It’s time to celebrate Pride throughout the D.C. area.
The city of Annapolis is hosting its Pride Parade & Festival on Saturday. The parade itself starts east on West Street near the Westgate Circle at noon, before turning onto Calvert Street and concluding near where it intersects with Clay Street. The festival afterward will go until 5 p.m. on strips of Calvert and West Street. You can see full list of vendors participating in the event here.
The City of Alexandria is hosting its 5th annual Pride event on Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Charles Houston Recreation Center. In addition to freebies like food and swag, the city is offering free and confidential HIV testing. The day’s events include a speech from Mayor Justin Wilson and a Drag Queen Story Hour.
DC Brau kicked off Pride last week at Navy Yard’s Dacha Beer Garden with the Pride Pils Dance Party & Launch, hosted in partnership with Electric Rainbow. General admission tickets were available for free, and VIP tickets for a donation of $20, which includes a complimentary can of Pride Pils and access to the VIP area near the DJ booth.
Saturday, June 11, is the WERQ Pride Party & Drag Show at DC Brau. Guests will gather from 3 to 6 p.m. in the DC Brau Beer Garden and enjoy performances by D.C.’s fiercest Divas & Queens. Guests can purchase stickers on Eventbrite for $15, with each ticket including a can of Pride Pils.
Proceeds from both events will go to The Blade Foundation and SMYAL.
Of course, the Capital Pride Alliance is hosting a bunch — though no brunch (yet) — of official events.
Friday is Capital Pride Honors at Penn Social from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. to celebrate outstanding individuals, leaders and activists in the National Capital Region who have furthered causes important to the LGBTQ+ community.
Monday is OUT Spoken: A Night of Queer Expression at Busboys and Poets in Brookland. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the show gets going at 8.
Thursday, June 9, is the Rooftop Pool Party at the Penthouse Pool Club in The Yards. Enjoy cocktails, music and mingling from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
The Capital Pride Official Opening Party gets ready to blow the roof off Echostage with RIOT! on Friday, June 10, from 11 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. Follow up the opening party with a daylong block party from noon to 10 p.m. near Dupont Circle.
Block party not enough for you? Saturday, June 11, is also the Pride Parade: The 1.5-mile route “will honor our history and acknowledge the evolution of the LGBTQ+ neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., while respecting the origins and importance of taking to the streets in our fight for equality.” It starts at 3 p.m. and goes until 7:30 p.m.
There will also be a family-friendly zone at Stead Field (1625 P St. NW). A section along the parade route will also be available for families with small children.
Then get ready for another party Saturday night: ReMIX! the party goes from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. at City Winery on June 11. There will be four dance floors and multiple DJs.
Capping off the scheduled events from Capital Pride is Sunday’s festival and concert on Pennsylvania Avenue. Enjoy a full day of entertainment on three stages, plus food, drink and advocacy, with more than 300 exhibitors from noon to 10 p.m. on June 12. It’s big, and it’s free.
On the concert side, at the east end of the festival on Pennsylvania Avenue at 3rd Street, rock out to headlining international entertainers and some of the best LGBTQ+ talent. This stage includes a VIP Zone, Pit Zone and an Accessibility Zone, and is between the Capitol Beverage Garden and Senate Food Court.
More events are listed online.
You can also find local Pride events in Baltimore, Loudoun County and Arlington County that are taking place later this month.
