Gay Pride Month begins on Friday, which means that cities around the country will host parades, festivals, concerts and other events. Chicago has its Pride Fest on June 23, the day before the pride parade, but if you want to get your Pride on all month, you can hop in the car for some road trips every weekend.
Motor City Pride
June 1-3
Dance music star Ultra Nate headlines Detroit’s pride weekend that includes pre-parties, a festival and post-parties. For more, go to motorcitypride.com. Michigan has several other pride celebrations, including the first ever Kalamazoo Pride on June 9. Visit kalamazoopride.com for more info. Another Michigan event is Detroit’s Hotter Than July, one of the nation’s only Black Pride festivals. Check michiganpride.org for more info on all of these events. Milwaukee PrideFest
June 8-10
The three-day festival will feature Kathy Griffin, Chaka Khan and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, among others. Milwaukee is less than two hour’s drive-time from Chicago, so expect to see some locals. The cost is $10 a day. For more, go to pridefest.com.
Indy Pride
June 9-10
Take a three-hour drive to Indianapolis for Pride weekend, which kicks off with a parade at 10 a.m. June 9. That leads into a festival that includes dance music diva Ultra Nate and more than 130 vendors, food booths and entertainers. On June 10, Indiana Black Pride has a picnic. The festivities end with a Back Alley Tea Dance. Sounds naughty! Go to indyprideinc.com.
Kentuckiana Pride!
June 15-16
Louisville is just under five hours, and if you leave work early on the 15th you might see the parade, which kicks off at 8 p.m. (A nighttime parade makes things saucier, they say.) Expect to see a lot of glo-sticks and disco balls on June 16 — Saturday is an all-day affair with bands, booths, games and gays. For more, see kentuckianapridefestival.com.
Iowa City Pride
June 15-17
About a four-hour drive from Chicago, Iowa City hosts a three-day event that starts with a kickoff party that will have live music. At 9:30 a.m. June 16, the Pride Ride (on bikes) begins. It’s followed by a parade and picnic. The annual Garden Tour and Tea Party — the oldest annual gay event in Iowa — is June 17. For more, www.gayiowacity.com.
Pride St. Louis
June 23-24
Only a few hours by car, St. Louis has some unique offerings during its pride celebration. A gay pet parade kicks things off. (Think Yorkiepoos in pink bedazzled vests.) A commitment ceremony and a performace by former New Kid Jordan Knight are also scheduled. The parade kicks off Sunday events that also include performances by Betty, former “American Idol” contestant RJ Helton and Logo TV stars Nemesis. Go to pridestl.org.
Twin Cities Pride
June 23-24
Want to try something other than Chicago’s Pride events? The Twin Cities has a two-day festival featuring four musical stages packed with varied entertainers from Taylor Dane to classical orchestrations. There’s also a parade, a commitment ceremony and fireworks. See tcpride.org.
