Pride Month is around the corner! Here are some ways you can celebrate

LGBTQ Pride Month is celebrated every June around the country June was officially designated as Pride Month in though pride marches and the month unofficially began in as a way to honor the Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan a pivotal protest by members of the gay society over a police raid at Stonewall Inn a bar in Greenwich Village Now this time is used to recognize the impact of lesbian gay bisexual transgender and queer public members and celebrate their contributions While Pride Month officially begins on June there are events as early as Thursday May in the city And this upcoming weekend has a lot of events to kick things off Here is a list of where you can get involved Wednesday May Sunday June James Baldwin s Giovanni s Room Join the Quintessence Theatre Group for a theatrical adaptation of the novel Giovanni s Room at multiple timeslots throughout the month The play follows an American man who travels to Paris with his girlfriend and falls in love with a local man Ticket prices vary Thursday May Sunday June Sip City Pride Mixers Sip City Mixer a group that aims to host inclusive events and spaces for women LGBTQ society members and nonbinary folks will host a series of mixers geared toward Pride Month On Thursday May the mixers will kick off at the PHS Pop Up Gardens on South Street The event will begin at p m There is no cover and the event is dog-friendly and ADA-accessible Another South Philly mixer on Friday May offers pool tables food drinks and queer and joyful company Tattooed Moms will host the Queer Pride Kickoff from to p m although they say this will likely go beyond that p m cutoff There is no cover View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sip City Mixer sipcitymixer Saturday s Sip City Pride Mixer will be held at Liberty Point Philly a waterfront restaurant in Philly The fourth annual Pride on the Water kickoff dance party will be held from to p m and will have two full bars photo booths door prizes sweet treats and more While the event is primarily geared toward queer women transmen and transwomen and non-binary folks the event description says cis gay guy friends are welcome as well Tickets are door only and are from to p m and from to p m On Sunday June the Sip City All Day All Gay Party will feature a full queer takeover of both floors of the Blind Barber Speakeasy The event will feature drinks popular LGBTQ jams a hydration station and wristbands so participants can come and go Tickets are at the door While primarily geared toward queer women trans and non-binary people cis gay men and straight cis women allies are welcome if they are accompanied Friday May Pride s Pride Around the City and City Hall flag raising This kickoff of Philly Pride Week will feature the unfurling of the largest Pride flag in Philadelphia s history across iconic locations throughout the city The -foot flag will expedition through different neighborhoods starting at the Philadelphia Museum of Art at a m Pride on Main Street in Manayunk at a m p m at City Hall and p m in the Gayborhood The day will also feature the Official LGBTQ Flag Raising at Philly s City Hall at p m Friday May Roots Picnic Pride Soiree This pre-cursor to the Roots Picnic Weekend will introduce rising musical talent and celebrate Black queer artistry and practices The event will be held from p m to a m at the Warehouse on Watts in Philly and tickets range from free earlier entry to Friday May Porkroll Pride Party with Peter Napoli Join NYC-based DJ Peter Napoli and resident DJ Redevil to celebrate Philadelphia PRIDE at Gayborhood bar Bikestop The event will feature hundreds of Pride visitors and a clothing check Tickets vary by price and will run from to Friday May Pride Kickoff Dance Party Dance your way into Pride Month with the Society Hill Dance Academy s Pride Kickoff Party The event will have an instructor-led group dance class at p m and a dance party from to p m The event is for non-members and is BYOB View this post on Instagram A post shared by Society Hill Dance Academy societyhilldanceacademy Friday May Love Revolution Philly Pink Pony Club Circuit Mom is hosting a dance party at Concourse Dance Bar on Friday The tickets are and the event lasts from p m to a m Saturday May Philly Dyke March The Philly Dyke March welcomes the queer locality and allies to celebrate Pride Month with an a m meeting at Kahn Park th and Pine streets and march at p m The march has become a Philly tradition and allows members of the LGBTQ area to take over the Philly streets Saturday May BOS Philly Fantasea Island Join the ROAR Philly nightclub for both afternoon and evening exercises on the st From to p m there will be a pool party featuring drinks and cabanas From p m to a m the club will turn into an indoor and outdoor playground Daytime tickets range from to nighttime tickets range from to and bundles day and night are anywhere from to Saturday May Saturday June Philadelphia Pride Bar Crawl Pride Crawl s The Philadelphia Pride Bar Crawl will feature stops at six bars and clubs in and around the Gayborhood on Saturday May from p m to a m Tickets range from to and entry gets you access to participating bars and clubs drinks and DJs Pub Crawl s Philadelphia Pride Bar Crawl on Saturday June will feature more than four venues Tickets include drink specials - free drinks or shots photographers and videographers and live music Tickets range from to Friday May Sunday May Considering Matthew Shepard Spring Concert This musical performance honors the life of University of Wyoming pupil Matthew Shepard who died after he was beaten and kidnapped in Shepard was a part of the LGBTQIA district and the Matthew Shepard Foundation was created by Shepard s parents to help protect LGBTQIA individuals and communities Both performances will be a musical response to these events Both shows will be at p m at the Church of Holy Trinity and tickets range depending on the number of group members in the party Sunday June Be You Pride March The Philly Pride March invites all members of the LGBTQ society and allies to celebrate Pride Month and activism on the first day of the month The parade will begin at th and Walnut streets at a m and will end in the Gayborhood The event will also feature speeches music and networking before the march The event will not feature any floats or vehicles event organizers say this allows the march to keep the spirit of activism unity and collective spirit No registration is required and all are able to join The march will be followed by a festival Sunday June Philly Pride Pride Festival The Pride march will arrive in the Gayborhood at noon for a celebration lasting from noon to p m The event will feature six entertainment-themed zones that spell LUVERS The L zone will feature classic anthems and throwback strength to celebrate LGBTQ history The U zone will have drags DJs and area talent uniting The V zone stands for visibility with dance floors and head-turning performances The E zone is for everyone with youth and family activities and all-ages programs The R or relaxed zone has lo-fi beats and lounge vibes for easy connections Definitively the S zone stands for sapphic and has queer women-centered shows The event will feature more than vendors performers artists and population organizations Entertainment zones are available as well as sober zones and sensory-friendly zones You can find zone maps here View this post on Instagram A post shared by Philly Pride phillypride Monday June June June June Monday Pride Night at William Way William Way LGBT center s Monday Pride Nights feature a rotating series of free inclusive locality events All events have music light refreshments and prizes Events range from bingo and meeting nights to society conversation and film previews You can find more specific information for each event on their calendar Friday June SPIN s First Friday Join the ping pong club restaurant and bar SPIN as they kick off Pride Month SPIN s First Friday event for June will be pride-focused featuring everything from drag-hosted ping pong battles and a queer talent center stage Table reservations are and the event runs from to p m Saturday June Friday June Friday June Saturday June Drag Me Philly tours Join Beyond the Bell tours for a unique tour of Philly focusing on the history of drag and the ins and outs of the drag scene in current times The tour will include interviews with various drag artists in Philly LGBTQ pioneers in drag history and a showing of murals highlighting drag history Tickets are and times vary Sunday June Pride Month Life Drawing Session Join the William Way LGBT Neighborhood Center from to p m for an afternoon filled with art and public During the event participants can draw from multiple models including Philly-based drag artists Participants should bring the surfaces and mediums they d like to work on Tickets are Sunday June Philadelphia Interfaith Pride Institution Philly s rd Annual Interfaith Pride Provision at the First Baptist Church of Philadelphia will have a system focused on unity understanding and promotion through things like readings music and creative ritual The event is hosted by the Mazzoni Center local clergy and various organizations All are welcome to join the organization will begin at p m Thursday June Philly Queer Slowdance This cozy intimate evening is the equivalent of a middle school dance but for adults Attendees will have the chance to dance alone dance with designated dancers or ask other attendees to dance all within respective boundaries and consent from both parties All are welcome to attend although event organizers emphasize attendees will more likely fall within the LGBTQIA crowd Tickets range from to and the event lasts from to p m Thursdays June July Club Queer Dance Class Pride Edition Join the Society Hill Dance club on Thursdays at p m for a -week Club Queer class Participants in the class will learn a variety of different styles including bachata hustle and swing Those signed up for the class will also have access to Monday and Wednesday Social Ease group classes at p m and Friday night dance parties starting at p m The studio is BYOB Registration is for one and for a couple Tuesday June Trans by Trans Book Club Join the Free Library of Philadelphia on the third Tuesday of every month for a citywide book club for trans and nonbinary people This month s meeting will be at p m over Zoom as the group discusses The Menace it Takes to Bloom by Raquel Willis Advanced registration is required Friday June The Queer Show This interactive inclusive comedy night has a diverse set of LGBTQ performers and allows members of the society and supporters to participate in a safe and accepting comedy show Drinks are BYOB and tickets are Saturday June Barnes Noble Philadelphia PrideFest Meet local LGTBQ authors at this all-day reading event at Barnes Noble The event is sectioned into morning and afternoon tickets with author groups for each section Tickets are free Authors at the event will be greeting signing and speaking about their books For more info about the authors in each group head to the event page Sunday June Pride Drag Brunch at Dock Street Brewery Join Philly drag queens as they host a brunch full of laughs mimosas and lip sync battles at Dock Street Brewery Doors for the event open at a m and the show starts at p m Tickets are but you can add on a celebration package for where participants can celebrate their milestone by getting up on stage and lipsyncing with one of the queens View this post on Instagram A post shared by Elite Drag Events elitedragevents This is an ongoing list of events that will be updated as more information is determined The post Pride Month is around the corner Here are a few avenues you can celebrate appeared first on Billy Penn at WHYY