New York City celebrates Gay Pride for a full week each June, to honor what many consider to be one of the foremost events in the history of lesbian and gay rights, the Stonewall Riots, which commenced early in the morning on June 28, 1969.
Book a New York City hotel room during Gay Pride Week.
Many major cities around the world now host their Gay Pride Celebrations around this time, among them Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Santa Fe, Seattle, and Toronto.
Also, be sure to consider some of the New York Pride events that take place in neighboring boroughs earlier in the month, such as Queens Gay Pride and Brooklyn Gay Pride, as well as events in neighboring states, such as Connecticut Gay Pride in Hartford and New Jersey Gay Pride in Asbury Park.
In New York City, Pride celebrations typically center around five events held over the entire fourth week of June (from June 20 to June 28, in 2009) - this year is expected to be especially impressive, as it's the 40th anniversary of Stonewall. Note that in 2007, because of a controversy involving the city's refusal to issue a permit for the desired location, the PRIDEfest event was cancelled, but in 2008 it came back better than ever. And once again there will be five key celebrations to partake of during Pride (there's also new NYC Pride event, Fairgrounds, which takes place in New Jersey at Six Flags Great Adventure in mid-September): The Rally (the earliest of the events, taking place June 20), PRIDEfest, The March, the Dance on the Pier, and Rapture on the River. The events all take place in the West Village, very close to the city's other gay-popular neighborhoods like Chelsea and the East Village. Here's a quick look at each one:
The Pride Rally takes place at Bryant Park on Saturday, June 20, from 2 pm till 6 pm and features a slew of prominent speakers and performers. Last year's hosts were GLBT comic legends Bob Smith and Judy Gold. Also there were appearances by the NYC Gay Men's Chorus, NY Sen. Tom Duane, poet Samiya Bashir, the original designer of the Rainbow Flag Gilbert Baker, Julie Goldman of The Big Gay Sketch Show, favorite of the lounge set Naommon.
RAPTURE: A Women's Dance occurs at Pier 54 (13th St. by the Hudson River, in Hudson River Park). This thumpin' dance, featuring the music of DJ Susan Levine, starts at 6 pm on Saturday, June 27, and lasts until 11 pm.
The March, now in its 40th year (for 2009), commences at noon on Sunday, June 28, at 5th Avenue and 52nd Street and winds its way downtown to the intersection of Christopher and Greenwich streets. This is arguably the must-see event of Gay Pride in New York City, drawing thousands of spectators. Last year the Parade Grand Marshals were Candis Cayne, PFLAG, The Gay Center of New York City (which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2008), and Rainbow Flag designer Gilbert Baker.
PRIDEfest came back in 2008, after a temporary absence in 2007, and in 2009 is held on Sunday, June 28, from 11 am until 7 pm along Hudson Street between Abingdon Square and W. 14th St.. The festive (and free) GLBT street fair features dozens of vendors, entertainers, and community organizations.
The Dance on the Pier provides a grand finale for New York City Gay Pride. Thousands of GLBT revelers and friends congregate on Pier 54 (13th St. at the Hudson River) following the Pride March, at 4 pm on Sunday, June 28, until a massive fireworks show at 10:30 pm. Last year there was music by Joe Gauthreaux and Tracy Young. It's one of the great gay Manhattan parties of the year.
Of course, additionally, numerous gay bars as well as gay-popular restaurants, hotels, and shops have special events and parties throughout Pride Week. Check local gay papers, such as Next Magazine and the New York Blade for details. And be sure to check out the helpful GLBT website produced by the city's official tourism organization, NYC & Compancy.
