Few cities have a greater variety of Pride-related gay events going on during the month of June than Chicago, whose Gay Pride Month includes sporting events, food tastings, parades, plays, musical performances, parties, queer youth gatherings, and ceremonies of all kinds. Chicago's most significant Pride events take place primarily during the third week in June (June 21 to June 28, in 2009), in part to honor what many consider to be one of the foremost events in the history of lesbian and gay rights, New York City's Stonewall Riots, which commenced early in the morning on June 28, 1969.
Shop for rooms and compare rates at Chicago hotels during Gay PrideMany major cities around the world host their Gay Pride Celebrations around this same time, among them Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Minneapolis, New York City, San Francisco, Santa Fe, Seattle, and Toronto.
Chicago's main Pride celebrations center around a series of events and parties, culminating in the city's Annual Pride Parade. Events include lectures, awards ceremonies, book discussions, and all sorts of parties. Here's a look at key events that make up the main weekend of Chicago Gay Pride 2009 (check here for a comprehensive list of events:
The Chicago PrideFest Street Festival is a great place to meet local merchants and learn about area GLBT organization. It takes place Friday, June 26, from 3 pm until 10 pm, and on Saturday, June 27, from 11 am till 10 pm. The festivities are staged at the intersection of N. Halsted St. and W. Waveland Ave., live entertainment this year includes the Windy City Cowboys, Jeanie Tracy, the Kimi Hayes Band, Martha Wash, the Joans, the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus, Deborah Gibson, Thelma Houston, BOI TOIZ, Crystal Waters, Inaya Day, Ultra Nate, and drag shows featuring the city's top female impersonators.
One very cool Pride event that takes place in Chicago's diverse and vibrant Andersonville neighborhood, the two-day Backlot Bash Chicago takes place Saturday, June 27, and Sunday June 28, at 5238 North Clark Street (right behind Cheetah Gym). This massive party that's particularly popular with lesbian but welcoming of everybody takes place during the afternoon and evening of both days and features a number of live music performances. The 2009 headliners include Christine Kent, Halcyon, Too White Crew, The Betty Fords, Sean Wiggins, Dot Dot Dot, and hosts Niki Lindgren (on Saturday) and Abby & Celeste (on Sunday). Cover charge is $10 to $15 depending on when you arrive - see the Backlot Bash website for details.
The Pride Run and Walk, held Saturday morning, June 27, by Frontrunners/Frontwalkers Chicago, is a great place to burn off the calories you may have consumed during the Halsted Food Sampling. It takes place at W. Montrose Ave., just east of N. Lake Shore Dr., by Montrose Harbor, at 8:04 am.
There's a Chicago Dyke March on Saturday, June 27, at 1 pm until 2:30 pm. It's held in the city's South Side, commencing the corner of S. Halsted and W. 18th St..
Chicago Pride's big event is its Annual Pride Parade, a wild and celebratory procession that begins at noon on Sunday, June 28. The parade begins at the way-gay corner of Halsted Street and Belmont Avenue and continues north on Halsted, then south on Broadway, then east on Diversey, and then onto Cannon Drive, where it ends in Lincoln Park.
Of course, additionally, numerous gay bars as well as gay-popular restaurants, hotels, and shops have special events and parties throughout Pride Week, especially in the gay-popular Lakeview and Andersonville neighborhoods. Check local gay papers, such as Chicago Free Press and Windy City Times, for details. Also take a look at the excellent website covering the city's GLBT scene, ChicagoPride.com.
