Throughout this weekend — and really all month — D.C. will be awash in rainbows and Pride festivities. The celebrations elevate the collective mood of the city in a way almost nothing else can. The only problem is figuring out which events to hit and which to save for next year. To help you plot out your calendar, we’ve got everything you need to know about the best Pride happenings in the D.C. area. Whether you’re looking for all-night parties, LGBTQ+ author talks or family fare, this D.C. Pride guide has got you covered.
The most prominent show of Pride is Saturday’s parade, which is keeping a similar route to 2022. Marching groups, floats, dancers and drummers set off from 14th and T streets NW at 3 p.m., passing through Shaw and Scott Circle and around Dupont Circle on their way to the finish line at 21st and P streets NW. Warning to those who want to watch the whole thing: It traditionally takes about four hours for all groups — there were more than 200 last year — to finish the 1½-mile route. The smart move is to find a restaurant or bar along the way, such as 14th Street’s Trade or Jane Jane, and arrive early to stake out a table on the patio, where you’ll have access to refreshments and, more importantly, bathrooms. Note that there’s a dedicated family viewing zone at 17th and P streets NW, next to Stead Park, where the Playtime Project is sponsoring the Family Zone with games, crafts and drag story hour from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday from 3 to 7 p.m. Free.
17th Street Block Party
The stretch of 17th Street NW near Dupont Circle has long been home to LGBTQ businesses and nightlife, including Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse, honored with a James Beard American Classics award for its 75 years of service, and the decades-old JR’s, which organized the first High Heel Races. On parade day, the stretch between P and Q streets is closed to cars and transformed into an outdoor party with multiple beer gardens, food trucks, games and patio seating at restaurants. DJs provide the vibes, while host Citrine and 16 drag kings and queens take the stage throughout the day. Pro tip: The parade comes right up to the corner of 17th and P, so try to find a space at that end of the block if you want to watch the world go by. Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. Free.
Pride on the Pier at the Wharf
Consider Pride on the Pier at the Wharf to be the alternative to the Capital Pride Parade. They take place almost simultaneously, and you can even watch the parade on a jumbo screen, with the Washington Channel as a backdrop. Pride on the Pier’s entertainment includes a drag show with Cake Pop, King Flirty Rico and Brooke N Hymen at 3 p.m. and DJs Juba and Honey turning the long District Pier into a dance party from 2 p.m. on. Entertainment spreads out along the Wharf, including a family zone and beer gardens, and restaurants and bars are open for food, drinks and a party vibe. The event is capped with a fireworks show, with lights shooting from a barge in the channel. Admission is free, and children and pets are welcome, though a paid “VIP experience” includes access to air-conditioned lounges, private bathrooms and front-row seats for the fireworks. Saturday from 2 to 9 p.m. Free.
Capital Pride Festival
Hundreds of thousands of people fill Pennsylvania Avenue NW during the Capital Pride Festival, browsing booths sponsored by health groups, intramural sports leagues, churches, businesses and volunteer organizations; eating and drinking in several beer gardens; trying mechanical bull riding and other games; bopping along to DJs on multiple stages; or crafting with kids in the Family Zone. It has the feeling of one big joyful family reunion — that was especially true in 2022, after two years of pandemic postponements. The festival stretches along Third to Seventh streets, with stages and beer gardens strategically placed off the main strip in case you need to take a breather, because this is an incredibly popular block party. Sunday from noon to 10 p.m. Free.
Capital Pride Concert
Idina Menzel is gifted with one of the most virtuosic voices in the world, made famous by her star turn as Elsa in “Frozen” and her performances in “Wicked” and “Rent,” among other theatrical appearances. Menzel headlines the concert portion of the Capital Pride Festival, where the lineup also includes revered singer Hayley Kiyoko, who’s also a headliner at San Francisco’s Pride, and ’80s pop princess Debbie Gibson. The concert includes three stages with local DJs and performers, but the main Capitol Stage, with the Capitol building serving as a dramatic backdrop, is where you’ll find the big names. After the performances have finished, the stage hosts DJs to keep the crowd moving. While the concert is free, fans can purchase tickets for the “concert pit” or VIP passes that allow them to get closer to the stage. Sunday: concert 1 to 8 p.m., dance party 8 to 10 p.m. Free. Concert pit $55; VIP $255.
Capital Pride’s parade, festival and concert draw hundreds of thousands of visitors throughout the weekend, but some of the most fun you can have is at smaller events, whether it is dancing until the sun comes up, whooping it up for drag kings or sipping cocktails at an afternoon tea dance.
Riot! at Echostage
Given the number of states attempting to ban drag performances and story times, it feels natural that the first big party of Pride is a celebration of “drag in all its forms.” Headlined by former “RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestants Alaska and Tatianna, with an all-star lineup of local performers, including Evry Pleasure, KC B.Yoncé, Jane Saw and Jaxknife Complex, with music from DJs Ed Bailey, Lemz and Honey, this 18-and-over party should easily fill the city’s best dance club. (The cheapest tickets sold out more than a week ago.) Friday from 9 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. echostage.com. $45-$80.
Booty Rex at the Black Cat
Another proud Pride tradition is the return of Booty Rex, from the DJs behind the Anthology of Booty and She Rex parties, including Kristy La Rat, Junebullet, Natty Boom and Wannabe. Beyond dance tunes, this annual event includes dancers and live drumming. Friday at 8 p.m. blackcatdc.com. $20-$25.
Mixtape at 9:30 Club
Since 2008, Mixtape has offered an alternative to the usual LGBTQ dance parties with a night where pop music meets electro, alternative rock, house, ’80s hits and ’90s remixes. While Mixtape officially went on hiatus in 2018, it still returns to 9:30 Club each year for a raging Pride party. Co-founder Matt Bailer is joined by locals Khelan Bhatia, Diyanna Monet and Pwrpuff. Friday at 10 p.m. 930.com. $25.
Hot Summer Pride at DC9
Flares, platform shoes and polyester shirts are ideal for this retro party, which finds DJ Phoenix dropping disco, remixes and tracks inspired by the legendary Donna Summer. Bring your own fan, and be ready for “Soul Train” lines to break out. Friday from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. dc9.club. Free to $5 in advance. $10 at the door.
Parade Party at Trade
The Capital Pride Parade goes right past Trade’s front door, and the divey bar is ready with a lineup of DJs spinning during the parade, and even more entertainment lasting long after the last float has passed by. The fun starts with Khelan Bhatia at 4 p.m., and then new DJs switching off every two hours. Stick around for the midnight show with Samson, Elecktra G, Chata and Jane Saw. Saturday at 4 p.m. tradebardc.com. Free.
Pride at Bunker
Bunker, an underground dance club with a stripped-down bomb shelter theme, opened in February at the corner of 14th and U streets, replacing Tropicalia. Its extended lineup includes a Pride Tea Dance from 4 to 10 p.m., with drag performances and DJ Steve Sidewalk spinning pop songs. At 10, the focus shifts to Dirty Pop Pride, thanks to DJ Drew G’s mix of mash-ups and pop remixes, and a performance by Naomi Smalls of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” That runs until 3 a.m., before Unhinged Pride, with DJs Paulo Fragoso and Jerac spinning dance tunes until 9 a.m. Saturday from 4 p.m. to 9 a.m. bunkerdc.com. Free before 10 p.m. then $20-$25. $30 after midnight. $50 for Unhinged.
Pride Anthems at the Kennedy Center
This Pride concert, held on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, features Broadway and cabaret singers performing pop songs — think Donna Summer, George Michael, Madonna and Lady Gaga — to evoke and reflect on the journey the LGBTQ community has traveled since the Stonewall uprising. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Saturday at 6 p.m. kennedy-center.org. Free.
Cafecito presents: ‘Munecos’ at As You Are
A special edition of the Cafecito drag king show celebrates Pride at As You Are, with performers including Rico Pico and Ricky Rose, with music from DJ Kristy La Rat. Before the show, an optional Power Hour includes unlimited beers and mixed drinks from 9:30 to 10:30 p.m. for $20. After the show, dancing continues until 2 a.m. Saturday at 9 p.m. asyouaredc.com. Free to $20.
Revolution at WEG Studios
Thunderpuss, the duo renowned for remixing Whitney Houston, Madonna and Britney Spears among a litany of pop artists, headlines Capital Pride’s official Saturday night dance party, held at the WEG Studios, a warehouse-style production stage in Brentwood. The 18-and-over event is hosted in conjunction with Florida Avenue dance club Flash. Saturday from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. flashdc.com. $35-$55.
Capital Pride Official After Hours at Flash
After the official party wraps up, make your way to Flash for the After Hours party, featuring Brazilian house DJ Ana Paula and Mexican DJ and producer Jesus Montañez going until 9 a.m. Buy tickets in advance to save $20 at the door. Proceeds benefit the Cherry Fund, which provides financial support to LGBTQ nonprofit organizations. 3:45 to 9 a.m. Sunday. cherrydc.com. $50-$70.
Brewed Up Pride Brunch at Red Bear Brewing
The first LGBTQ-owned brewery in the city gives its brunch a Pride makeover with Desiree Dike, the host of Red Bear’s drag bingo and “Drag Race” viewing parties, joined by a cast of guest performers, including Sweet Pickles and Thea Trickality. Tickets include two bloody marys, vodka greyhounds or mimosas. Sunday. Doors at 11 a.m. Show at noon. redbear.beer. $25.
Republic Restoratives Tea Dance
The LGBTQ-owned Republic Restoratives, the Ivy City distillery behind Civic Vodka and Dissent Gin, opens its doors on Sunday afternoon for a tea dance for “women-identified and nonbinary folks.” Dance to DJ Diyanna Monet, sip Sbagliato cocktails or Denizens beers, and snack on empanadas. Tickets benefit the National Center for Transgender Equality. Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. republicrestoratives.com. $10.
For many in the LGBTQ+ community and their allies, Pride Month feels like a party, and in some ways — between the drag shows, star-studded festivals and omnipresent drink specials — it is! But June is also a dedicated time of year to commemorate queer history. It is a time to learn something new about LGBTQ+ culture. And it is certainly a time to recognize the artistic and literary achievements of a community with no shortage of either. These events, spread across the month and throughout the DMV, offer opportunities to dive a little deeper between celebrations this Pride Month.
‘The Ground We Stand On’ exhibit at Dupont Underground
The abandoned streetcar station turned arts space has a lineup of events throughout Pride Month, helmed by a month-long exhibit that centers 25 LGBTQ+ change makers past and present who left an impact on Washington and the queer community. Besides the exhibit, there’s the usual schedule of regular drag shows and a closing celebration — theme: queer disco — on June 24 from 8 to 11 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. through June 25. Free.
Queer singers and songwriters at Quarry House Tavern
DMV native Evil opens the show at the Silver Spring bar with their tunes about growing up as a queer person in the South. Evil, who founded the Queer Black Musicians Fund, is not the only artist on the Saturday lineup from below the Mason-Dixon Line. They are followed by Brooklyn-based, South Carolina-grown Tami Hart, a singer and songwriter previously involved with punk and dance outfits like GangWay! and MEN. Kym Register and Meltdown Rodeo, a country band based in South Carolina, closes the night with a transgressive set that centers queer identity and retribution in Southern culture. Saturday at 9:30 p.m. $15.
‘We Have Always Been Here’ film series
The National Gallery of Art centers the work of three LGBTQ+ artists in a live film series that includes a screening of avant-garde film director Su Friedrich’s recent releases, one, an examination of aging and familial responsibility and the other, an observation of everyday happiness and heartache, on June 18. It is followed by a June 24 showing of three recently restored and digitized episodes from the 1990s television series “The Brenda and Glennda Show,” featuring social critic Camille Paglia. “MURDER and murder,” the recently restored final feature film from dancer and choreographer Yvonne Rainer, runs on June 25. A romantic comedy with two women love interests, the intellectual but personal film was inspired by Rainer’s breast cancer diagnosis. June 18, 24 and 25. 2 p.m. Free.
Conversation: Sexuality and the Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance sparked an explosion of Black arts in culture in New York and beyond, but this virtual discussion looks at the less obvious way the early 1900s movement was uniquely influential: a fluid expression of gender and sexuality among its leaders and philosophies. Hosted by the National Portrait Gallery, the discussion between professors Jacoby Carter, who teaches philosophy at Howard University, and Benjamin Kahan, who teaches sexuality studies at Louisiana State University, is part of the museum’s conversation series in LGBTQ+ portraiture. June 20 at 7 p.m. Free.
‘Greetings From Washington D.C.’ and ‘Tricia’s Wedding’ at AFI
As part of its series of recent restorations, AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center presents back-to-back showings of queer-centric films in recognition of Pride Month. “Greetings from Washington D.C.” follows the first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1979, the community’s peaceful protest on the cusp of the approaching AIDS epidemic. The film is immediately followed by “Tricia’s Wedding,” a raucous drag parody of Richard M. Nixon’s daughter Patricia’s wedding to Edward Cox, which premiered on the same day as the event in 1971. San Francisco counterculture darlings the Cockettes perform as Elizabeth Taylor, Jacqueline Onassis Kennedy, Mick Jagger and more in a political film that remains the only one created by the group. June 25 at 5:30 p.m. $13.
Author panel: Writing LGBTQ+ Characters at East City Bookshop
Queer characters anchor the rom-coms, mysteries and other novels by three authors participating in East City Bookshop’s collaboration with SMYAL, an LGBTQ+ advocacy and leadership group. The discussion includes Kosoko Jackson (“A Dash of Salt and Pepper”), Timothy Janovsky (“Never Been Kissed”) and Stephen Spotswood (“Pentecost and Parker” series) on how they approach writing LGBTQ+ characters and themes across genres. This event is also available virtually on Zoom. June 29 at 7 p.m. Tickets priced on a sliding scale.
Because families are more likely now to want to celebrate Pride together, there’s been an increase in family-focused Pride events in recent years. There are options throughout this month that not only allow children but cater to them.
So whether you’re looking for crafts or story times, picnics or roller skating, activities for toddlers or events cool enough for tweens, Pride Month in D.C. has you covered. Here are our picks of some of the best kid-friendly — and kid-centered — events celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride this June.
Takoma Pride Day
Consider bringing the little ones to the Loft Collective’s studio for a free sign-making class on Friday (5 to 7 p.m.) because Takoma’s Pride celebration, which takes place at the Streetery on Laurel Avenue on Sunday, kicks off with a kids’ parade. Then the street fair begins, featuring face painting, community group tables and a Pride photo board. Visitors are encouraged to decorate the sidewalk with artwork (plenty of rainbow chalk will be provided), and drag queen Ms. Hazel will lead a story time at 11 a.m. It’s a good opportunity to teach your kids about the queer community, too — there’s a Trans Fact Check booth, and Busboys and Poets will share information about its new queer and young adult book clubs. Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free.
Pride Paddle on the Potomac
The Potomac Riverkeeper Network is celebrating Pride on the water, and older kids are welcome. This guided kayak trip, co-hosted by Rainbow History Project and Women’s Aquatic Network, includes a tour about the river’s history and ecology. All necessary equipment is provided. Though the tour is suited for beginners, children must be at least 12 and must be accompanied by an adult. June 14 from 10 a.m. to noon. $35.
The Station’s Pride Pawty
This party might be the most family-friendly on this list because, while kids are certainly invited, invitations extend to furry family members, too. Hosted in partnership with Prince George’s County Pride and local animal rescue Senior Dog Sanctuary, the Pride Pawty at the Riverdale Park shopping center has a lineup of contests and activities geared toward dogs. Dress your pet in rainbow costumes to enter the Pride Pup Competition, or take some celebratory photos together in a photo booth. There’s a Starbucks Pup Cup bar, and rainbow doggy treats are available for purchase. June 15 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Free.
Pride Family Day at Glen Echo Park
In its third annual event, Glen Echo Park offers families a day of arts and crafts, free carousel tickets, rainbow desserts and a kid-centered dance party. There are also discounted tickets available to dinosaur-themed Puppet Co. performances at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. The playground, picnic areas and art galleries throughout the park are open during Pride Family Day, too. June 17 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free.
Pride Picnic in the Park at the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington
Rainbow Families, a support group for LGBTQ+ community members and families, knows June is prime time for a picnic. The organization hosts a park picnic at the Arlington museum featuring crafts, a live DJ and other performances, plus more activities to be announced. Local children’s author Vicki Johnson reads her book “Molly’s Tuxedo,” based on her experiences growing up queer. Pack a blanket and your picnic lunch, and keep in mind that while free parking is available at the museum, taking the Metro to Virginia Square is recommended. June 17 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free.
Pride and Unity Quad Roll OUT
One of the oldest skate clubs in the United States, the Washington Area Roadskaters is dedicating this month’s beginner-friendly skating meetup to Juneteenth and Pride Month. Stops include Black Lives Matter Plaza, the LOVE mural in Blagden Alley and the African American Civil War Memorial, plus a trip to Black-owned Eat Well Juice Bar. All skaters are welcome to join, no matter the configuration of your wheels (bikers, longboarders and roller skaters, too!). Take off from Freedom Plaza and end at DC Vegan, where parents can grab a Pride Month drink special from the Botanical Bar downstairs. June 17 from 2 to 5 p.m. Free.
Drag queen story time in Adams Morgan
Different drag artists take the stage each month at Unity Park, but this Pride Month’s story time will be led by queen Itty Bitty. All ages are welcome to grab a blanket or chair and unfurl in the park as she reads a kid-friendly book and talks about diversity and self-love. The event is outdoors and dependent on the weather, so be sure to check for day-of updates on the organizers’ (Adams Morgan Partnership BID and D.C. Public Library) social media pages. June 25 at 11 a.m. Free.