Happy June! Rated first among the world’s LGBTQIA+ travel destinations, New York is the place to spend a fulfilling PRIDE month. Ahead of the city’s jam-packed official PRIDE weekend events June 23-25, we’re sharing our list of some of the many ways you can celebrate queer New Yorkers’ vital contributions to the Big Apple and celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community right here in (and close to) Hell’s Kitchen.
PRIDE EVENTS STARTING NOW
In the mood for a musical celebration of all things queer? While it’s not technically a PRIDE event, the artist described by the New York Times as a mysterious “masked gay country star”, Orville Peck plays Madison Square Garden June 20.
Back in the neighborhood, stroll through the works of local queer creators at Dandyland’s BAN THIS! Queer Erotic Art Fair at Boxers Hell’s Kitchen this Saturday June 17, featuring more than 30 artists (including W42ST’s own Cid Roberts), where you can feel free to join this “kinky celebration of queer activism in the name of self-expression” and should plan to “wear whatever you’re passionate about that heteronormative culture frowns on- KINK, DRAG, TRANS RIGHTS, ETC. (or, if you’re more comfortable wearing street clothes, come as you are!)”
Over at 2022’s Hell’s Kitchen newcomer bar VERS, you can join FERRY PROUD June 17, where you can enter to win tickets to PRIDE Island (held on Governors Island) and enjoy performances from Pink Pancake and Vanity LaVain, all benefitting the New York Transgender Advocacy Group. On June 18, VERS hosts Brunchin’ 9 to 5, a Dolly Parton-themed drag brunch featuring Kanga Roo, Diamante Habibi, and Flippe Kikee as well as Queen of the Night: Queens of Pride, a PRIDE anthem sing-along. On Monday June 19 VERS honors Juneteenth and Black herstory with Nani Tsunami and her dolls in a special Grrl on Gworl as well as a late night show tune Piano Party from Andre Catrini. June 20 you can learn and sip with sommelier Molly Rydzel as part of the venue’s new monthly wine happy hour, followed by Reese Havoc and Hanukah Lewinsky’s The Simple Life: “Two stupid queens, too much fun.” And on Thursday June 22 head to SWITCH: Pride Edition, the bar’s monthly Sapphic party (one of the only in Manhattan) with sets from DJ Skittlez and performances by Ruby Quinn and Showponii.
Celebrate the theatrical works of queer artists by attending Pride Fest at the Tank June 16-25, where you can take in world-premiere works covering everything from the Gospel of Joan Crawford to a Queer Clown Cabaret to a futuristic play set in 2100 to Emperor Penguins. Just down the way from the Tank, take in the impressive choreography and even more impressive feats of burlesque at Broadway Bares, playing the Hammerstein Ballroom and raising millions of dollars for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS on June 18.
Further uptown at Lincoln Center, there are a wide variety of PRIDE month programs celebrating LGBTQIA+ artistry, including screenings of the film Blue Jean June 13-22, the Las Culturistas Culture Awards hosted by Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers June 17, the Bryan Carter Presents: Jazz at Pride concert June 19-20 and performances from Afro-Caribbean group Bazurto All-Stars June 21.
And if you’re looking for a pre-PRIDE weekend celebration that takes advantage of New York’s best sunset weather, try the Garden Party at Pier 76 in Hudson River Park on June 20. Tickets include access to an open bar, tastings from local restaurants and admission to performances from “Vibe” singer Cookiee Kawaii, the Irresistible House of Marc Jacobs, DJ BBARI and more!
PRIDE WEEKEND EVENTS NEAR HELL’S KITCHEN
New York’s official weekend of PRIDE celebrations features marches, meetups and parties all over town, but there are plenty of events in Midtown and Midtown-adjacent areas for local LGBTQIA-focused programming. Over on W42nd Street, Signature Theatre’s Sig Space is hosting SERVE: Pride Prism on June 23, where you can enjoy performances from well-regarded drag artists Isaac Miss Isaac, The Illustrious Pearl, Klondyke and Angel Au. Steps away, there are even more PRIDE-themed performances at PRIDE in Times Square, which not only includes weekend-long sets at the PRIDE Piano Bar but a full multi-day lineup of Broadway star power. The weekend begins with a June 23 kickoff event featuring Tony-nominated performer L Morgan Lee and veteran performer James T Lane (currently starring in a solo show at Theatre Row) as well as the Anthems of PRIDE concert featuring songs and performers from current hits & Juliet, Hamilton, SIX, Some Like It Hot, Shucked and more. Times Square vendors are also offering special discounts during PRIDE.
On June 24, the plaza will feature a festival of interactive PRIDE installations as well as Breaking the Binary Theatre, where director JJ Maley showcases the work of some of the brightest transgender, non-binary, and Two-Spirit+ composers writing in the theater today, as well as performances from the NYC Gay Men’s Chorus and later that evening, the Second Annual Big Broadway Disco dance party!
Back at Green Room 42, there are more theatrical PRIDE events at Alexis Leah and Delaney Jessica Gruber: It’s PRIDE Time, which plays June 23 and features songs celebrating queer culture from Falsettos, Cabaret, The Prom, Kinky Boots, Company, RENT and more! Later that evening, the Green Room hosts Chaos Cabarets: a PRIDE celebration, where all proceeds will go to support The Trevor Project, a nonprofit focused on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning youth.
PRIDE goes to the waterfront with Rainbows on the Hudson on June 24, where you can see a full rainbow regatta from the Knickerbocker Sailing Association, which promotes LGBTQIA+ inclusion in water sports. While the event technically begins downtown, the boats will sail up the Hudson over the course of the afternoon to the Intrepid by Pier 84 before turning around.
If you’re looking for a late-night PRIDE party, check out Brutally Proud at HK Hall on June 23, where organizers declare “The Homo Holy Land has been found” and you can partake in a “musical pilgrimage into sexuality, spirituality, and sacred connection begins with lights and lasers.” Not far away you can also try the circus circuit scene at Matinee Pervert June 23 and performances from Nissim and Deborah Cox at NYC PRIDE XXL June 24, both at Terminal 5. Club Nebula hosts Posh, a “chic day party” on W41St Street on June 24 or go night owl at the Oscuro PRIDE Party at 4am on June 24 at The Cockpit, also on W41st Street. And on June 25, dance the morning away at PRIDE in the Sky starting at 5am on June 25 at the Harbor Rooftop on W46th Street.
Hell’s Kitchen’s local LGBTQIA+ haunts celebrate PRIDE every day, but there are a few bars hosting PRIDE-specific parties and performances, including Boxers, which is hosting a Viva La Vida Latin PRIDE Party June 24 and a PRIDE Street fair in conjunction with Hush on June 25. Over at The Spot and RISE Bar, there will be day-to-night dance parties June 23-25, while RISE Bar will host a PRIDE drag brunch on June 24.
Head to the 9th Avenue Saloon’s one-year reopening PRIDE celebration on June 23 or spend the weekend at VERS, which is planning a full lineup of events. First up is a PRIDE edition of Naarak, the bi-weekly queer Asian night on June 23, PRIDE Brunch, a pool-themed PRIDE party and Disco Electric party on June 24, a Disco Brunch on June 25 followed by Cream Tea, the Sunday afternoon tea dance and late night Pride Vibes dance party with DJ Fantasea. There’s also a brand new gay bar opening just in time for PRIDE weekend, as Frankie’s Pub opens next week (launch date TBD), taking the place of much-loved Thirst. And if you’re hoping to bar hop, be sure to check out our list of Hell’s Kitchen LGBTQIA+ bars!
Celebrate PRIDE in the running community at the New York Road Runners’ PRIDE Run, a four-mile race through Central Park on June 24, which broke the Guinness World Record for the largest PRIDE charity run in 2019. The race benefits New York City’s premier LGBT running and multisport club, Front Runners.
Back at Lincoln Center, there are more PRIDE weekend events including the National Queer Theatre’s the cHIMera: A Staged Reading by Wojtek Rodak on June 22, the Stud Country queer dance party on June 23, performances from LGBTQIA+ mariachi group “Así Soy”: Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles on June 24 and silent discos hosted by the American Ballet Theatre and the Illustrious Blacks on June 24 and June 25.
And while it’s not exactly in the Hell’s Kitchen area, we’d be remiss not to mention the NYC PRIDE March June 25, which kicks off at 5th Avenue and 25th Street and will be grand marshaled by Tony Award-winning actor Billy Porter and activist Randy Wicker!
Want to enjoy PRIDE and help out? The Litter Legion is partnering with Reclaim Pride to provide cleanup support for the Queer Liberation March on June 25 at 2pm in Foley Square. This march is organized solely by volunteers and receives no corporate sponsorship. Cleanup not your thing? There are a bunch of other ways to volunteer including marshaling and food and water distributions.
YEAR-ROUND PRIDE IN HELL’S KITCHEN
Visit the new PRIDE mural at Hell’s Kitchen’s latest Ben and Jerry’s ice cream shop located at 403 W51st Street — the shop is operated by James Healy and Jason Wade Mann, who have just opened their own new LGBTQIA+ bar, FLEX, just next door to the ice cream store. And for a full list of PRIDE events around the rest of New York, check out the official PRIDE NYC calendar!
