The best cities to celebrate Pride in the US
There’s no better way to celebrate Pride than in a new town with new friends. Here are the top US cities to experience Pride this year. | By Paul Oswell | May 12, 2023 (Updated June 5, 2024)
Paul Oswell
Paul Oswell is a British award-winning journalist and published travel author based in New Orleans, Louisiana in the United States. He frequently writes about luxury travel and bespoke experiences around the world. His books include Bucket List North America and The Great American Road Trip, as well as New Orleans' Historic Hotels. He has also been an editor of and contributor to several guidebooks/editions, including New Orleans, Florida, Orlando, Los Angeles, California and the United States. His work has appeared in Conde Nast Traveler, Travel & Leisure (both of which he has written multiple online travel guides for) and The Guardian, as well as dozens of international newspaper and magazine titles, and inflight magazines for major airlines.
During the month of June, Pride celebrations take place all over the U.S. Parades, marches and concerts celebrate the present and commemorate the past of the LGBTQ+ community in a blaze of inclusion, color and spectacle. Here are our suggestions for the best places across the country to celebrate Pride this year:
New York
If you want to attend a Pride celebration that’s steeped in history, then New York City is the place to be. One of the most important cultural events took place here at the Stonewall Inn in 1969, when the LGBTQ+ community protested for their human rights. The first Pride march took place the very next year, in 1970.
Those historic events and more are celebrated and commemorated in New York during Pride week in late June, including one of the largest Pride marches in the world (this year on June 30). Stay at Motto by Hilton New York City Chelsea for easy access to Greenwich Village and be right in the thick of the party. The neighborhood turns into a giant street fair, and you can see amazing live performances, grab a bite to eat, shop at LGBTQ+ local businesses and purchase souvenirs.
Be sure to arrive at least a few days ahead of the main event to enjoy the dozens of Pride-related activities and gatherings happening around the city like Youth Pride and special game nights at Yankee Stadium.
Photo by J. Fusco for VISIT PHILADELPHIA®
Philadelphia
The City of Brotherly Love goes all out for Pride welcoming tens of thousands of visitors to join in Philly Pride Month. The first two weekends in June see the majority of the celebrations, with flag raisings, boat parades, parties and concerts.
The epicenter of the festivities can be found in the city’s Midtown Village neighborhood — affectionately known as the Gayborhood — on the blocks between 11th and Broad streets and Pine and Chestnut streets. In 2007, Philadelphia Mayor John Street dedicated 36 rainbow street signs around the neighborhood. These signs have since multiplied, adorning dozens more streets, homes and businesses.
For a stay in the heart of the action, centrally located Canopy by Hilton Philadelphia Center City is just a couple of blocks from City Hall and amid all the downtown Pride celebrations. Make use of the hotel’s complimentary Canopy bikes for a fun way to explore the city during this amazing month.
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus Pride, aka Stonewall Columbus Pride, is one of the largest LGBTQ+ events in the country, attracting more than 700,000 visitors. This year, festivities run throughout the month of June, with Pride March happening on June 15th.
Columbus is home to several LGBTQ+-friendly neighborhoods. German Village is the city’s oldest LGBTQ+ neighborhood with cobbled streets, elm trees and elegant, historical houses. Short North is the city’s newer LGBTQ+ district, boasting farmers markets, art galleries, boutique shops and trendy bars and nightclubs.
The majority of Columbus Pride festivities will take place at Goodale Park on June 14th and 15th. Celebrations will include two stages of live entertainment, a dance pad, a resource fair, drag performances and over 200 vendors.
San Francisco
The West Coast can also boast about having one of the largest Pride parties in the country thanks to San Francisco Pride drawing in an estimated one million visitors. This year’s epic Pride Parade will take place on June 30, with celebrations all along Market Street leading to the Celebration festival at Civic Center Plaza. It’s a diverse mix of marchers, floats, dancers and community organizations supporting the LGBTQ+ community.
While the parade is considered the main event, you’ll also find community-run stages and venues set up throughout the city with musicians, dancers and entertainers. San Francisco is a great city to walk around, and you can stay right in the center of the Pride celebrations at Parc 55 San Francisco — a Hilton Hotel, a beautiful boutique hotel located between Civic Center and Union Square. The on-site Michelin-rated Thai restaurant, Kin Khao, is an ideal spot for refueling with seasonal dishes before jumping back into the nearby festivities.
Across the country, communities gather to celebrate inclusiveness and diversity with a range of parties, parades and festivals. Join the thousands of participants and spectators this June at any of these top destinations for Pride celebrations and be a part of the jubilation.
Read more:
Find travel inspiration