Philadelphia Pride on June 5 was a success. It was a success for the community, for those who organized and participated, and for the city as a whole. Hopefully this year will mark the beginning of a new era of annual Pride celebrations in the city. Pride is special, and we were reminded of that on Sunday.
There are plenty of other Pride celebrations happening throughout June and in other months as well. So if you find yourself wanting more Pride energy and if you also want to support communities near (or far, if you want to travel) from Philadelphia, here are some of the other Pride festivities happening down the line.
Disability Pride Philadelphia is having its Pride parade and festival on June 11. The parade, which will feature the Philadelphia Freedom Band, will begin at 11:00 a.m. at Logan Square and proceed to Thomas Paine Plaza for the festival.
Also on June 11 is Haddon Township’s Pride Fest, which kicks off at noon at the SoHa Arts Building and will feature local vendors, art, food, entertainment, and kids crafts; as well as Pride in the Park in Narberth, also at noon. Pride in the Park will feature performances by Brittany Lynn at 12:30, Maddie Fiks at 1:15, Kate Dressed Up at 2:00, and Gloss at 3:00.
On June 15, Atlantic City will have its Pride Flag raising at City Hall at 3:00 p.m. and a Pride kickoff party at 6:00 p.m. Then on June 18 will be the Show Us Your Shoes Boardwalk Rainbow Pride at 11:00 a.m. (Newport Avenue and Park Place).
Doylestown Pride is hosting various festivities the week of June 13, including a community bike ride on June 16 and a block party on June 18 that will feature vendors and music.
Ricky’s Pride is hosting a Justice and Joy luncheon on June 18 at 11:00 a.m. Honorees include gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro, Abington Township Board of Commissioners and Montgomery County Clerk of Courts Lori Schrieber, and D. Bruce Hanes, former Montgomery County Register of Wills.
Center in the Park, a senior center in Germantown, is hosting a Pride celebration on Friday, June 24 from 12:00 to 2:30 p.m. in Vernon Park. The event will feature giveaways, resource tables, mindfulness sessions, and more.
The Bucks-Montgomery Pride festival will be held June 26 at 5:00 p.m. at the Abington Art Center. Hosted by Saga Community Center, the event will feature live music, food, community resources, family-friendly activities, an Art Gallery
New York Pride is, as always, the last Sunday in June, and also similar to years past, there are two different large events to choose from on June 26. Starting at noon at 25th Street, the Heritage of Pride parade will go down Fifth Avenue and then turn to pass Stonewall and Christopher Street. It’s the one with floats, costumes, companies handing out swag, and celebrity grand marshals. This year’s grand marshals are Ts Madison, Punkie Johnson, Schuyler Bailar, Dominique Morgan, and Chase Strangio. The parade will also be broadcast on New York’s ABC station.
The other big event on June 26 is the Reclaim Pride Queer Liberation march, which begins at 1:00 pm. The Queer Liberation march, which arose from people who didn’t like the corporatization of the Heritage of Pride parade, starts at Foley Square (near City Hall) and will head up 6th Avenue to Washington Square Park, where a community gathering will take place.
If you marched in this year’s Philadelphia Pride march, the Queer Liberation march will likely be similar to that. The Heritage of Pride parade will be more similar to Philadelphia Pride parades before 2020.
Even after June ends, there will be Pride events you can attend.
In July, Reading Pride will take place on the 17th and will feature a kids’ corner, drag queen story hour, vendors, a food court, and a beer and wine garden. Then on July 30 will be the Pride Festival of Central PA in Harrisburg.
Lehigh Valley Pride will do its celebration on August 21. Hosted by Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center, the festivities will take place at the Jewish Community Center of the Lehigh Valley and will feature headliners Ra’Jah O’Hara, Alyssa Hunter, Chastity Brown, and Ryan Cassata.
Many of the regional pride celebrations choose to have their events other months than June in order to avoid the crowded schedule. But non-June Pride events also bring home the point that Pride happens every month of the year, and you always have more than 30 days to celebrate yourself and the community.