San Francisco knows how to party, especially when it comes to celebrating Pride. The official Pride celebration weekend of June 27-28th is jam-packed with events and parties all over town, but Pride is actually observed all throughout June. You don't need to wait until the end of the month to "celebrate without exception." We've got nine ways to get the Pride party started early.
1. Experience the "real queer dirty South" and check out "Y'all Come Back: Stories of Queer Southern Migration" on Saturday, June 13th. Shows are at 3pm and 7pm, or live-streamed on their website. Held at the LGBT Center, "Y'all Come Back" is part of the 2015 National Queer Arts Festival and will feature performances and visual art focused on queer Southern Identity and migration to and from the American South. Tickets are $12-$20.
2. Start training your liver for all of the fantastic Pride drinking events by exploring San Francisco's best gay bars.
3. Visit the "Queer Smithsonian" and immerse yourself in the amazing exhibits at the GLBT History Center. This is the first museum of its kind in the United States and absolutely worth your time. Located on 18th at Castro (naturally), admission is just $5 and features exhibits on LGBT art, the life and death of Harvey Milk and historical film footage of LGBTQ life in America from the 1930s onward.
4. Warning: This is not yo mamma's pub quiz! So claims Kit and Kitty Tapata's Trivia Night. Held every Tuesday and Wednesday at the 3300 Club and Wild Side West, respectively, you'll find sass and drink specials beginning at 8pm, as well as "San Francisco's only conjoined drag twins." Entrance is free, trivia expertise is optional.
5. Trust us, you do not want to miss the 37th Annual Pride Concert on Saturday, June 20th at 5pm. Held at the iconic Palace of Fine Arts, the concert will feature the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco and the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band. Tickets are $25.
6. Mingle and network with innovators, creators and your fellow tech nerds at StartOut's Pride networking event. Held at Galvanize in SoMa on Monday, June 22nd from 6:30-8:30pm, this rooftop party aims to connect the start-up community and celebrate Pride.
7. San Francisco is alive with the sound of show tunes! The Sound of Music Sing-a-Long returns to the Castro Theater for the weekend of June 13-14. Complete with goody bags, a costume contest and subtitles so that everyone can sing along, the Sound of Music Sing-a-Long is a true San Francisco experience. Get your tickets before Rolf has you arrested!
8. Swing by Madame Tussaud's at Fisherman's Wharf to see the first transgender wax figure in the museum's long history. Laverne Cox is a ground breaker in many ways, and now the Orange is the New Black star is helping one of the world's most famous museums celebrate Pride month.
9. With all the recent international attention on the transgender community, we suspect that the annual TransMarch is going to be massive this year. Always held the Friday of Pride weekend, the march begins in Dolores Park at 6pm. Everyone starts gathering at 3pm however, for "See and Be Seen," which is pretty much what it sounds like. After the march, the masses head to El Rio for an after party. Everyone is welcome to join in!