NYC's best Pride events for 2026, from the marches to concerts

Grab your outsized fans and pull up your jockstraps: The NYC Pride March returns on Sunday, June 28, bringing thousands of participants, performers, activists and spectators into the streets of Manhattan for one of the world’s largest LGBTQIA+ demonstrations. The march begins at noon at 26th Street and Fifth Avenue before traveling south through Midtown and continuing into Greenwich Village, ultimately ending near the Stonewall National Monument.

This year’s march once again serves as both a celebration and a (somehow still needed) call for LGBTQ+ visibility, rights and unity, featuring community organizations, advocacy groups, artists and allies. Beyond the march, Pride weekend includes related programming across the city, turning the last weekend in June into a citywide celebration of queer culture, activism and joy.

Queens Pride Parade and Multicultural Festival once again turns Jackson Heights into the city’s most joyfully unruly block party on Sunday, June 7. The second-oldest Pride march in New York City shuts down 37th Avenue between 89th and 75th Streets for a technicolor procession of floats, performers and community groups, before spilling into a street fair. Born from activism in 1993 and still rooted in visibility, it’s Pride with a distinctly Queens sensibility: deeply diverse, proudly local and gloriously alive.

Celebrate Pride Month with an after-hours party at the American Museum of Natural History, where Pride Night at the Museum: Forces of Nature transforms the Upper West Side institution into a queer climate-conscious extravaganza from 7–10pm on June 12. The 21+ event blends drag performances, sustainability talks, DJ sets, art installations and immersive science experiences, headlined by eco-drag icon Pattie Gonia alongside VERA! and Sequoia. Equal parts dance party, runway show and call to action, it’s one of the city’s smartest—and splashiest—Pride events.

Books and burlesque collide in this delightfully brainy Pride Month spectacle at Caveat on June 13. The evening pairs acclaimed queer authors reading from new works—including novels, nonfiction and memoir—with original burlesque and drag performances inspired by their books. Hosted and produced by Fortune Cookie, the show features a lineup of writers and performers celebrating queer stories, sexuality and self-expression in equal measure. 

Over the course of the event, Wayne Koestenbaum reads from his novel My Lover, The Rabbi alongside BiBi Knockers; Grant Ginder presents So Old, So Young with Michael L. Becker; Perrin Roosevelt Ireland shares from the graphic nonfiction book Poking the Squid: What We Can Learn from Animal Sex paired with Ceruleanna Blue; Adam Morgan discusses A Danger to the Minds of Young Girls: Margaret C. Anderson, Book Bans, and the Fight to Modernize Literature alongside Whiskey Jules; Charlotte Brooks reads from The Moys of New York and Shanghai: One Family's Extraordinary Journey Through War and Revolution paired with Fortune Cookie; and editor Denne Michele Norris reads from Both/And: Essays by Trans and Gender Non-Conforming Writers of Color alongside Sapphic Fire.

Brooklyn Pride festivities take over Park Slope bar Good Judy (563 5th Ave.) with an all-day celebration on June 13 that keeps the energy going well into the night. The party kicks off in the afternoon before DJ Hope808 takes over the decks, followed by Jimmy Kraft performing favorites from Madonna’s songbook. Later, guests can grab the mic for Yas Kween Karaoke, hosted by Leslie with live piano accompaniment, before DJ Romblay closes out the evening. Expect a lively crowd, plenty of sing-alongs and a full day of Pride revelry in one of Brooklyn’s favorite queer gathering spots.

In case you need more Pride activities to help you make it until at least Halloween, consider jumping on Metro North and heading to Yonkers Pride June 13. Returning to Downtown Yonkers for its ninth annual festival, the daylong celebration centers on this year’s theme, “Stronger Together.” The free event features live entertainment, community organizations, family-friendly activities and a headline performance by RuPaul’s Drag Race favorite Luxx Noir London. Festivities began with a Pride flag-raising ceremony at City Hall June 12, but the main event takes over Main Street on Saturday from 1pm–7pm, bringing thousands together to celebrate LGBTQ+ pride, visibility and community in the heart of Yonkers.

Pride Month gets a hilariously irreverent twist at Gay Shame, a queer comedy showcase and dance party at Brooklyn's littlefield (635 Sackett St) on June 14. The evening features some of NYC’s sharpest LGBTQ+ stand-up comics, including Amanda Maryanna Gordon, Jeremy Crittenden, Julia Wendt and Erik Martini, alongside a deliriously unhinged tribute to the beloved film Dirty Dancing from hosts Ely Kreimendahl and Sheria Mattis. Stick around after the laughs for a Pride dance party that keeps the celebration going late into the night. Ages 21 and up. 

One of NYC Pride’s most colorful brunches returns on June 13 for its third year with an afternoon of drag, music and celebration. Hosted by Pixie Aventura and headlined by Mariah Paris Balenciaga of RuPaul’s Drag Race fame, the cabaret brunch also features performances by Pink Pancake, MysterE Mel and Freeda Kulo, plus choreography by Nick Nazzaro and Eli Alfau and music from DJ Xavier Mazara. Expect inventive brunch fare, signature cocktails and a lively crowd. Even better: A portion of proceeds throughout June benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

The Irish Rep is getting a little more fantastical with the U.S. premiere of Pea Dinneen: Raising Her Voice. Dubbed a "trans fantasia," Dineen's award-winning show comes from the Dublin Fringe Festival for a limited run, directed by John King, tracing the Dublin-born performer's reclamation of her voice through a mix of storytelling, original songs and ‘90s pop anthems reworked into something subversive and personal. The production blends humor, memoir and music into a charged coming-of-age narrative about identity, nationhood and self-expression—plus a crash course in modern Irish culture.

Growing up in NYC is a wild experience—where else can teens get the chance to have a prom at the New York Public Library? This Pride season, the NYPL brings back its all-inclusive night of dancing, crafting and eating June 18, including a fashion show courtesy of student designers from the High School of Fashion Industries. The event is free for all teens aged 12 to 18. Tickets are free, but you must RSVP in advance to attend.

NYC Pride’s annual Youth Pride celebration returns to Pier 16 on Saturday, June 27, with a free daylong event created for LGBTQIA+ youth, families and allies. The carnival-style gathering will feature DJs, musical performances, games, food and non-alcoholic beverages, wellness resources and appearances from special guests, alongside community programming focused on queer and trans youth empowerment. Organizers say more than 2,000 attendees are expected for the celebration—so consider RSVPing to save a spot—which will include workshops, advocacy resources and interactive activities.

Womxn (re-)unite for Pride 2026! The June 28 Re-United Pride Party in Midtown Manhattan runs from 3pm till midnight for lesbian, queer, trans and non-binary communities to revel in the last Sunday in June together, with two floors of music, DJs and live performances alongside a full-scale dance party. Hosted in partnership with several queer nightlife collectives, Re-United Pride is one of the headline ticketed NYC Pride events closing out the weekend, so don't miss out!

Pride season continues in soaring fashion as the Stonewall Chorale joins forces with cellist and composer MIZU on June 18 for a genre-blending concert of voice, cello, video and soundscape at the Upper West Side's Saint Paul & Saint Andrew (263 W. 86th St.). Led by Artistic Director Cynthia Powell, the program pairs classical and contemporary choral works with MIZU’s immersive solo pieces, including selections from Forest Scenes and new arrangements written for choir. Additional selections include Jake Runestad’s Cello Songs, two works by composer Ola Gjielo and Tõnu Kõrvits’ Reflections from a Plain.

These days, we're more apt to go to the boy aquarium to live out our Heated Rivalry fantasies, but we can make do with an en plein air event to ogle athletic men swinging bats and grabbing balls for the Mets' annual Pride Night. This year, the hometown team goes up against the Phillies for a night of ball-playing with a side of DJs, Pride merch, themed cocktails and more. The first 15,000 fans get a Mets Pride sleeveless jersey (yeah, sleeveless) and post-game fireworks billed as "Pride-themed," which begs the question: What do non-gay fireworks look like?

Fans can also start early at a free pre-game party from 5–7pm at Willets Point Brewery on Seaver Way, once again hosted by Jan Sport with a live DJ, mascot appearances and performances from the Queens Crew.

PrideFest is a typical NYC block party—but one with way more sequins and exposed flesh. The annual event returns on Sunday, June 28, as one of the signature events of NYC Pride Week. Stretching along 4th Avenue between 14th Street and Astor Place, the all-day celebration of LGBTQIA+ culture and visibility transforms the neighborhood into a bustling open-air fair filled with live performances, DJs, community booths, food vendors and (of course) Pride merch. There will also be resources and information available for those looking for something more than an afternoon of community, making it both a party and a civic gathering.

In case performing stand-up comedy wasn't vulnerable enough, the comedians at this Bushwick comedy night bare their bodies as they bare their souls, making bombing a joke something akin to one of our recurring nightmares. On June 25 at a secret Brooklyn venue (you'll get the address in your confirmation email), the first two rows are nudity-optional for audiences during the 7pm and 9pm shows, both hosted by Billy Procida.

Two things to note: Sexual activity is prohibited. Audience members' phones will not be allowed out during the show. And maybe really think about what is best left as an inside thought before you open your mouth at the venue.

National Queer Theater’s annual Criminal Queerness Festival returns to HERE Arts Center (145 Sixth Ave.) June 9–27 as the official theater event of NYC Pride (which is not to say that there won't be plenty more queer theater happening this month throughout NYC). The Obie Award-winning festival spotlights new works by LGBTQ+ playwrights from countries where queerness is criminalized or censored, with this year’s lineup centering Arab queer voices. The 2026 edition includes the punk-infused musical Area D, the dark comedy faggy faafi Cairo boy and the surreal afterlife fantasia Syrian Soap. 

This Pride Month, the streets surrounding the Stonewall Inn won’t just host celebrations. They’ll become a living museum. From June 20 through July 2, storefront windows across Greenwich Village will transform into a sprawling public exhibition marking the 10th anniversary of Stonewall National Monument, the first U.S. national monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ history. Called Stonewall National Monument 10, the self-guided walking exhibition will spread across 27 neighborhood businesses, using archival photography, historical posters and ephemera to trace the LGBTQ+ rights movement before, during and after the 1969 Stonewall uprising.

The exhibition revives a series of large-format historical posters originally created in 2014 by Village resident Susanna Aaron with text by historian David Carter, whose book Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution remains one of the definitive accounts of the uprising. The posters debuted during the 45th anniversary of Stonewall and have largely remained unseen since.

Good Judy’s Pride Block Party is back, and Park Slope is once again about to lose its collective mind in the best possible way. On Saturday, June 20, the bar spills out onto 5th Avenue for an afternoon of drag, DJ sets, performances, and pure sidewalk euphoria. The lineup includes Miss Ma’am She, Essa Noche, Roque, Chiquitittas, Sheisblue, Rayne and Ella Fartzgerald, plus a special performance by Tiff Froth of Midnight Magic and a full set from DJ Seanti69. Expect cocktails, chaos and plenty of queer joy.

By rights, Dylan MarcAurele’s raunchy musical spoof of HBO's skate-away success about gay hockey players should not be nearly as funny as it is. But as directed by Alan Kliffer, this scrappy show is an unexpected delight in the irreverent camp tradition of Silence! The Musical! and the original Asylum production of Titanique. Writer-composer MarcAurele rolls out a seemingly inexhaustible series of double entendres, and the high-spirited cast of five actors—led by grade-A cuties Jimin Moon and Jay Armstrong Johnson as the central couple—score with nearly every shot they take. Most of the show’s comedy stems from the tonal clash between the steamy subject matter and the earnestness of traditional musical theater, and it wouldn’t work if the cast (which also includes Ryann Redmond, Ryan Duncan and Cherry Torres) weren’t experts at the latter. It’s knowingly silly but also, sneakily, just a little sexy, too. It knows how to wink both ways at once. Read the full review. 

HAGS, New York City’s acclaimed, queer-owned culinary gem, has announced the return of its popular Pay-What-You-Can Farm Dinner Series for the summer. Since June 3, the tiny but mighty restaurant is opening its doors every Wednesday evening for a five-course prix fixe experience featuring produce fresh from the farmers market and offered on a pay-what-you-can basis.

Returning for its second year, this mid-summer series celebrates the peak of New York’s produce season. Every Wednesday morning, Chef Telly Justice and her team head to the Union Square Greenmarket to source fresh ingredients. The five-course menu is conceptualized and written day-of, shaped entirely by what they've found at the market. Dinners are completely unique from week to week, featuring a menu separate from their standard nightly offerings. Both omnivore and vegan/gluten-free options are available.

To complement the evolving plates, Camille Lindsley and the beverage team have curated a fixed-price beverage experience featuring thoughtful wine pours designed to elevate the day’s harvest. While the meal carries a suggested price of $100 per person, guests are invited to pay whatever they can, mirroring the restaurant’s successful Sunday brunch program.

Juneteenth and Pride Month harmonize at Unspeakable Joy: A Juneteenth Concert, presented June 20 by the East Midtown Partnership with the NYC Gay Men’s Chorus at Christ Church NYC (524 Park Avenue). The 75-minute program centers the intersectionality of Black and queer identity, featuring powerful solos, ensemble works and personal reflections from Black members of the Chorus, who share what Juneteenth means to them. Anchored by the full chorus, the evening will be an ode to memory, music and unapologetic joy in the heart of Park Avenue.

Astoria Has Pride returns June 20 for its 4th Annual Picnic in the Park, transforming Socrates Sculpture Park (32-01 Vernon Blvd.) into a full-day celebration of queer joy, community and summertime Queens energy. Bring a blanket, bring your friends and settle in for live music, drag performances, games, local vendors, arts and crafts and a famously chaotic-good lineup of family-friendly Pride programming. Produced by Astoria Has Pride in partnership with Socrates Sculpture Park, the picnic is equal parts neighborhood hang, performance showcase, and reminder of what Pride in Western Queens looks like—including a Puppy Pride Contest.

John Cameron Mitchell returns to The Town Hall for Pride 2026 with a night of music, theater and downtown mischief. Joined by longtime Hedwig and the Angry Inch collaborator Justin Craig and cabaret star Amber Martin (Scissor Sisters), Mitchell brings his signature anarchic sensibility back to a space that’s long been a creative home. Expect a Pride-season extravaganza that will be equal parts sequins and razor-sharp commentary.

Dominick Pupa returns to The Cutting Room with a Pride-adjacent night that is absolutely not a Pride show, even if it is Pride weekend and he is, in fact, gay. On June 27, the comedian and cohost of Fixing Famous People will extract laughs out of his signature pop culture dissection, gay singledom commentary and extremely specific debates, like the existential difference between being a daytime slut versus taking a nap. Expect razor-sharp song parodies that will expand your swear word vocabulary, plus the kind of unfiltered takes that make Instagram commenters spiral. It’s comedy, chaos and self-awareness with a gimlet side-eye and maybe a gimlet on the rocks).

Writer-comedian Morgan Bassichis unearths the oeuvre of the openly gay queer comic Frank Maya, who broke ground in his industry but died of AIDS before he could fully break out. Bassichis's tribute at the Maya temple includes archival material as well as new meditations on queer culture, loss and survival. Directed by recent Tony winner Sam Pinkleton (Oh, Mary!), the show had a successful trial run at La MaMa, and now decamps to SoHo Playhouse for a longer go. 

The Empire State Building's tower lights will shine in the rainbow colors of the inclusive Pride flag on Sunday, June 28, coinciding with the date of NYC's Pride March.

The Empire State Building has been an icon since it opened in 1931 as the world's tallest building. Though the landmark may have lost its No. 1 height status, it's remained a beloved destination with incredible views of the city. The tower's lights change colors to honor holidays, special occasions and special causes. Thanks to a state-of-the-art LED system, the lights glow in a dazzling palette of 16 million colors with limitless combinations. 

There are few summer rituals more satisfying than watching a movie outdoors under the glow of the Manhattan skyline. Fortunately for Brooklyn film lovers, one of Williamsburg’s most popular seasonal movie nights is making its return.

The William Vale has announced the return of its annual Vale Cinema Series, bringing six poolside screenings to the hotel’s rooftop this summer. The series takes place at the Vale Pool, which has been transformed for the season into the Sephora Summer Club, a colorful collab that pairs outdoor movies with city views and cocktails.

Running from June through August, the lineup primarily consists of crowd-pleasing favorites and cult classics, one of which is a special Pride Month presentation of the beloved rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch on June 29.

City Center's invaluable Encores! series concludes it 2025–26 season with a look back at the Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein's groundbreaking 1983 musical, adapted from Jean Poiret's French stage play. In this all-Black version, directed by Robert O'Hara (Bootycandy), Billy Porter and Wayne Brady star as a middle-aged gay couple in St. Tropez—proprietors of a popular drag nightclub—who must go back into the closet to meet the arch-conservative parents of their son's fiancée. James Jackson Jr. plays their flamboyant maid and Tonya Pinkins is their friend, a swanky restaurateuse; Alaman Diadhiou and Rachel Webb are the younger couple, and Peter Francis James and Sharon Washington are the mean in-laws-to-be. Joseph Joubert is the visiting musical director.

Take your movie-going experience to the next level this summer at Rooftop Cinema Club. The experience offers a chance to watch a movie on a Midtown rooftop with vegan popcorn, classic theater candy, and craft cocktails.

For Pride Weekend, the venue is hosting a "Queens of Camp" series starring some of history's most fabulous divas: See  Mariah Carey in Glitter on June 27, and Miley Cyrus in Hannah Montana: The Movie and Marilyn Monroe in Some Like It Hot on June 28.