NYC's best Pride events for 2025, from the marches to concerts

NYC Pride 2025's theme is "Rise up: Pride in Protest." It's a more defiant stance compared to recent years. "As the LGBTQIA+ community faces increasing hostility and legislative attacks, this year’s theme is a reflection of the Pride movement’s origins in protest—and is a powerful call to action for our communities and allies to rally and march in defiant celebration, advocacy and solidarity," their website reads. President Joe Biden's Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has been named as one of the grand marshals for the NYC Pride March.

Here's the full guide to the march on Sunday, June 29, including where to see it, what time to arrive and the lineup of grand marshals.

This annual event brings noise, puppets and plenty of body positivity to NYC's streets the day before the Pride March. BYO signs and banners, and keep in mind that the Dyke March doesn't have a permit—it's a protest, not a parade—so be prepared for possible interference from the fuzz. The march itself is open to all self-identified dykes, "especially BIPOC, transfemme, transmasc, bi, pan, lesbian & nonbinary." All other supporters are encouraged to cheer from the sidelines.

The March begins at Bryant Park (6th Ave/42nd Street) at 5pm on Saturday, June 28. 

The borough’s more-manageable LGBTQ+ celebration—several weeks before the big to-do in Manhattan—includes a movie night, performances, a 5K run and a parade. The parade, known as the city's only twilight parade, runs along 5th Avenue in Park Slope between Lincoln Place and 9th Street on Saturday, June 14. Expect floats and thousands of marchers. 

Cardi B and FKA Twigs will headline the iconic Ladyland festival under the K Bridge in June, and we could not be more hyped.

Representing the Bronx on Friday, June 27, Cardi B will be joined by Cobrah, Danny Tenaglia, Sukihana, DJ sets by Hercules and Love Affair, among many others, while FKA Twigs will present songs from her Eusexua tour with support from Pabllo Vittar, Boris, Eartheater, VTSS, Isabella Lovestory, Kevin Aviance and more on Saturday, June 28.

The category is: celestial! Celebrate Pride Month with a stellar (pun intended) after-hours fête of queer brilliance, featuring hands-on chemistry experiments, interplanetary journeys, collaborative artmaking and, most importantly, delicious treats and cocktails. The starry evening on Friday, June 13 is themed around the museum’s dazzling new exhibition Cosmic Splendor: Jewelry from the Collections of Van Cleef & Arpels, so come dressed in your personal embodiment of the cosmos.

There will be three floors of exciting activations, including timed demonstrations at the Gilder Center and a curated pop-up marketplace featuring goods (upcycled fashion, pins and prints, and more) from LGBTQ+ artists, vendors and organizations.

Elsewhere is already pretty gay on a regular weekend, but their Pride party every summer cranks it up several noches. For a 12-hour long extravaganza that starts at 4pm and goes til 4am, the beloved Bushwick megaclub is bringing in Only Fire & Friends to its main hall, with a rooftop party during the day hosted by the AAPI queer collective Bubble_T on June 28. Other DJs who will be in the house that night include River Moon, Memphy and Sevyn 0000. 

Whether you love him or capital H-I-M, just put your paws up, 'cause you were born to slay, baby. On Saturday, June 21 at from 6:30pm to 9pm, party with pride at Joanne Trattoria's Born to Slay dinner dance party. Produced by Drag Me To Joanne’s Jupiter Genesis, the high-energy evening will feature a DJ set from DJ E-Mood, who will be spinning Pride anthems to keep the vibes up, as well as a fierce drag performance that'll leave you gloriously gagged all night long.

Tickets are $20 per person, with a $35 food & beverage minimum to spend on a delicious selection of cocktails and Germanotta family recipes.

Sure, you've heard of wine pairings. But what about books and burlesque pairings?

During this show at Caveat on Saturday, June 14, award-winning authors will read excerpts from their new books. Then, a burlesque or drag performer will present a spectacular new act they created that was inspired by the book pairing. For Pride Month, the show is extra special with an impressive cast of "wildly queer and spectacular burlesque and drag performers."

The lineup features: Sierra Greer reading from her debut novel Annie Bot, paired with a performance by Tabby Twitch. Then there's the book Dyke Delusions: Essays and Observations by Samantha Mann, which Nina Divina will interpret through movement. Next up is a novel called I Leave It Up To You by Jinwoo Chong paired with a Fortune Cookie performance. See Antonio Amour's exploration of Milo Todd's debut novel The Lilac People. Finally, there's Paul Lisicky's book Song So Wild and Blue: A Life with the Music of Joni Mitchell paired with a Diva LaMarr performance. The show's produced and hosted by Fortune Cookie.

Looking for a little action this Pride Month? You’ll get all that and a lot more at this electrifying night of drag, comedy, homoerotic wrestling and maybe some kissing from your favorite queer NYC performers.

Comedians Carly Kane and Maddie Silverstein are taking over Brooklyn's DiamondHeart Striking and Grappling studio on Saturday, June 21 for this festive variety show and they’re bringing with them fellow exciting folks like Lauren Chan, Michelladonna, Jess Henderson, Honey Pluton, Cherry Jaymes, Molly Kearney, Boy Diva and more. Pucker up!

Back in the 1970s, there was a common rallying cry at early LGBTQ+ marches: "Out of the closets! Into the streets!" An exhibit at The Hispanic Society Museum & Library borrows that refrain for its title as it brings together 18 photographs by Francisco Alvarado-Juárez that highlight the chaotic and colorful vitality of this first iteration of Pride.

The photographs of the 1975 and 1976 marches showcase the racial and ethnic diversity of the movement and reveal the nuanced bonds of kinship formed among marchers from disparate backgrounds. In these early days, Pride was a local effort in New York City known as the Christopher Street Liberation Day March or the Gay Liberation Parade. Held as a direct response to the Stonewall Uprising of 1969, the events were a call for increased queer visibility at a time when New York still enforced so-called "sodomy" laws that facilitated the repression of the LGBTQ+ community.

See the exhibition at the Hispanic Society Museum & Library in Washington Heights through August 31, 2025. It's free to visit.

This isn't a lucid dream—Grace Jones and Janelle Monae are actually performing side by side at the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival on June 9, just in time for Pride. This year's festival will take place at the Prospect Park Bandshell and the stars' performance will begin at 7pm (sunset time in June is 8:30pm), so expect good outdoor vibes while witnessing two of the greatest queer performers to ever grace this planet.

Back for its second year, celebrate queer musical talent in all its glory at PRISM Festival from June 14 to June 28 at Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village as well as The Brick Theater in Williamsburg. Watch creative teams taking part in concert-style, semi-staged performances dedicated to amplifying the voices of queer artists and musical theater. This is how it works: four creative teams embark on a paid developmental process spanning a minimum of 29 hours of rehearsal, culminating in two captivating weeks of concert-style performances.

The plays at this year's PRISM Festival of New Queer Musicals include be Like BONE, created by Storm Thomas Directed, nicHi douglas and Rose Van Dyne; See/Unsee by Lila Blue, Ren Dara Santiago, Jillian Jetton and Noga Cabo; and others. Tickets go on sale on May 16 here.

Despite upsetting news that the National Endowment of the Arts revoked $20,000 from the Criminal Queerness Festival in early May, the festival has defiantly chosen to continue its programming June 11 to June 28 at HERE Arts Center (145 Sixth Avenue).

Criminal Querness Festival is organized by the National Queer Theater and has been dedicated to showing queer and trans artists from countries that criminalize or censor LGBTQ+ communities. The festival is an official event of NYC Pride and this year's festival will feature screenings of Krystal Ortiz’s frikiNation; Tomorrow Never Came, written by Jedidiah Mugarura and set in 1987 Uganda; What You Are to Me by Dena Igusti, which explores the relationship between an aspiring singer and a zine editor; and others.

Because of the current climate, it's asking for the community to rally around its cause by buying tickets or donating.

Brooklyn Art Haus in Williamsburg (24 Marcy Avenue) is celebrating NYC Pride with a jam-packed lineup of LGBTQ+-focused events throughout the month of June. Kicking off the festivities is a Pride Gallery opening on June 4, a special Gay Prom on June 6, a Tony Awards viewing party on June 8 and much more, from queer film nights to Pride-themed comedy shows to a Sailor Moon-inspired burlesque show.

Check out the full schedule of Pride Month fun here.

Queer art is under attack, which means that if there's ever been a time to support LGBTQ+ artists, it's probably now. Luckily, despite the de-funding of queer programs across the country, the Queerly Festival will be back for its 11th year at UNDER St. Mark's (94 St Marks Place) and you can expect a slate of performances highlighting queer joy and resistence from June 12 until July 3. 

Whether it's a one-woman show exploring current affairs through the perspective of two gay boys, a Drag History Hour that recounting the story of the Harlem Renaissance, or a play about a trans girl who leaves sex work to return home to her estranged mother, the performances will run the gamut from the defiant to the hilarious and heart-wrenching. Make sure to check out FRIGID's website for the full schedule and programming. 

Miss Hell's Kitchen is more than a pageant, it's a movement. And beginning this summer, that movement—a fundraising series that brings together top drag talent from NYC and beyond to raise crucial funds for HIV / AIDS awareness and prevention—is popping up at Romer Hell's Kitchen for a monthly drag show.

In celebration of NYC Pride weekend, the collaboration kicks off on Friday, June 27 at 8pm for an evening of glitz and glamour with Sabel Scities, crowned queen of Miss Hell’s Kitchen 2024, taking center stage. Each month, Sabel will spotlight sensational talent from the drag world; for example, her star-studded June show will see appearances by RuPaul's Drag Race alum Jackie Cox and nightlife legend Bootsie LeFaris, the first crowned winner of Miss Hell’s Kitchen in 2012.

Future installments of the series will take place on July 24, August 21, September 25 and October 9.

Market Hotel, the nightclub at eye-level with the train tracks on Myrtle-Broadway, has emerged as one of the go-to underground venues in Bushwick, and every year its Pride party offers a grungier alternative to the happy-go-lucky functions of Hell's Kitchen. If you're trying to stir from Madonna remixes and prefer to get into some techno, trance and other harder genres—while still being super gay, of course—you'll want to be here from 11pm till late on June 28 for its so-called "Alphabet Mafia" party. Expect high BPM sets by Coral Kill, Vice, Boyfriend Dick and others.

Joanne Trattoria—the uptown Italian restaurant owned by Lady Gaga's family—is popular for its free, “speakeasy” drag shows every Wednesday. And that's certainly not changing for Pride Month, during which the June 18 edition will be hosted by Jupiter Genesis and feature special guest Atomic Annie with music from DJ P A T.

Along with a mesmerizing live drag show, expect delectable bites from its Southern Italian menu and bright and bubbly beverages, of both the alcoholic and non-alcoholic varieties.

For Pride Month 2025, Oscar Aydin—a New York City-based comedian and host known for his unfiltered "rainbow pushing" style—welcomes his funniest friends in what will be a night of uproarious laughter and queer pride. On Thursday, June 26, Aydin will be joined by a few other notable LGBTQIA+ comedians, including Sydnee Washington, Sureni Weerasekera, Jack Sullivan and Daryn Passarello, as well as host Brittany Brave. ("She's the ally," Aydin quips.)

On June 26, the dynamic duo behind TETEO Pride and Mercury in Reggaeton are bringing the fourth installment of their Pride series, DL Pride. The Latin-centered queer party is bringing a star-studded lineup of DJs that will include talent from NYC to Mexico City as well as the city's fiercest hosts to create an overall immaculate energy. Expect sets by Tommy Hart, Alexis de la Rosa, Flirty800 and resident DJ SKYWALKER. Join them at SILO Brooklyn and step into your full Thunderpuss fantasy—Because there will be nothing "down low" about this party.

Come join your favorite "vintage" gays Sami Schwaeber and Jess Henderson for an evening of laughs, music, drinks and special surprises that can only come in June at this comedy show-slash-Pride Month party at Club Cumming, hosted on Thursday, June 12 at 7:30pm.

Along with Schwaeber and Henderson, fellow fabulous featured performers include Dylan Adler, Sureni Weerasekera, Allison O'Conor and Esther Fallick.

The Empire State Building's tower lights will shine in the rainbow colors of the inclusive Pride flag on Sunday, June 29, 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.

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 Month, screenings include But I'm a Cheerleader, The Color Purple, Showgirls, and more. As part of Pride Month, $1 from every Pride screening ticket will be donated to The Trevor Project. Get tickets here.

It's not everyday you see "Cathedral" and "Pride month" in the same sentence, but that's what makes Saint John the Divine Cathedral so dang iconic. The world's largest Gothic Cathedral will host a month of celebrations featuring a mix of lively performances, thought-provoking discussions, and family-friendly activities. The celebrations will kick off on May 31 or "Pride Eve," with a performance of "the Greedy Peasant." There will also be a family picnic on June 14; A free Juneteenth concert by the Gay Men's Choir on June 20; and a Pride Evensong service on June 29, a perfect way to repent for everything we'll be doing in June.

We don't usually put "Pride" and "sports" in the same sentence, but this year we're staying open-minded. On Friday, June 13, the Mets will be hosting their annual Pride celebration, which will include a night of DJs, entertainment, themed cocktails, free merch for the first 15,000 atendees, and of course, sports! If you want to get the party started earlier, join the pre-game party at K Korner hosted by Drag Legend Jan Sport starting at 5pm. 

Baseball fan or not, you know deep down this is an excuse to get all the girls and gays in one stadium.