NYC's best Pride events for 2024, from the marches to concerts

While many colloquially call the event the Pride Parade, organizers refer to it as The March as a nod to the event’s heritage. After all, the first march was an unpermitted political protest of anti-LGBT policies and attitudes.

This year, rainbow-clad activists and allies will take to the streets in support of global LGBTQ rights at the NYC Pride March on Sunday, June 30, 2024, starting at 11am. In recent years, The March has grown to include more than 700 groups with millions of spectators.

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

This annual event to raise awareness about women's and trans rights 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. 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 29, 2024, then continues down 5th Avenue to Washington Square Park.

National Queer Theater is showcasing queer and trans artists from countries that criminalize or censor LGBTQ+ communities during the Criminal Queerness Festival, running June 21-29. This event, an official event of NYC Pride, is taking place at the Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC) in Lower Manhattan for the first time.

The shows are pay-what-you-wish, and this year's lineup features productions of Achiro P. Olwoch’s The Survival, Raphaël Amahl Khouri’s She He Me, and Nick Hadikwa Mwaluko’s Waafrika 123: A Queerly Scripted Tragic Rise to African Fantasia. Check out the schedule and buy tickets here.

Celebrate queer musical talent at PRISM Festival from June 22 to June 29 at Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village. Watch creative teams taking part in concert-style, semi-staged performances dedicated to amplifying the voices of queer artists and musical theater.

The plays at this year's PRISM Festival of New Queer Musicals include The Church of the First Order of Cloud City’s Inaugural Unity Jamboree! written by Ben Holbrook; A Trip to the Moon written by Adam J. Rineer; Lottie & the Deep Blue Sea by Beth Golison; and An Incomplete List of All the Things I'm Going to Miss When the World is No Longer by Dante Green. 

Written and performed by Maggie Cee, "Ladies at A Gay Girls' Bar" is a 60-minute solo dance and theater performance that centers a teen lesbian living in the 1990s. The play draws from interviews and real histories from The Buffalo Women's Oral History Project and pieces together fictional monologues the delve into gender, daring, and desire. Through the play, Cee pays homage to a demographic that is often forgotten in pop culture narratives about the queer community.

You can catch the show at Under St. Mark's on June 24 at 9pm or June 29 at 5pm. It's presented by the Queerly Festival.

You might not have seen this one coming, but it turns out that The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine is a big queer ally. This year, the Cathedral is kicking off Pride month with a special performance by artist the Greedy Peasant before turning on its emblematic rainbow lights inside the cathedral (dressing colorfully is encouraged).

Other programming throughout the month includes a sunset silent disco on June 10, a drag story hour on June 23, and a Gay and Sober meeting on June 27. June will also be your last chance to view the beautiful Divine Pathways installation by Anne Patterson, which has graced the Cathedral for the past several months.

If you thought Little Italy wouldn't join in on all the Pride fun, think again. Capish?! Club: Misfit Comedy Space at Lunella is hosting a queer extravaganza with comedy shows and performances on June 6 that will bring queer entertainment where you wouldn't expect it.

Hosted by Lauren LoGiudice, the show will include routines from Chewy May (Women in Comedy Festival), David Mills (LA Improv), Garry Hannon (Haha Funny Haha Queer), Finessica (Best Comedian at the NW Black Comedy Festival), and Madelein Murphy (Don’t Tell Comedy). The stand up sets will be followed by performances from drag queen Majesty Jekyll, as well as Queer Italian Trivia With Aunt Carmella.

NewFest, the beloved LGBTQ+ film and media organization, is kicking off Pride with a five-day festival at SVA Theatre that will feature some of the best queer-centered and produced films of the past year. On opening night, enjoy a screening of the Fire Island documentary A HOUSE IS NOT A DISCO directed by Brian J. Smith. Other films and series in the festival includes work starring or produced by Elliot Page, Julio Torres, Aubrey Plaza, Dakota Johnson, Trixie Mattel, Fawzia Mirza, Twiggy Pucci Garçon, Brian J. Smith, Molly Gordon, and Tig Notaro.

Events run from May 30-June 3 with film premieres, filmmaker Q-and-As, and social events. All-access passes cost $115.

The Stonewall Chorale, known as the country's first gay and lesbian choir, is throwing its annual Pride Concert on June 13 at Holy Apostles in Chelsea by performing songs from classic movies and TV shows. Expect a rendition of "What Was I Made For?" from the Barbie movie; "Singin' in the Rain;" and "Let it Go" from Frozen. Advance tickets cost $35, while tickets at the door are $40. Students and seniors pay $25.

Join Body Hack, the party collective that raises money for trans communities, and Mister Sunday, a long-running party series, for a 36-hour summer festival called The Tuck at Nowadays in Brooklyn. They've teamed up with Queer|Art, the national organization connecting and uplifting generations of LGBTQ+ artists, for an incredible party. 

The festival will kick off at noon on June 29 with an art bazaar and clothing swaps that are open to all ages. The dance parties at night will be 21+ and will include continue sets by Heavy Pleasure, SCAAARR, Cisne, ARCHANGEL, Maya Margarita and other community icons.

On May 31 and June 2, Empire Men's Chorus is celebrating 30 years of music with their Give Everything concerts at The New York Society for Ethical Culture. Highlights of these powerful performances will include a new commission by queer composer Jeffrey Parola that honors the lives lost at the Q club shooting. The Empire Men's Chorus has had a long history of activism and was first established in the 1990s during the AIDS crisis to fundraise money for HIV health services.

An exhibition that pays homage to New Yorkers who creates spaces for queer and trans people throughout the years, What did it feel to be there?: 12 Portraits from The Addresses Project features a selection of twelve portraits from photographer Riya Lerner. Notably, the exhibition also includes a vinyl wallpaper designed by Gwen Shockey from scanned lesbian and queer party and bar flyers from the mid-1900s through the early 2000s.The gallery will be on view through June 30, 2024 on Fridays from 2pm-6pm, and Saturdays and Sundays from 12pm-6pm. 

See it at City Lore Gallery on the Lower East Side.

The Children's Museum of Manhattan is celebrating Pride with programming all throughout June. Activities include drop-in lessons about LGBTQ+ civil rights figures like Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Stormé DeLarverie; Pride flag coloring workshops; and a mini Pride parade float arts and crafts session. Activities are for all ages and will happen throughout the 1st and 3rd floors of the museum; make sure to check the museum's website for updates and more information.