Haunted Halsted Halloween Parade: The city’s biggest neighborhood Halloween event, this spooky spectacle takes over the Northalsted neighborhood with a costume contest, choreographed dances, a pup crawl, and more.
Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival: The second longest-running film festival of its kind, Reeling showcases the artistic contributions of LGBTQ+ filmmakers, with a mission to educate and counteract stereotypes.
The event includes live music on five stages, DJs and dancing, vendors, food, and more. Northalsted Market Days: Billed as one of the biggest street fests in the country, this multi-day festival is all about life and community in Chicago’s historic Northalsted district.
Navy Pier Pride: This annual free event consists of a full day of family-friendly festivities in honor of the LGBTQ+ community, including Storytime with Drag Queens, live performances, special film presentations, and more. This event has raised more than $600,000 for the local LGBTQ+ community.Ĭhicago’s Dyke March: As a celebration of reclaiming the word “dyke,” the Chicago Dyke March is a grassroots mobilization that honors dyke, queer, bisexual, and transgender people. Proud to Run 5K/10K/Half Marathon: Run along the lakefront for a great cause at the Proud to Run race, featuring multiple distance options. The Andersonville event is one of the best-attended Pride events dedicated to women.
The event donates a portion of ticket sales to Center on Halsted, an LGBTQ community center.īack Lot Bash: This events kicks off with a Pride Family Fest and follows with two days of a signature outdoor music festival. Pride in the Park: A new two-day music festival, Pride in the Park is held in downtown Grant Park, the site of Lollapalooza and other iconic events. The famous four-mile procession has been wrapping up Pride month in Chicago for more than 50 years. Midsommarfest celebrates the area’s Swedish roots and LGBTQ+ community with food, entertainment, artisan vendors, and more.Ĭhicago Pride Fest: In the historic Northalsted neighborhood, Chicago’s Pride Fest is a massive two-day celebration with multiple music stages, drag shows, DJs, dancing, and more.Ĭhicago Pride Parade: This legendary event is one of the largest Pride celebrations in the country. RobertsonĪndersonville Midsommarfest: This diverse neighborhood hosts one of Chicago’s most beloved street festivals each June. Leather: This international conference and competition, held annually in Chicago since 1979, includes speakers, socials, themed dance parties, and a leather market. The Chicago Children’s Museum marks the occasion with a full day’s worth of activities and festivities. International Family Equality Day at the Chicago Children’s Museum: The first Sunday in May is a time to celebrate and recognize the diversity of LGBTQ families around the world. Check out some of Chicago’s top gay events throughout the year. It’s also the beginning of gay history month, which I thought was a terrific lead-in to the parade” said coordinator of the 2021 parade Tim Frye.Chicago is home to some of the largest LGBTQ+ celebrations in the country, from Pride Fest and Parade in June to the Reeling Film Festival in the fall. “We wanted to have as much time as possible for things to get better because you never know what will come up. The new date – Sunday, October 3 – instead mark the opening weekend of LGBTQ History Month. The Pride Parade and the festival are typically held separately on different dates in June commemorating the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprisings of 1969. This year, however, they will take place in October instead of the usual last weekend of Pride Month in June.Ĭhicago Pride Parade announces 2021 return with big date change – first reported by #chicago #chicagopride #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtchicago #gaychicago #northalsted #boystown #boystownchicago #pride2021 ?️? Īs anticipated earlier this year, organizers of Chicago’s annual LGBTQ Pride Parade announced that it was likely to be held later in the year to give more people the chance to receive a vaccine and the city extra time to recover. The Parade and celebrations, which typically draw over a million attendees, will return this year and resume its famed route through Lakeview and Uptown. Like many large-scale events and annual celebrations, Chicago Pride Parade was forced to cancel in-person celebrations last year and instead go digital via a Twitch live stream and fundraiser that took place on June 20 and 21. The Chicago Pride Parade will officially return on October 3, after being canceled last year.