Pride Month 2023: What to see, hear and do in New York City

June is Pride Month, when LGBTQ+ communities throughout the city, across the country and around the world join forces to celebrate solidarity and liberty loudly and proudly. The celebration is especially resonant here in New York City, where the June 1969 Stonewall uprising proved a flashpoint for a burgeoning revolution, and provided a calendar date worthy of commemoration.

The city's biggest events cluster around what's become known as Pride Weekend, which arrives on Friday, June 23, and culminates in the official NYC Pride March on Sunday, June 25. But there are plenty of parades, parties and other special events before then, from which we've assembled some especially choice options, listed in chronological order. We'll add more as we learn about them.

Jersey Pride

Billed as New Jersey's largest statewide Pride celebration, the 31st annual statewide LGBTQ Pride Celebration hits the streets of Asbury Park at noon on Sunday, June 4, when a parade makes its way from Asbury Park City Hall to the ocean, mostly via Grand Avenue. Singer Thea Austin, the voice behind the 1992 dance hit "Rhythm is a Dancer," and drag artist Ada Vox headline a six-hour concert at the waterfront festival grounds, where admission will set you back just $10.
Sunday, June 4 at noon; details here.

Queens Pride

Always a buoyant and colorful affair, the 30th annual Queens Pride Parade makes its way along 37th Avenue in Jackson Heights starting at noon on Sunday, June 4. The route runs from 89th Street to 75th Street, where this year's festival hosts headliners Julian King, Lolita Leopard and the Masterz at Work Dance Family.
Sunday, June 4 at noon; details here.

Brooklyn Pride

Brooklyn Pride is hosting special events and gatherings throughout the month of June, including Pride Night at the Brooklyn Cyclones on June 8 and a free outdoor screening of "Rent" June 9. Consult their calendar for details on those events, which serve as preludes to the main events, the Brooklyn Pride Festival, on Saturday, June 10, at Fourth Street Plaza on Park Slope, with live entertainment starting at noon on Fifth Avenue between Union and Ninth Streets. That's followed by a unique twilight parade at 7:30 p.m., running along Fifth Avenue from Lincoln Place to Ninth Street.
Saturday, June 10 at 11 a.m.; details here.

"Pride Birding"

The Bronx Pride Festival isn't happening until July (see below), but that doesn't mean there's nothing happening in June. NYC Parks is behind this free venture with the Urban Park Rangers in Crotona Park, searching in specific for birds whose plumage features the colors of the LGBTQ+ Pride flag.
Saturday, June 10 at 11 a.m.; details here.

Montclair Pride 2023

Out Montclair produces this big, bountiful New Jersey celebration, which features abundant activities and multiple stages, including a main site at Bloomfield and Fullerton Avenues. Actor and comedian Judy Gold will host the main event on Saturday, June 10. Further performers include Laura Benanti, Rosé, Patrick Wilson, Brandi Massey and the New Jersey Gay Men’s Chorus. The festival ends at 6 p.m, followed by a two-hour street dance party. And check the festival website for details about preliminary events starting June 1.
Saturday, June 10 at noon; details here.

Long Island Pride

Huntington Village is the home of the official Long Island Pride Parade and Festival, scheduled for Sunday, June 11, from noon to 5 p.m. TV personality Ross Mathews serves as the grand marshal of the parade, which starts at Gerard and Main Streets and makes its way to Heckscher Park for further festivities.
Sunday, June 11 at noon; details here.

"Queens at the Garden"

The Queens Botanical Garden celebrates Pride in suitably regal style with a glamorous celebration starring drag performers Marti Cummings, Nani Tsunami and Janae SaisQuoi. Tickets are $25, or $20 for QBG members, with snacks and drinks (alcoholic and otherwise) available for purchase. The garden is easily reached by mass transit, so you can leave behind the wheels when you kick up your heels.
June 14 at 6 p.m.; details here.

“Night Out”

The Knockdown Center in Maspeth hosts a Pride concert produced jointly by the arts and culture websites Pitchfork and Them, offering an exhilarating lineup of alternative queer artists, including Tinashe, Lido Pimienta, Pom Pom Squad and Zebra Katz. Advance tickets are available now, and include an option for making an extra donation to the Transgender Law Center.
Saturday, June 17 at 6 p.m.; details here.

Gender-Affirming Clothing Drive

Lovehoney, a British purveyor of discreetly shipped lingerie and sex toys, is teaming up with the LGBTQ+ youth nonprofit Out My Closet to collect clothing, shoes and accessories. The drive runs from Tuesday, June 20, through Saturday, June 24, in a storefront space at 89 Crosby St., and clothing donations aren't required in order to take items from the available selection.
Tuesday, June 20 – Saturday, June 24, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; details here.

Billed as a protest rather than a parade, the 29th annual NYC Drag March musters at Tompkins Square Park on Friday, June 23.

NYC Drag March

Not just another parade, the annual NYC Drag March is more accurately characterized as a protest in response to the mainstreaming of the official NYC Pride March. (Read up on the history here.) Protest it may well be, but the 29-year-old event is sufficiently well established to be viewed as the unofficial start of the city's main Pride weekend. Participants will gather in Tompkins Square Park around 7 p.m. on Friday, June 23, then set out toward the Stonewall Inn at 8:30 p.m.
Friday, June 23 at 7 p.m.; details here.

Harlem Pride

"Fearlessly Forward" is the theme of this year's Harlem Pride Celebration Day, happening on Saturday, June 24 from noon to 6 p.m. You'll find food, health and wellness resources and plenty of live entertainment at the festival, situated at 12th Avenue and West 133rd Street.
Saturday, June 24 at noon; details here.

Brooklyn Americana Music Festival

This twice-yearly roots music celebration has earned a well-deserved reputation for providing exposure to emerging artists before they hit the big time. The June festival includes intimate club events in Dumbo and Red Hook, but its centerpiece is a free outdoor concert on Saturday, June 24, at Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 6. The music starts at 2 p.m, and an all-ages flag-making workshop leads into a mini Pride Parade at 4:30 p.m. Artists scheduled to appear include Tiger Alley, Crys Matthews and KJ Denhert.
Saturday, June 24 at 2 p.m.; details here.

NYC Dyke March

Like the Drag March, the NYC Dyke March identifies as a protest rather than a parade, striking a defiant stance in the face of discrimination, bigotry and violence,. and leaning into constitutional rights of free speech and assembly by rejecting permits and sponsors. This year's 31st annual event steps off from Bryant Park, Sixth Avenue at 42nd Street, at 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 24, en route to Washington Square Park.
Saturday, June 24 at 5 p.m.; details here.

NYC Pride March

Manhattan's main event is scheduled to take place on Sunday, June 25, starting at noon, headed up by grand marshals Billy Porter, Yasmin Benoit, AC Dumlao, Hope Giselle and Randolfe “Randy” Wicker. The parade starts at 25th Street, heading south on Fifth Avenue to Eighth Street. The route passes and acknowledges the Stonewall National Monument and the New York City AIDS Memorial before ending at 16th Street and Seventh Avenue.
Sunday, June 25 at noon; details here.

"Bliss Days"

Formerly known as "Femme Fatale," this NYC Pride event at The DL Rooftop & Lounge (Delancey at Ludlow) is an "annual celebration of LGBTQIA+ womxn." DJs, dance performances and special guests are promised.
Sunday, June 25 at 2 p.m.; details here.

"Pride Island"

Christina Aguilera tops the bill at this premium-priced Pride celebration, happening at the Brooklyn Army Terminal. Additional performers include Israeli DJs Guy Scheiman and Mor Avrahmi.
Sunday, June 25 at 2 p.m.; details here.

Queer Liberation March

“Trans & Queer; Forever Here!” is the theme of this year's fifth-annual Queer Liberation March, a grassroots alternative parade organized by Reclaim Pride NYC in response to what's viewed as the mainstreaming and commercialization of the official Pride celebration. Participants will rally in Foley Square on Sunday, June 25 at 2 p.m., and then make their way to Washington Square Park.
Sunday, June 25 at 2 p.m.; details here.

"Dreamland: Pride in Central Park"

Purple Disco Machine — a.k.a. German house-music producer Tino Piontek — provides the soundtrack for a memorable afternoon in Central Park. We feel obliged to inform you that this ticketed SummerStage event is officially sold out. That said, there's plenty of green space surrounding Rumsey Playfield, and the gates don't hold the music back.
Sunday, June 25 at 3 p.m.; details here.

Bronx Pride Festival and Health Fair

If you didn't get your fill of Pride events during the month of June, the Bronx is calling: this year's Bronx Pride Festival and Health Fair is scheduled for Saturday, July 15, at Crotona Park Amphitheater. This 12th annual event includes live entertainment and family activities, and runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday, July 15 at 11 a.m.; details here.