June is Pride Month everywhere, but here in Philly, home of Philadelphia Freedom, we do Pride especially well. LGBTQIA+ events and activities taking place across the city, from the Gayborhood to Germantown, include festivals, parties, sporting events, and arts and culture for all ages and backgrounds.
XL Pride Events in Philly
LOVE A PARADE, A FESTIVAL, AND A STREET PARTY. This is the big one. GALAEI is behind the 2023 centerpiece: Philly Pride 365. It starts June 4 at 10:30am with the Love, Light and Liberation march from Independence Mall (5th and Arch streets) to the Gayborhood (12th and Locust). That’s where the daylong (from noon to 7pm) festival takes place, replete with a family zone, sober zone, food trucks, and performances — including featured Latino and Afro-Latino performers — on two stages. Free.
JOIN THE ULTIMATE PRIDE BLOCK PARTY. Iconic LGBTQIA+ bookstore Giovanni’s Room (named after the James Baldwin novel) celebrates its 50th anniversary during QUEERAPALOOZA on June 10 from noon to 5pm. The block party and music festival takes place on Pine Street and includes nonstop drag performances, live queer bands and DJs. Look for local artists and vendors too. Free. 345 S. 12th Street
Pride Performances in Philadelphia
EXPERIENCE BILLY PORTER. You fell in love with him in Pose and followed him on red carpets. On June 1 from 8 to 11pm, see all-around entertainment icon Billy Porter onstage at the Met in his Black Mona Lisa Tour. He’ll sing, tell stories, and generally regale you. Tickets $39-$90. 858 N. Broad Street
SWELL WITH ORCHESTRA PRIDE. On June 3 at 5pm Kimmel gets its musical party started early in Commonwealth Plaza with pop-up performances by drag and musical artists. At 7pm, ANNA Crusis Feminist Choir, The Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus and Philadelphia Voices of Pride join guest conductor Marin Alsop and the Philadelphia Orchestra in Verizon Hall for a free program of works by LGBTQ+ composers and allies. Free, but reservations required. 300 S. Broad Street
Philly Pride Parties
BOARD THE ULTIMATE PARTY BOAT. Sway Philly hosts Pride Philly’s official kickoff on June 2 at 10pm to 2am (on June 3) with a massive, major, Pride Boat Party on the Moshulu. The tall ship will outdo itself on live, pop-up performances, four dance floors, more bars than that, and room for 1,500 of all of your age 21-and-up LGBTQ+ besties. $15-$125, required. 401 S. Columbus Boulevard
CELEBRATE LOVE BEING LOVE AT A BLOCK PARTY. On June 3, from noon to 6pm, Evil Genius brewery in Fishtown hosts an all-ages Love is Love Pride Block Party at their “Lab.” Listen for live music. Look for ax throwing. Line up for face-painting, LGBTQ+ vendors, and, of course, beer. Free, 1727 Front Street
DAY DRINK ON THE DELAWARE. Sweat (the party, not the gym) brings go-go dancers, a wet t-shirt contest, DJs and cocktails to Cavanaugh’s River Deck for an all-humanity inclusive, all-afternoon affair on the waterfront on June 3, from 3 to 8pm. $30. 417 N. Columbus Boulevard
CLUB WITH PRIDE — IN CANDYLAND. On June 3 at 9pm, doors open for Candyland at Concourse, an underground club in Center City. Expect skimpy outfits, serious music — thanks to DJ Abel — major performances — We see you, Circuit Mom! — and go-go galore. Admission: $60-$100. 1635 Market Street (back entrance)
PLAY GAY BINGO. Fun anytime — not just during Pride — GayBINGO turns drag performers into callers, confirmers and improv comedians for a game night that’s more camp than church hall. The theme: Sock hop. The cause: AIDS Fund. Congregation Rodeph Shalom hosts on June 10 at 7pm. Admission: $38. 615 N. Broad Street
TEENS: GO TO A QUEER PROM. The Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Great Stair Hall hosts a Queer Prom geared toward ages 16 to 20 on June 10 from 9pm to midnight. Galalei, the org behind the city’s biggest Pride event, is also behind this one, with music by DJ Delish and performances by Icon Ebony Fierce and Luna The Jawnette. Admission: $15 for students and seniors, $50 for ages 21 and up. 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
HAVE A BALL. The Franklin Institute asks guests to don sequins and strike a pose during its annual Summer Ball on June 16 from 7:30 to 11:30pm. The museum absolutely bursts with things to do: bingo, cheer, screenprint, dancing and dance lessons, mindfulness training, drag — and then the vogue-rich ball itself. Ages 21 and up. Admission: $40-$45. 222 N. 20th Street
Philly Sports Pride
JOIN THE UNION. Pride night at Philadelphia’s Major League Soccer team means rainbow kits, Collin Hughes on Ted Lasso vibes, and the best fan songs this side of the Atlantic. Union vs. Montréal CF is June 3 at 7:30pm. Tickets: $45-$149. Subaru Park, 2501 Seaport Drive, Chester
RUN A PRIDE-FILLED 5K (OR ONE-MILER). The scenic Navy Yard hosts the brand-new Philly Pride Run on June 10 at 8am. Top three female, male, non-binary and wheelchair competitors receive prizes. All proceeds support The William Way LGBT Community Center. Register for the 5K ($65) or the one-mile fun run ($25) by June 2. No race day registration. S. Broad Street and Intrepid Avenue
TAKE YOU OUT TO A BALLGAME. The Phillies host Pride Night at the ballpark — and the Fightins face the Mets, June 23 at 7:05pm. When our boys hit a homer, the giant Liberty Bell turns rainbow colors. Tickets from $23. Citizens Bank Park, 1 Citizens Bank Way
RIDE PROUD IN MANAYUNK. Trek is behind the Manayunk Pride Ride on June 25 from 9:30 to 11:30am. The all-levels, all-inclusive cycling event asks only that you BYO-bike and helmet. Free; registration required. Starts at The Landing Kitchen, 617 Righters Ferry Road, Bala Cynwyd
Philadelphia Family Pride
SKATE THE RAINBOW. Dilworth Park’s outdoor roller rink — the one in front of City Hall — takes its multicolored theme up a notch on June 3, from 6 to 8pm. Pride Skate serves up drag queens, classic anthems, and rainbow cupcakes. Reservations available. $10 adults, $8 ages 10 and under; roller skate rental: $6. 1 S. 15th Street
TEACH LITTLE KIDS PRIDE. The Please Touch Museum, beloved by children ages 2 to 6 and their families, hosts its annual pride celebration on June 10 from 9am to 4:30pm. Expect storytime, a disco dance party, yoga and movement, puppet-making, mural painting and music lessons with Miles Crabtree from Ants on a Log. Admission: $22; $2 ACCESS cardholder. 4231 Avenue of the Republic
PRIDE WITH ANIMALS. The Philadelphia Zoo gets into the spirit for its Pride Day. June 10 from 10am to 3pm, the former botanical garden and its animal residents gets decorated in rainbows to host local LGBTQIA+ orgs. Admission: $25 ages 12 and up, $20 ages 2-11, free under age 2. 3400 W. Girard Avenue
PRIDE WITH A SIDE … OF SCIENCE. Drag star “The” Eric Jaffe demos science experiments. Kids screen print coloring book pages with Second State Press. Kemar Jewel gives voguing lessons, and The Franklin Institute provides the runway to show off those moves stuff during Family Pride Day on June 17 from noon to 4pm. Admission: $25 ages 12-65, $23 military and ages 65 and up, $21 ages 3-11, $2 ACCESS cardholder, free under age 2. 222 N. 20th Street
CELEBRATE PRIDETEENTH. Philadelphia Family Pride is behind a Juneteenth festival that centers Black LGBTQIA+ families in Lovett Park on June 17 from noon to 4pm. The free Northwest Philly festival promises entertainment, education, food and a raffle. Free. 6945 Germantown Avenue
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