10 Best LGBTQ+-friendly vacation spots
Join the celebration of love and community in these major cities
Updated in May 2024
Updated in May 2024
June is here, and with it, the colorful parades, demonstrations, and festivals that make Pride Month a fantastic international community event. This month-long celebration recognizes year-round activism and calls for greater unity, visibility, and equality for the LGBTQ+ community. From San Francisco’s famous drag shows to Provincetown’s gay beaches, there are Pride celebrations for LGBTQ travelers, community members, and allies alike that take place all over the country.
Celebrations can last from a few days up to a full week, with some carrying through the end of summer. Whether you’re looking for family-friendly festivals or the more risqué cabaret and comedy shows, we’ve rounded up our 10 picks for the best cities and festivals to celebrate Pride Month.
When it comes to celebrating Pride, nobody does it quite like San Francisco. Throughout Pride Month, you’ll find festivities around every corner, but if you’re looking to join in on the peak of the Bay Area’s fun, mark the weekend of June 29-30 on your calendar. Catch the San Francisco Pride Parade from Market Street to City Hall, and enjoy the live music, dance parties, and vendors throughout downtown. After a day of fun, chow down at queer-friendly bars and restaurants like Orphan Andy’s, Farmhouse Kitchen, and The Mix. The city’s pride celebrations draw crowds of up to roughly a million, so be sure to snag a Bay Area vacation home just in time.
The Pacific Northwest is no stranger to pulling out all the stops for Pride Month. Seattle Pride in the Park will launch Seattle’s 50th annual Pride Month celebration on Saturday, June 1, at Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill. Watch drag performances and live music, and check out the West Lawn’s pride festivities geared towards youth and families, featuring crafts and free activities for all ages. The fun continues through June, with the Seattle Pride Parade on June 30 and PrideFest on Capitol Hill that runs from June 29-30, which will include three stages, two beverage gardens, and local vendors. The festival takes place across five blocks, so there’s no shortage of pride-friendly fun while you visit Seattle.
Don’t be fooled by this quaint New England coastal town nestled at the tip of Cape Cod. Provincetown is all things glitter and magic, with a thriving artist colony that embraces outsiders and free self-expression, and where you can stop for a drink at the oldest gay bar in the U.S. And visiting P-town during its 7th annual Pride Weekend (May 31-June 2) is one of the best ways to celebrate. Between cabaret shows, drag queen story hours, queer comedy shows, and hangouts at Herring Cove Beach (a popular gay beach), you can fill your itinerary with one pride celebration after another.
Los Angeles famously holds one of the biggest Pride celebrations in the country and in the world. It all officially begins the second weekend of June, but if you’re looking to live it up the entire month, Los Angeles is the place to be. Start things off with LA Pride in the Park with Ricky Martin and Muna on June 8 at Los Angeles State Historic Park. The city also hosts the Pride Month Artisan Market in The Bloc downtown every Saturday in June. For must-see events, grab tickets to Pride is Universal, and the annual LGBTQ+ after-hours event at Universal Studios. The 54th Annual L.A. Pride Parade will be held June 9 and will run adjacent to Pride Village, where you’ll find music, live performances, food trucks, and vendors.
Strap on your high heels in the Mile-High City. Denver’s Pride event draws around half a million attendees to its gay-friendly festivities. In true Colorado fashion, the celebration kicks off with the Pride 5K on June 24, leading into the two-day Denver PrideFest and the Coors Light Denver Pride Parade. Families, couples, and friends can gather together to watch colorful floats, get their groove on to live music, and dig into delicious festival foods and treats. In Denver, you’ll find pride activities for everyone.
With the weather warming up to near-perfect temperatures in the Rose City, Portland has become the unofficial kickoff to summer and one of the largest donation-based Pride festivals in the country. For example, the Portland Thorns and the Timbers are celebrating by holding fundraisers offering discounted tickets. What's more, Portland's Gay Prides Pageant is also hosting a magical event centering on the passion, artistry, and talents of folks bringing their best looks on June 9. After-hours, Portland Pride is also a night owl’s dream, filled with comedy shows, themed DJ nights, and dance parties that go until dawn.
With its official philosophy of “One Human Family,” it’s no surprise the tiny sun-drenched island of Key West has become legendary for its year-round openness and eccentric, laid-back style. Key West can be considered an international mecca for the LGBTQ+ community; the U.S.'s first openly gay mayor was elected here, and the island is home to the first-of-its-kind Key West AIDS Memorial.
June is when the small town really comes alive for its Pride Month celebrations. From June 5-9, the Pride calendar is packed with talent shows, pool parties, street fairs, drag shows, Pride bingo, and, of course, the annual Key West Pride Parade. And while you’re strolling Key West’s historic streets between events, strike a pose in front of the city’s four rainbow crosswalks.
When a town is as world-famous for its street parades as New Orleans, it's no surprise this city goes all out for its Pride festivities. After all, New Orleans was once voted the second most welcoming city for LGBT people in America. The Big Easy officially hosts Louisiana’s largest LGBTQ+ parade as part of its Pride Weekend taking place June 7 - 9, with more events happening all month long, including Black Pride NOLA.
Though NOLA parades are famous for their flamboyant costumes and more mature audiences, make sure to bring your little ones along to “Family Equality Day.” Here, families of all ages gather to celebrate with drag queen story time, fan decorating workshops, and even a children’s march for our youngest of activists.
Can't make it out to celebrate Pride in June? Lucky for you, one of the largest Pride events in the country will take place in sunny San Diego from July 13-21.
San Diego Pride is held at the famous Balboa Park and expects to see a crowd of 300,000 come to enjoy the floats, performances by diverse artists and activists, educational and art exhibits, and more. And for those looking to break a sweat while supporting diversity, pack your rainbow running gear and sign up for San Diego’s Front Runners Pride 5K, which donates all proceeds to the week’s charity partners.
Pride festivities don't have to stop in June, right? Atlanta thinks so, too. The city sees three major LGBTQ+ festivals a year: June’s National Pride Month, September’s Black Pride, and then October’s Pride Festival and Parade. As one of the best LGBTQ vacation spots, you’ll find plenty of ways to join in on community events, whether you start at the Pride Party on June 2 benefiting "Pride Across the Peach State," or wish to stay active by running the Pride 5k on June 4. However you celebrate, Atlanta will be loud and proud.
New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New Orleans, and Atlanta are among some of the biggest pride festivals in the U.S.
