NYC Pride: Rallies, events, and more during Pride Month

The big NYC Pride March isn’t the only event happening to commemorate Stonewall and the LGBTQ community

By Amy Plitt@plitter Jun 24, 2019, 5:02pm EDT

Participants in the NYC Dyke March in 2016.

The NYC Pride March, happening on June 30, may be the biggest and best-known of the events happening to commemorate Pride in New York City, but it’s not the only option for those honoring the LGBTQ community—and the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, the catalyst for much of the modern LGBTQ rights movement—this month.

In fact, there will be two marches happening on June 30: There’s the official march organized by Heritage of Pride, and there’s also the Queer Liberation March, organized by the Reclaim Pride Coalition in response to “the exploitation of our communities for profit and against corporate and state pinkwashing, as displayed in Pride celebrations worldwide, including the NYC Pride Parade.” That event will begin earlier in the day, and will follow the route of the very first Pride march, which started in Greenwich Village and ended with a “gay-in” in Central Park, according to the LGBT Historic Sites Project.

There are plenty of smaller, local marches happening as well, along with events connected to the larger WorldPride festivities. Here’s what you need to know.

WorldPride Opening Ceremony

When: Wednesday, June 26 from 7 to 10 p.m.
Where: Barclays Center; performers include Cyndi Lauper, Billy Porter, and Chaka Khan.

Trans Day of Action

When: Friday, June 28 from 4 to 6 p.m.
Where: Rally will take place in Washington Square Park.

NYC Drag March

When: Friday, June 28 from 7 to 10 p.m.
Where: Gather at Tompkins Square Park; march will travel to Sheridan Square, and the Stonewall Inn.

Stonewall 50 Commemoration

When: Friday, June 28 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Where: In front of the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street between Waverly and West 4th streets.

NYC Dyke March

When: Saturday, June 29 at 5 p.m.
Where: Along Fifth Avenue from Bryant Park to Washington Square Park.

Queer Liberation March

When: Sunday, June 30 at 9:30 a.m.
Where: Starts at Seventh Avenue and Christopher Street; continues up Sixth Avenue to Central Park. Marchers can join at any point north of 23rd Street; the organizers recommend Bryant Park at 11 a.m. for those who can’t join at 9:30.

WorldPride Closing Ceremony

When: Sunday, June 30 from 7 to 10 p.m.; entry begins at 5 p.m.
Where: Times Square; performers include Melissa Etheridge, Jake Shears, and host Margaret Cho.