Although Santa Fe isn't a large city (the population is about 65,000), New Mexico's capital does have a large and lively gay community, and it throws quite a Gay Pride celebration in late June (on June 27 in 2009, but there are a number of related events throughout the city during the entire week, from June 20 through the end of the month). Additionally, two weeks earlier, Albuquerque Gay Pride takes place 50 miles south. Like many other cities that celebrate pride in June, Santa Fe does so at this time 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.
Book rooms and compare rates at hotels in Santa Fe during Gay Pride
Many major cities around the world host their Gay Pride Celebrations around this same time, among them Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Minneapolis, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, and Toronto.
Gay Pride in Santa Fe takes place on the city's historic Plaza and consists of a festival with arts, crafts, retail, and GLBT organization booths. The festival runs from 10 am until 5 pm. There's also a short parade that runs from the New Mexico State Capitol north along the Old Santa Fe Trail, before culminating at the Plaza. In 2009, the talented and openly gay stand-up comic Ant will be performing a live concert in Santa Fe on Thursday, June 25 - check the HRA website for details and ticket information.
Santa Fe Gay Pride kicks off just a few days before the opening of the famed Santa Fe Opera season.
Also keep in mind that the nearby community of Madrid, a funky and gay-welcoming enclave along the scenic Turquoise Trail, has also begun holding its own Gay Pride festival, an effort spearheaded by the lesbian-owned Mine Shaft Tavern. Check the Mine Shaft's website for details on the 2009 event.
Of course, additionally, numerous gay bars as well as gay-popular restaurants, hotels, and shops in Santa Fe have special events and parties throughout Pride Week. Check with the Santa Fe Convention & Visitors Bureau, for more ideas about planning a visit here.
