Pride month is bringing the party!!

 In a time where it’s easy to get caught up in challenging things about San Francisco, one of the awesome things about pride month is we get a reminder of one of the undeniably amazing qualities of the city. From a ground breaking history of social and community activism, to the brightest light of LGBTQ culture and representation in any US city, San Francisco is synonymous with pride.

The line up for pride month is bringing the power, bringing the party, the unstoppable, undeniable glory of San Francisco.

First off, every Thursday in June 2023 there will be Drag Me Downtown drag show pop ups. Proceeds go to the nonprofit Trans Thrive, and you can refer to the above article to get the low down on the line up of all the spots to hit, 5 pop ups total.

Let's get you over to the National Queer Arts Festival, runs all the way to July 2nd so there's still time. Frameline 47, Queer film festival runs until June 24th, it’s the largest and longest running queer film festival in the world. There are 2 spots in Oakland and 7 in San Francisco to go take it in.

Rainbow lighting at SF city hall is bad ass, we’re talking about a 4.1-mile rainbow flag of lasers! Rainbow lasers are boss, San Francisco going maximum extra, get it!

On the weekend of the big parade and lots of major celebrations, look for six rainbow laser beams shooting up from the top of the ferry building.

The ferry building will be selling some rainbow cookies, some gay sundae ice cream Sunday specials, and some great pride cocktails. Restaurants all over the city will be offering these fun specials, seriously the options for celebrating will feel endless. Because that’s how the city does it, home run baby!

The Exploratorium and the Academy of Sciences will be going kid free after dark to host some special pride parties, with pride themed art, lighting, and music.

While we’re super excited and proud to share all the beautiful ways the Bay Area is celebrating pride month, we won’t write the novel of listing all the rad events. Read the above article and fill your calendar up because the next two weeks are game on! You better stretch and stay hydrated, when it comes to pride, the Bay don’t play, this is serious celebrating we got going on.

This week the Bay Area also celebrates Juneteenth. This federal holiday derives the name from the combo of June and the nineteenth. This is the date when the order came from Major General Gordon Granger in 1865, declaring freedom for slaves in Texas. President Lincolns Emancipation Proclamation had gone into effect January 1863, but Texas was still under confederate control. So enslaved people didn’t see freedom until the end of the war nearly two years later.

2023 marks the 3rd annual celebration of Juneteenth where you can find free carnival rides, live music, film screenings and so much more.

Oakland symphony members at the Bay View Opera house will be presenting 26 Ways of Looking at a Black Man. This recital June 26, represents works by Mohammed Fairouz and William Grant Still.

Look out for SF city hall lighting to go red, black and green in celebration of this Freedom Day. There will be church services, dance performances and celebrations galore. Check the linked article to find ways to get out and celebrate.