June is Pride month celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. If you plan on attending any Pride festivities this year, think about bringing the whole family along. These Pride destinations have specific programming and activities to make this year’s Pride month all about families!
1/9 Connecticut
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Pride in the Park (June 8th) is Connecticut’s largest pride event and it’s family friendly. Kids will love visiting different vendors and watching the performances on the main stage. Spice up your typical library reading hour with Drag Queen Story Hour (June 13) featuring the lovable and gorgeous Loosey LaDuca. Kids will love listening to the fun and theatrical stories.
2/9 San Francisco
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LGBTQ families can feel at home in San Francisco all year round, but at this year’s Pride (June 28-30) families will have a special space just for them. On Sunday, The Our Family Coalition Family Garden will offer a whole program of activities for kids. This space is a bit quieter than the other parts of Pride festivities and will also have lots of resources for parents.
3/9 New York City
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New York City’s World Pride offers many family friendly events in several different boroughs. Check out the Annual LGBTQ+ Pride Night at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (June 6), NYC’s Pride’s Family Movie Night (June 21) or a Family Pride Picnic (June 29). Events can be found throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island.
4/9 Houston
Courtesy of PrideHouston.org
Pride Houston hosts a family-friendly night called Skate Sober (June 17) at Lockwood Skating Palace. Lace up your skates and hit the roller rink for a fun evening with the kids. This event promises some throwback songs to skate to, making it the perfect time to showcase those old school roller skate moves you’ve been keeping in your back pocket to wow the whole family.
5/9 Chicago
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Chicago Pride is committed to having events perfect for the whole family. Check out Bash Lot Bash’s family-friend day (June 30) celebrating LGBTQ women with local musicians. Pier Pride (June 29) is a great alternative to the main scene with a ferris wheel, food trucks and rainbow ice cream. Also check out Andersonville Midsommarfest (June 7-9), a Pride event celebrating Swedish heritage with performances and dances the kids will enjoy!
6/9 Denver
Courtesy of DenverPride.org
Denver Pride has an entire dedicated area for families to enjoy Pride month. On Saturday and Sunday (June 15-16), enjoy a full two-day schedule of fun games for the kids, including magic shows, face painting, drag queen story hours and music performances.
7/9 Boston
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Families celebrating Pride in Boston can find plenty of activities for all ages. Boston Pride’s Family Fun Zone is open to all and a great place for families to get together and have fun. Pride Family Movie Night features a family-friendly movie on the Boston Commons at dusk. And for your teenagers, check out the Youth Dance at the City Hall Plaza.
8/9 Sioux Falls
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South Dakota is one of the best locations for families to visit any time of year with its lush landscapes and must-see stops like Mount Rushmore. Sioux Falls Pride (June 15) does not disappoint and offers a great excuse to make the trip. March in the Pride parade or participate in the many of the family-friendly activities and enjoy the vast variety of outdoor vendors.
9/9 Santa Fe
Courtesy of CowboyFrank.net
Celebrate pride with a side of Western swagger in New Mexico’s capital. Their epic Pride parade and party on the historic Santa Fe Plaza (June 28) will also feature the New Mexico Gay Rodeo Association’s Zia Regional Rodeo the same weekend. If you don’t want to participate in the parade yourself, you can take it all in from the ideally located La Fonda hotel with their “Ride with Pride” hotel package, which includes a discount to Zia Regional Rodeo performances.
By Jeffery James Dinan