Hold on. Who is that—is that our old friend, Pride Month? What are you doing here? Oh, it’s June already? Well, how do you like that. I suppose you’ve got a bunch of fun parties and protests and picnics and politics planned for the month? Oh, you do? How marvelous.

After two years of trepidation, Pride events are finally re-blossoming around the city all month long. And fortunately, many of those events are outdoors, where the risk of COVID transmission is … well, not zero, but at least lower than the crowded, sweaty indoors. (COVID transmission and hospitalization in King County is climbing right now, so make sure you’re vaccinated, boosted, and taking safety precautions. Couldn’t hurt to get tested for STIs while you’re at it.)

Here at EverOut, we've got a giant master mega-list of every single gosh darn event — hundreds of them in total. Plus, over at The Stranger, you'll find Pridey event recommendations and coverage all month long. But for now, let’s kick things off with a handful of the biggest, boldest, most beguiling must-attend highlights. – Matt Baume

COMMUNITY EVENTS

 

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1

Youth Pride Mini-Parade Like Add to a List
The brainchild of a, uh, brainy child, the Youth Mini-Pride Parade is seeing its second year after a then-four-year-old in White Center had the idea last summer to start their own neighborhood parade with their fellow kids. Kids and adults of all ages and persuasions are welcome to join in and march around the neighborhood in unity and pride. The gang meets up at 5:30 in front of Triangle Park; signs, banners, pets, and glittery costumes encouraged! MEG VAN HUYGEN
(Mac's Triangle Pub, White Center, free)

SATURDAY, JUNE 4

Seattle Pride in the Park Like Add to a List
FKA The Volunteer Park Pride Festival, this event has mutated to represent the whole city by this point. Volunteer Park simply cannot contain its powerful energy any longer. Hosted by Seattle Pride, the park will be home to food trucks, craft and nonprofit booths alike, beers (as well as booze-free bevs), dogs in hats, people in hot pants (and probably also hats), and lots and lots of music and outdoor dancing. The party in the park is just the beginning, after which an entire month of Pride-ful festivities on and around the Hill will ensue. Plus, check out The Stranger's interview with co-host Caesar Hart. MVH
(Volunteer Park, Capitol Hill, free)

SATURDAY, JUNE 11

WC Pride Street Party Like Add to a List
Quirky, independent White Center, which feels like Seattle but is technically unincorporated King County, has always done things its own way, and that extends to Pride. They’re running a pretty sweet indie street party: Show up in the general downtown vicinity to enjoy vendor stalls, beer gardens, live entertainment, and a giant balloon chain like you always see in pix of Coachella. Plus there’s that killer elote stand, also like Coachella, at 15th and 98th. It’s basically just like Coachella except you can walk everywhere, ’cause it’s not 120 degrees. And it’s free. MVH
(White Center, free)

SATURDAY, JUNE 25

PrideFest Capitol Hill Like Add to a List
If the Hill is ground zero for Pride (it is), this event is the very nucleus of the nuclear bomb. Its blast zone is enormous, too, covering Capitol Hill Station Plaza, all of Broadway between John and Roy Streets, and the entirety of Cal Anderson Park AND neighboring Bobby Morris Playfield–with the fallout almost certainly permeating the whole neighborhood. It’s gonna be a square-mile rainbow street party with performers and music and beer gardens and vendors and people dressing outlandishly. A time to wear your sluttiest outfit and your most complicated headdress. Wear them both at once, actually, please. This year's theme is “We’re Still Here,” which is, Matt Baume notes, "a tidy little Sondheim reference." MVH
(Cal Anderson Park, Capitol Hill, free)

Seattle Dyke March Like Add to a List
Over on the Seattle Central Campus, the Seattle Dyke March will be marching amidst a passel of speakers, artists, and performers–all with an aim to empower lesbians, queers, feminists, and community as a whole. It’s not clear from the website where exactly they’ll be marching, but they’ve done 29 of these things so far, so suffice it to say that they’re really good at it. And here's Matt Baume with a tip: "All are welcome at this annual rally, and although the bikes are a highlight they’re not a requirement — you can always just ride a friend." MVH
(Seattle Central College, Capitol Hill, free)

Taking Black Pride: Seachella 2022 Like Add to a List
Our favorite event name in the bunch, “Taking B(l)ack Pride,” has moved from Jimi Hendrix Park to the Seattle Center’s outdoor Mural Amphitheater ths year and will be spotlighting BIPOC trans and queer artists from the U.S. and Canada. Created in response to overwhelmingly white and gay-only pride celebrations, Taking B(l)ack Pride aims to empower BIPOC transgender, queer, and gender-diverse communities in their expression of emotion, culture, and community. As with previous festivals, white allies who attend are asked for a donation toward reparations, as a nod of respect to the people who’re the focus of the festival. Makes sense! MVH
(Mural Amphitheatre, Uptown, donations accepted)

SUNDAY, JUNE 26

Seattle Pride Parade Like Add to a List
Well, you can’t miss the Seattle Pride Parade. No, seriously, you can’t miss it; with 200 groups participating and half a million spectators, it’s the biggest pride parade in the state and swallows up most of downtown Seattle. (Officially, it runs only half of the length of downtown, but then the southern half is considered the “staging area.”) Shit gets started officially at Fourth and Pike, at the tippy triangle point of Westlake Park, and ends at Second and Denny, at the main entrance to the Pacific Science Center—with at least three stages and four beverage gardens along the way, to keep the works lubricated. Hit PrideFest Like Add to a List after to keep the party going. MVH
(Westlake Park, Pike Pine Retail Core, free)

Capitol Hill Pride March, Rally and Barbecue 2022 Like Add to a List
Not to be confused with Capitol Hill PrideFest or the Parade, Capitol Hill Pride is an indie event that promises a march, rally, and barbequoi (French for soirée) along with drummers, a doggie drag contest, and catwalk. MB
(Cal Anderson Park, Capitol Hill, free)

PrideFest Seattle Center Like Add to a List
Near as we can tell, the main difference between PrideFest Capitol Hill and PrideFest Seattle Center, both of which are hosted by PrideFest Seattle, is that PFCH is essentially corralled to the Hill, while PFSC is mobile. The Center is the terminus of the Seattle Pride Parade, after it flows up Fourth Avenue and more or less into the International Fountain, where it polymorphs into a giant dance party that radiates outward and all over the Seattle Center campus, so you can expect bigger crowds at this one. They’ll also have food booths, nonprofit orgs, beer gardening, three stages, and hundreds of live performers— including Monet X Change, Aja, and a ballroom showcase. MVH
(Seattle Center, Uptown, free)

AUG 13–14

Alki Beach Pride 2022 Like Add to a List
Alki Beach Pride is celebrating its ninth year at Alki Beach Park. by the bathhouse and across from Harry’s, and it’s just a big gay beach party replete with music, queens, swimming, and dancing, obviously. Stop by the nearby restaurants on Alki Avenue for “Pride discounts,” or bring your own grill and have a cookout on the beach. There are a few fire pits at the park too, but they’re first come, first served. If you don’t feel like driving, you can take the Elliott Bay Water Taxi from downtown out to Alki Point, then hop on the free five-minute shuttle to the beach, which is always a super Seattley treat. MVH
(Alki Beach, Alki, free)

FRIDAY, SEPT 2

Trans Pride Seattle 2022 Like Add to a List
Plans are still coming together for this one, but Gender Justice League never disappoints. Sign up now for tabling, sponsorship, and volunteer opportunities, and we’ll see you there. MB
(Location TBA, free)

---

NIGHTLIFE

 

JUNE 22–26

Kremwerk Pride Week 2022 Like Add to a List
Kremwerk’s celebrating for (almost) a week this year, with six crazy nights of Pride events, including queens, kings, live music, all-night raves, and generalized gay shit happening inside their spooky neon-industrial rabbit warren behind the corned beef place. Performers include Aja, Alexander, The Great C Powers, Cucci, Flammable, Lust Sick Puppy, Plack Blague, Sharlese, w00dy, and about 700 million more. MVH
(Kremwerk, Downtown Seattle, $70 - $80)

JUNE 24–26

Queer/Pride Festival Like Add to a List
This event is sort of like Capitol Hill Block Party with drag queens. Up on the Hill outside Queer/Bar, wave after wave of queens and live bands will take the stage all weekend, with passes available in single- or multi-day flavors. Musical headliners include Princess Nokia, Kim Petras, the controversial Iggy Azalea, and Seattle-based acts SassyBlack and Chong the Nomad, with Drag Race alumni Crystal Methyd, Laganja Estranja, Plastique Tiara, Adore Delano, Kornbread, June Jambalaya, and (our local girl) Bosco presiding. MVH
(Queer Bar, Capitol Hill, $140 - $280)

Cuff Pride Festival Like Add to a List
So we think we have this right: The aforementioned Queer/Pride Festival Like Add to a List ’s admission includes certain parts the Cuff Festival, but they are two separate entities, in that the Cuff Pride Festival is zeroing in on music and not drag queens. But you can, if you want, buy tickets to only the Cuff’s fest and skip the queens. The festivals are dating and appear together in public sometimes, but they still go out solo, too. It’s healthy. Highlights of this roster are synth-goth darlings Boy Harsher,  local rock ‘n’ roll legends Thunderpussy, RuPaul's Drag Race fan favorite Yara Sofia, and British danceclubbers Horse Meat Disco—whose name, btw, is a truncated version of a headline the band once spotted: “Horse Meat Disco…vered in Salami.” Ha ha, that is funny. MVH
(Cuff Complex, Capitol Hill, $35 - $100)

Wildrose Pride Like Add to a List
Starting on Friday, Wildrose Pride is back after a multi-year covid hiatus with a three-day lineup of DJs and bands, somehow distinct from the Capitol Hill PrideFest Like Add to a List it’ll be fully simmering in. Notably, they’ll be teaming up with indie radio station KEXP on Sunday to kick out the super-curated, high-level jams by your favorite on-air jockeys, and admission that day is whatever you feel like donating. The roster includes Adra Boo, Summersoft, Brittany Davis, DJ Skiddle, and Mr. Charming, among many more.  MVH
(Wildrose, Capitol Hill, $0 - $35)