7 NYC Pride Week Events You Can't Miss This Year
The stars have aligned and are radiating all the colors of the rainbow this week in New York City. The gray clouds of doubt parted and the sun shone on a gleaming LGBT rainbow when the Supreme Court issued two landmark decisions Wednesday in favor of gay marriage. Three words: Fierce Equality Realness.
One ruling struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, which had essentially denied federal marriage benefits to gay couples in the past, and the second decision dismissed a challenge against Proposition 8, paving the way for gay marriage to become legal in California. The hashtag #loveislove caught fire in support of the decisions, with even President Barack Obama tweeting the message.
Although there is still a long road to full equality, we can all certainly celebrate these two great victories this week. Lucky for us in NYC, the 43rd annual Gay Pride festivities are this weekend and the timing couldn’t be more on cue.
Get ready to weeerrrrk with this 2013 guide to gay pride. And as RuPaul said through pink frosted lips in her tear-jerking tribute to the Supreme Court decisions, “Take that down the aisle and get yourself married!!”
1. VIP ROOFTOP PARTY, Saturday June 29
Hang out to the sounds of Le Tigre's JD Samson and DJ Amber Valentine on the roof of the Thompson Hotel. In addition to the pool party on top of the Thompson, attendees will have access to another pool party on an adjacent roof.
Above Allen at the Thompson Hotel, 190 Allen St., 4-10 p.m. RSVP
2. RAPTURE ON THE RIVER WITH CHER, Saturday June 29
If the world were ending, nobody would do a more entertaining job hosting a Girl's Night Out than Che, who thankfully seems to be everywhere this Pride weekend. Though there may not really be a Rapture, there really is a wild ladies-only party happening riverside with the icon herself.
Pier 26, West Street (Manhattan), 3-10 p.m. $25 advance; buy tickets here.
3. GAYLETTER + WYTHE HOTEL GAY PRIDE PARTY, Saturday June 29
Sip cocktails for a cause at Williamsburg's premier hotel with NYC's premier gay-events enthusiasts. Merrie Cherry and Amber Martin will perform and proceeds from the party go to the Research Institute Without Walls, an organization that helps LGBT refugees.
Wythe Hotel, 80 Wythe Avenue, 8 p.m.-1 a.m. RSVP to rsvp@gayletter.com
4. THE MARCH, Sunday June 30
The march represents much more than a celebration, as it has since the first march in 1970 marked the first annual parade for gay rights. The winds down Fifth Avenue starting at noon and wraps south to the historic Christopher Street and then over to Greenwich Street. ALWAYS a great time.
5. JWOWW & RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE QUEENS AT THE HIGHLINE, Sunday June 30
When you think gay pride, who's a better character than RuPaul? But JWoww and RuPaul's queens under the same roof? That's a whole lotta diva. Come to Logo's ceremony party and get ready to strut your fiercest strut.
Highline Ballroom, 431 West 16th St., 9 p.m.-late. $45; buy tickets here.
6. SYLVESTER AT MANHATTAN MONSTER, Sunday June 30
Celebrate disco queen Sylvester's new retrospective album Mighty Real: Greatest Dance Hits at Manhattan Monster, with beats by DJ Bill Coleman and special guest Jason Walker. You'll feel mighty real.
Manhattan Monster, 80 Grove Street, 7 p.m.-1 a.m.
7. PRIDE AT THE JANE HOTEL ROOF, Sunday June 30
Sophia Lamar and Deer Dana host, while the Misshapes, Mark Holcomb, and DJ Mazurbate spin on the rooftop. There is a list, but according to Paper Magazine there will be "room for others that are in the know." Consider yourselves in the know.
