Pride Calendar! A Spotlight on 5 Must-See Pride Events From Around the World

May 24, 2022
TOMMY

Spring has officially sprung, and Summer is just around the corner, which means we’re all getting more and more sprung as the days go by. The shorts are getting shorter, the hats have gone from beanies to ballcaps, and the shirts… well, ideally the shirts are non-existent. And with the warm weather comes another set of perennial perks: Pride parties! June is National Pride month in the US, but the events start well before then around the world and continue long after! Here is a look at some of the must-attend Pride events of 2022-2023.

Puerto Vallarta -- May 23-30

Up first is Vallarta Puerto Pride, a week-long pride event held in one of the hottest gay destinations in the world. PV has quickly become a staple for any world traveler's gay calendar, no matter what time of year, but from Monday, May 23rd until Monday, May 30th, PV is decidedly one of the hottest places in the world to visit. Although the main Pride parade is on Thursday the 26th, every night features a different pool party, dance clubs, and drag events, as well as performance by cute gay singer Brian Justin Crum.

Los Angeles -- June 10-12

Bringing us into Pride Month in the US, one of the first can't-miss events of the summer is no doubt Los Angeles Pride. LA Pride is one of the biggest Pride weekends of every year, and this year is no different. With a bonkers amount of events to choose from throughout the city, you'll have plenty of options no matter what your style or vibe. But be sure to catch the main event, Queen Christina Aguilera on Saturday, June 11th. And if you want to start celebrating Pride even a bit earlier, one of the best events actually happens in the first week of June at Dodgers Stadium. On Friday June 3rd, the LA Dodgers host their annual Pride Night at Dodger Stadium. Even if you're not a baseball fan, Pride Night at Dodgers Stadium is one of the most fun nights you could hope for. Tons of sexy men and women watching tons of sexy men run around on a beautiful day/evening, all the while drinking, and laughing, and taking pictures... it's a total blast.

Chicago Pride Fest -- June 17-19 // Market Days -- August 6-7

Is Chicago Pride an absolute blast? ABSOLUTELY. Is it worth me mentioning in this list? DEFINITELY! Which is why I'm quickly making sure you know that Chicago Pride will be held from June 17th until June 19th. It's sponsored by BudLight Seltzer and will be a blast for sure. But anyone who knows anything about Chicago knows that the real party, the TRUE Pride event for the Midwestern United states isn't Chicago Pride, but rather the famed Market Days in August. From August 6th to 7th, Chicago's Queer neighborhoods stretching from Boystown, upthrough Uptown, and right into Andersonville is filled with more gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and trans people than you know what to do with. It is one of the most fun events of the Summer, and when I lived in Chicago I learned quickly that Market Days was the event around which everyone planned their summer. Put it this way: roughly 60,000 people are expected to attend Chicago Pride Festival, but 120,000 people are expected to Market Days. Whaddya say we make it 120,002 and we meet at Scarlet like the whores we are?

New York City -- June 24-26

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Next up we have the city that started it all: NYC Pride. From June 24th to June 26th, NYC's already unfathomably large population becomes even more unfathomably larger and Queer. Is there a Pride parade? Of course there is. But as the years have progressed and society has grown, so, too, has the way NYC celebrates Pride. Because of how ridiculously corporate Pride events have become over the years—a fact that is in direct contrast to where much of their donation money goes—the Queer community of NYC said enough is enough and decided to return to our roots. Will there be a Pride Parade this year? Sure. Is that the event you should attend? Definitely not. THE Pride event in New York City is the annual Queer Liberation March. Starting at Foley Square and continuing to Washington Square Park, the march's objective is simple: "No Cops, No Corporations, No Contingents, No Floats, No Barricades, No BS!
JUST COMMUNITY!" Last year's event was an incredible display of community and love, and this fourth year will be no different. With LGBTQ+ rights in the crosshairs now more than ever, the Queer Liberation March in NYC is the perfect way to show we're ready to fight.

World Pride in Sydney Australia -- February 17-March 5

Finally, they say the best way to get over a guy, is to get under another guy. And what better place to do that than way down under! Every year one city gets picked to host World Pride and the host city bounces around the globe. This year the winner was Sydney, Australia and because they're located in the Southern hemisphere, their Summer is in our Winter. This is the ideal situation for me because it keeps the celebration going well into our coldest months. And because it's not super far from the Mardi Gras season, World Pride 2023 in Sydney is planning a massive Mardis Gras event. With over 500,000 people expected to attend, it will be one for the ages. If I show them my tits, will they throw me some anal beads? The theme for World Pride 2023 is "Gather. Dream. Amplify—More than just a festival theme, this is a calling," and we love that. What better way to experience a gathering of gays than with the global Queer community? And with World Pride concluding in early March, it also is the perfect gap bridging the end of this year's Pride into the beginning of next year's Pride.