34 Ways to Celebrate NYC Pride, WorldPride and Stonewall50
June Pride month is always big, but this year in New York City, expect a next-level blowout thanks to WorldPride NYC. Like the Olympics of LGBTQ Pride, WorldPride takes place every other year in different cities around the world. In 2019, it's heading to the U.S. for the first time, in combination with the city's Stonewall50 anniversary, which commemorates 50 years since the Stonewall uprising in Greenwich Village.
The extravaganza of events is unfurling like a bedazzled rainbow flag across New York City. (And the whole state too! Check out I LOVE NY for LGBTQ-centric events from Long Island to Niagara Falls.)
Here are some of the city's top can't-miss shows, commemorations, and celebrations in Manhattan and Brooklyn, along with fabulous ways to pair your experience with other queer NYC delights. (You can find bonus tips at NYC's own Pride website, too.)
FIGHT ON
Rally: Stonewall50 Commemoration, Greenwich Village
Friday, June 28th, head to Christopher Street and Waverly Place (designated the Stonewall National Monument in 2016) for an unforgettable rally in the place where it all happened back in June 1969. (Free!)
While you're in the Village, you can grab a drink at the legendary Stonewall Inn, and check out other classic neighborhood haunts, from Julius' to Cubby Hole to Henrietta Hudson's. Or sing showtunes at The Monster, The Duplex, and teeny Marie's Crisis. Don't miss a chance to dine at lesbian-helmed restaurants Buvette and La Carota for some of the city's most unforgettable bistro cuisine.
BROOKLYN HISTORY & HERSTORY
Stonewall at the Brooklyn Museum - Brooklyn
Through painting, sculpture, installation, performance, and video, head to the always-fantastic Brooklyn Museum to experience the works of 28 artists exploring themes of revolt, commemoration, care, and desire. (With special events planned all month.)
While you're in Brooklyn, drift deeper into Park Slope to check out the vast Lesbian Herstory Archives (appointments recommended). And practice your own sip-ins at longtime lesbian hangout Gingers pub, and flirty fave Excelsior.
POSH, TWO WAYS
"Stonewall" The Opera, Lincoln Center
The drama inherent in the 1969 Stonewall uprising seems an appropriate subject for the premiere of "Stonewall" taking stage at the Rose Theater. Get your tickets now for limited dates: June 21, 22, 27, 28.
Posh isn't just for Lincoln Center; it's also one of many go-to gay bars in Hell's Kitchen. Check out Posh lounge on W. 51st Street, and nearby haunts like Industry Bar and chic Therapy, all with parties from happy hour through late night. Balance it out with delicious fare at 44 & X Hell's Kitchen, a gay-owned restaurant with superb brunches and even better people watching from its sidewalk seating.
While you're in the neighborhood, pop into queer-owned retailers such as Domus for internationally curated home goods and Fine and Dandy for retro menswear such as bow ties, and handkerchiefs.
GETTING DOWN UPTOWN
Gay Tour of the Met, Upper East Side
Discover the Gay Secrets of The Met with Oscar Wilde Tours, where Professor Andrew Lear will unpack surprising queer history behind the museum's timeless works of art. Lear also leads year-round gay history tours in the Village. (Advance reservations recommended.)
Discover more queer surprises on the Upper East Side at two gay bars across the street from each other. Head to Evolve for drink specials and Sunday karaoke nights; and cross E. 58th Street for more aristocratic libations at The Townhouse, a multi-story, upscale lounge and piano bar.
LGBTQ LIBERATION MOVEMENT: THEN & NOW, UPPER WEST SIDE AND MIDTOWN
If the recent rollbacks and threats to Americans' civil liberties are getting to you, remind yourself of the legacy of our ancestors with two powerful Pride-month exhibitions: "Stonewall 50 New-York Historical Society" and "Love & Resistance: Stonewall 50" at the magnificent New York Public Library in Midtown.
On the Upper West Side, check out the 10th annual Harlem Pride on Saturday, June 29, 12 p.m. — 6 p.m. (by Riverside Park at 12th Avenue and W. 135th Street). You can dance to live music, catch performances, and soak up the proudly fierce fun of Harlem. For bites, head to Sofrito for authentic Puerto Rican and Caribbean dishes with river views.
BE ENTERTAINED
OutCinema Film Festival, Chelsea
Cinematic expression comes to Chelsea's SVA Theatre with this three-night special run of OutCinema Film Festival, hosted in partnership with NYC's LGBTQIA+ film festival NewFest. The year's OutCinema features a trio of fun, enlightening queer movies, so get your tickets in advance.
Wigstock and the vogue-ing captured on film may inspire you to catch live queens, so head to Midtown's La Pulperia for wild weekend drag brunches (advance reservations are a must). A special June run of weekend drag brunches is heading to the Flatiron's enormous, historic Oscar Wilde bar and restaurant, where the elaborate Victorian d�cor should make a dazzling spot for queen Jasmine Rice Labeija and friends to perform.
FINALE GRANDE
WorldPride Closing Ceremony, Times Square
After the big daytime NYC Pride March, WorldPride 2019 wraps in Times Square on June 30, 7 p.m. — 10 p.m. The deliriously splashy lineup of speakers and performers include Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears, MNEK, Deborah Cox, and headliner Melissa Etheridge.
If you prefer something low-key, consider taking to the river with Classic Harbor Line's Gay Pride Fireworks Cruise. The company is setting adrift three vessels for evening cruises with sparkling wine to catch Pier 54's closing-night fireworks. Each Saturday in June, the Classic Harbor Line also is leading two-hour "Pride Sail" fundraisers, for which 100 percent of the ticket-sale proceeds go to youth programs of the Hetrick-Martin Institute. (Don't miss the boat — buy your tickets in advance.)