festival will also have food, cocktails, vendors and LGBTQ exhibitors. On June 9, become a paradegoer at the annual LA Pride Parade. Marvel at floats, twirlers and performers as they make their way down the parade route. Also on June 9, you can play pickleball and enjoy drag performances, food and a variety of vendors at the free LA Pride Block Party.

The LA Dodgers are set to take on the Kansas City Royals on June 14 for the annual LGBTQ+ Pride Night. Adrenaline-seekers can relish Pride with other attendees at Universal Studios Hollywood during the after-hours Pride Is Universal event on June 15. Enjoy rides and attractions around the park in addition to live entertainment and food.

The glamorous city of West Hollywood is another popular LGBTQ-friendly destination in California. When the city was incorporated in 1984, it became the first municipality in the country with a majority-gay governing body. This year’s Pride festivities coincide with the 40th anniversary of this milestone.

The city celebrates Pride with various events for 40 days. WeHo Pride kicked off on May 22 with its annual Harvey Milk Day, featuring the José Sarria Drag Pageant. Sarria, the first known openly gay person to run for office in the U.S., influenced Milk on his path to public service.

Other events happening throughout the 40-day celebration include the motorcycle-led Dyke March and the Women’s Freedom Festival on June 1: The festival features LGBTQ and women of color activists and performers. The WeHo Pride Parade will take place on June 2. Paradegoers can enjoy floats, music performers and marchers along Santa Monica Boulevard. Later in the evening, continue the party at the OUTLOUD at WeHo Pride concert. This year’s headliners include Kylie Minogue, Janelle Monáe and Diplo.

No list of Pride celebrations would be complete without Seattle, another one of the most gay-friendly cities in the country. Located east of downtown Seattle is Capitol Hill, considered the epicenter of the city’s LGBTQ scene, with numerous gay bars and nightclubs to help you celebrate Pride year-round alongside the many events in June.

Seattle Pride celebrates 50 years of pride in 2024. The celebration starts on June 1 with Seattle Pride in the Park, which features family-friendly activities, food trucks and dance stages at Volunteer Park. On June 30, Seattle Pride is offering a drag brunch and viewing party so you can enjoy mimosas and music before the start of the city’s main Pride event – the Seattle Pride Parade. Considered the largest march in the state of Washington, it brings up to 300,000 participants and spectators. The parade will march down Fourth Avenue in the downtown area.

Travelers can check out the “Pride in Seattle: 50th Anniversary Art Exhibit” at the Pioneer Square Art Walk on June 6. Or, dance the night away at the Studio 54 Ball hosted by Strike A Pose and Seattle Pride on June 8 – proceeds of the event will go to a community organization associated with Queer NW.

Suzanne Mason is a travel editor with a love of adventure. Give her a destination with a robust history or a beach, and she’ll be right there. Mason previously volunteered with the Human Rights Campaign. She used her stance on equality and research to curate this article.