LGBTQ+ pride is worth celebrating all year round, but June is when the celebrations really take off.
This is the month when we honor and show love to a community that perseveres in spite of ongoing discrimination. While there are gay pride celebrations and events all over the world, some of the best are right here in The Americas.
If you are a member of the LGBTQ+ community or an ally, celebrate in one of these destinations in The Americas.
New York City, New York
All five boroughs have Pride events, but the largest by far is in Manhattan on June 25. Each year, scores of people descend upon the borough for the festivities.
The first Pride march took place in June 1970, a year after the Stonewall riots that launched the Gay Rights Movement. At that time, it was called the Christopher Street Liberation Day March—a reflection of its political origins.
Some of those political leanings remain, but the modern Pride march is really more of a massive street party with scores of floats and spectators. This year, Billy Porter will be one of the Grand Marshals.
If you aren’t a fan of huge crowds, consider one of the smaller Pride marches. Queens Pride is on June 4, while Brooklyn Pride goes down on June 10. They both offer a great time with a fraction of the crowds.
San Francisco, California
The theme of San Francisco Pride 2023 is “Looking Back and Moving Forward.”
The actual parade is on June 25 and starts on the corner of Market and Beale Streets. It makes its way down Market and concludes on Market and 8th Street.
San Francisco has been a gay-friendly city for years, and you’ll find a high concentration of gay bars and other establishments in The Castro district. Twin Peaks is one of the oldest gay bars in the city, and if you’re looking for some X-rated treats, patronize Hot Cookie.
There are many gay-friendly activities going on all of June, like kink events, speed-dating and Pride Month Wellness Day.
Mexico City, Mexico
Gay Travel 4 U calls Mexico City Pride “one of the largest and wildest Gay Pride events in Latin America.”
Mexico City legalized gay marriage in 2009. In 2022, the whole country said “I do” to marriage equality. These measures would be historic anywhere, but it’s especially meaningful in a Catholic-dominant nation.
Mexico City Pride returned in 2022 after a two-year hiatus. At that time, it attracted approximately 250,000 people who flocked to Paseo de la Reforma Avenue. This year, that figure will surely increase.
The march on June 24 will dominate the Rosa Zona, the city’s main gay area. Afterward, grab a few drinks at one of the gay bars in that district.
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is one of the most gay-friendly destinations in the Caribbean.
The Pride parade is on June 4 and starts at Parque del Indio in San Juan’s Condado district. Expect to see floats, dancers, drag queens and scantily clad people. After all, it’s the Caribbean.
If your schedule permits, head to Cabo Rojo on the other side of the island. That’s where Boquerón Pride takes place from June 8 to June 11, and some say that the gay beach parties there are the stuff of legends. As a town, Cabo Rojo is probably the most gay-friendly in Puerto Rico.
São Paulo, Brazil
Brazil knows how to party, and the Pride events are no different. São Paulo Pride, also known by its official title Parada do Orgulho LGBTQ de São Paulo, takes place on Avenida Paulista.
According to Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, “Over 3 million people parade along Avenida Paulista, the nerve center of Sampa, as São Paulo is affectionately known.”
Music, rainbow flags, and performances, São Paulo Pride has it all. And even outside of Pride Month, São Paulo is gay-friendly, with quite a few gay bars and lounges.
Toronto, Canada
The theme for Toronto Pride 2023 is “Here, There, Everywhere,”— a balance of celebration and political protest. It’ll take place in downtown Toronto on June 25.
Check online for Pride-related events scheduled in this great gay-friendly city.
Outside of Pride events, explore Church-Wellesley Village, the premiere “gayborhood” of Toronto. Some of the top LGBTQ+ bars there include Woody’s, Crews and Tangos, and for the leather community, Black Eagle.
Remember the groundbreaking, U.S. version of Queer as Folk from the early 2000s? Though set in Pittsburgh, much of it was filmed in Toronto.
