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Home > Shark Guides > Events > Summer Events > Boston Gay Pride Day

Boston Gay Pride Day

Organized by the nonprofit Boston Pride, Boston Gay Pride Day features a parade, festival, and several other events around the city. Massachusetts was the first state to legalize gay marriage, and the celebration is one of the oldest in the United States, with over 100,000 supporters who come out annually to make a statement for equality, diversity, and pride.

Boston Pride Week

The Boston Pride organization was founded in 1970, and still runs as an all-volunteer organization despite its huge expansion.  Boston Pride runs several events throughout the year, including Youth Pride and Latino Pride, but its flagship event is Pride Week – nine days set aside in early June for a series of celebrations, performances, and advocacy events.

A flag raising ceremony takes place at City Hall to kick off the week, which has a different theme every year. The mayor presides over the festivities every summer.

The Parade

The parade, which takes place on the Saturday before the end of Pride Week, takes over downtown Boston with color, costumes, and revelry. Over 35,000 people march or ride in the parade every year. The route begins on Tremont Street before going down Berkeley Street and eventually past the State House on Beacon Hill.

Political figures, both local and state, often march in the parade to show their support for Pride’s aims of inclusion and equality.

Awards are given out including for Best Float, Best Marching Group, and Best Adaptation of the Theme. 

Pride Festival

The parade ends at the Pride Festival in City Hall Plaza with an afternoon of music, dancing, and celebrating Boston’s diversity. A central stage presents local and national performers all day long, while a marketplace surrounds it with over 100 booths for food, merchandise, and information on local organizations. There’s even a Family Fun Zone with activities and performances geared towards the little ones such as face painting and exhibits run by the New England Aquarium.

The Festival also features a Celebrity Lounge on the balcony of Boston City Hall overlooking the throngs of people celebrating below.  The lounge is 21-plus and usually charges an entrance fee.

Block Parties and Other Events

Pride Day is truly a citywide celebration, and stopping by one of the parties taking place that day and throughout Pride Week is an opportunity not to be missed. Parties for women include the Esme Women’s Block Party and the LUSH Women’s Pride Party, while outdoor dance parties include the Stuart Street Block Party and another in Jamaica Plain. Check the Boston Pride website for scheduling details.

Other Pride Week events include the Pride Idol singing competition, Pride Day at Faneuil Hall, various benefits, pageants, and dances, and a fashion show at Macy’s.

Book a Boston Hotel today!


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