Are you an LGBTQ person who enjoys going to Black Pride pride festivals and events? Check out the Black Gay Pride calendar.
Black Gay Pride is a movement that supports and encourages Black LGBTQ culture. The first Black Pride parade was in Washington DC on May 25, 1991. Some of the most lit Black p rode celebrations is Atlanta Black Pride Weekend, DC Black Pride, and Philly Black Pride. These festivals are very entertaining and have allowed me to make a lot of good friends. In this post, I will talk about the black gay pride calendar.
Black Gay Pride Calendar
Cold as Hell Detroit, Mi lgbtdetroit.org/events/coldashell
Houston Splash Houston, Tx houstonsplash.com
Historic Selma Selma, Al selmaalabama.com
Cincy Black Pride Cincinnati, Oh cincinnatiblackpride.com
Big Boy Pride bigboypride.com
DC Black Pride Washington D.C dcblackpride.org
Miami Beach Pride Miami, Fl miamibeachpride.com
Albany, NY blackandlatinogaypride.com
Los Angeles Black Pride Los Angeles, Ca lablackpride.com
Pride Puerto Rico Puerto Rico pridepuertorico.com
Philly Black Pride Philadelphia, Pa phillyblackpride.org
Harlem Pride Harlem, NY harlempride.org
UK Black Pride United Kingdom ukblackpride.org.uk
Bronx Pride Bronx, NY facebook.com/BronxLGBTQPride
NYC Black Pride New York, NY nycblackpride.org
Fayetteville Black Pride Fayetteville, NC fayettevilleblackpride.com
Atlanta Black Pride Atlanta, Ga atlantablackpride.org
Winter Pride Fest Puerto Rico winterpridefest.com
Paris Black Pride Paris, France pbpweekend.com
Austin Black Pride Austin, Texas austinblackpride.org
Charleston Black Pride Charleston, SC charlestonblackpride.org
Connecticut Black Pride New Haven, Ct apnh.org
Pittsburgh Black Pride Pittsburgh, Pa pghblackpride.org
Charlotte Black Pride Charlotte, NC charlotteblackpride.org
Black Pride RVA Richmond, Va ugrcrva.org
Little Rock Black Pride Little Rock, Ar facebook.com/LRBLACKPRIDE/
Jacksonville Black Pride Jacksonville, Fl jaxflblackpride.wordpress.com
Blaqout Kansas City, Mo blaqout.org
Nashville Black Pride Nashville, Tn nashvilleblackpride.org
Durban Pride South Africa durbanpride.org.za
Boston Black Pride Boston, Ma bostonpride.org/blackpride/
History of Black Gay Pride
Black Pride movement of the 1960s
The Black Pride movement of the 1960s was a precursor to Black Gay Pride. It is linked to the American civil rights movement which was a fight against racism and discrimination against African Americans and other groups of color. As stated in the article “Black Power” the movement started as segregation happened in poor black and Latino communities. During this time period, civil rights leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm fought against white supremacy and supported black consciousness. With the support of black organizations like the NAACP and National Urban League African Americans and blacks of different ethnic groups black nationalists from all over the country staged protests to fight for equal rights as Caucasian persons. One of the most influential black organizations was the Black Panther Party which was co-founded by my fraternity brother Huey P Newton.
The Black Pride movement influenced many other groups such as Native Americans and LGBTQ persons to fight for equality. The movement was so influential that Black Pride Month aka Black History Month was created to honor the contributions of blacks to this country. Black Pride Month has been celebrated in February because Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas birthdays were during that month. There were even Black Pride symbols created such as the black fist and kente cloth.
One of the most popular Black pride quotes is by Marcus Garvey who said that “The Black is not a badge of shame rather a glorious symbol of national greatness.”
The Black Pride movement of the 1960s lives on through the Black Lives Matter movement which is the ongoing fight for racial justice for black people.
Gay Pride
Many people think Pride is just simply a word but it does have history. There was an actual organization called Pride which stood for Personal Rights in Defense and Education. The organization was founded in the 1960s and its purpose was to push for gay rights and gay liberation.
Gay Pride is a celebration of LGBTQ culture. It started after the Stonewall riots in NYC in June 1969. These riots were led by bold LGBTQ activists including black transgender leader Marsha P Johnson. Marsha P Johnson is one of the most influential leaders and is respected throughout the whole LGBTQ community. She and another transgender activist Sylvia Rivera founded the Star (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) to help provide housing and shelter for LGBTQ individuals.
After the Stonewall Riots on June 28, 1970, the first gay pride march took place in New York City. June eventually became LGBT Pride Month; October is LGBT history month which is important because it celebrates important LGBTQ leaders and individuals such Marsha P Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Barbara Gittings who have made contributions to society and fought for gay rights.
Gay pride festivals take place in different countries all over the world including Ireland, the United Kingdom, and India. The celebrations consist of a lineup of events including parties, workshops, and gay brunches. LGBT persons who don’t attend any of the functions still celebrate LGBT pride by rocking rainbow flags and wearing rainbow-clad accessories.
Two of the oldest and largest pride celebrations are NYC Pride and Dublin Pride which both take place in June. Another large Pride festival is Pensacola Pride. This event takes place along the Emerald Coast in Florida during Memorial Weekend. Fortunately, Pensacola Pride won’t be canceled.
Another major Pride festival is DC Pride which takes place in June. The first Pride festival in DC was in 1975. DC Pride 2021 takes place from June 1st to June 30th.
Pride has become so significant that there is even a World Pride that takes place this year in Copenhagen and Malmo on August 22nd.
For a lineup of gay pride festivals and gay pride parades go to misterbandb.com.
Black Gay Pride
While the mainstream Gay Pride was meant to unite the whole LGBTQ community black and Latin queer persons felt excluded. I could only imagine how they felt because I have felt the same way. Gay clubs and bars would hardly play any hip hop, rap, and reggae music. Moreso, gay bar owners would turn away customers (hint, hint) if they dressed or looked a certain way. As a result, many queer persons of color felt that the LGBT Pride was really white Gay Pride. You wouldn’t even find a black pride calendar on any website covering LGBT pride festivals.
Years after the first Pride march BGP is a celebration of black LGBTQ/SGL culture. The first Black Pride parade took place in Banner Field in Washington DC on Saturday, May 25, 1991. Black Gay Pride is similar to Gay Pride in that both movements focus on LGBT rights.
Center of Black Equity oversees the global network of Black Pride
CBE Black LGBTQ+ Blog & Podcast DirectoryOne of the main reasons it was started is because many black persons felt excluded at Gay Pride parades and festivals. Black Gay Pride is meant to unite the black LGBT culture so the vibes are much different. You’ll hear a lot more trap, rap, r&b, and reggae music than at the mainstream Pride gay events. During Black Gay Pride there are also important health and wellness events which including HIV/STD prevention workshops and business entrepreneur workshops.
Black gay pride has become so significant that black pride was even created to showcase black LGBTQ unity.
Pre-Black Pride: Children’s Hour
Before the 1st Black Pride celebration, there was an annual dance party for the black LGBTQ community named the Children’s Hour. The event took place during memorial weekend in Washington DC. Unfortunately, the event ended due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
1st Black Pride celebration
The first Black Pride celebration was DC Black Pride. It started in 1991 by a trio of black queer men by the names of Welmore Cook, Theodore Kirkland, and Ernest Hopkins. The 1980s was the height of the AIDS epidemic and one of the main priorities for organizers of the first DC Black Pride was to combat the illness within the black LGBTQ community. It took place in Banneker field and was a successful event. The success of DC Black Pride inspired other Black Pride celebrations including NYC Black Pride and Atlanta Black Pride. And as time passed on DC Black Pride grew to become a lineup of black SGL events including panel discussions, workshops on HIV/AIDS prevention, and black gay parties.
DC Black Pride now draws thousands of black queer men from all over the country. I’ve been to DC Black Pride and really enjoyed myself and will encourage any gay man to attend at least once.
DC Black Pride 2021 will be virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic. There will be a variety of events for the black queer community.
Why you should attend Black Pride?
People think that Black Pride is all about partying and drinking. But Black Pride is so much more than that. It’s about learning about the black LGBTQ culture and developing healthy relationships with other black LGBT persons. I remember meeting a good friend from Washington DC in 2015 at NYC Black Pride. Till today we are still good friends.
Another great aspect of Black Pride is the spread of knowledge about health and wellness. In the black gay community HIV/AIDS continue to hurt our community. And so most Black Pride festivals have an HIV/STD health workshop that educates attendees on the importance of safe sex.
Black Pride Celebrations you absolutely must attend
Atlanta BP
Atlanta Black Pride (ABP) is the biggest Pride celebration for the black LGBT community in the country. The city of Atlanta is considered the black gay mecca with a huge black gay nightlife and social scene so you already know that ABP gets lit.
Atlanta Black Pride was started in 1996 by In the Life Atlanta. The purpose of Atlanta Black Pride has been to unite the black LGBTQ community and to promote better health and wellness through HIV/STD workshops.
Every year thousands of black gay men from different cities travel to Atlanta, Georgia for Atlanta Black Pride. It takes place on Labor Day Weekend. Atlanta Black Pride 2019 was one of the most lit Black Pride celebrations. The official host hotel was the Crowne Plaza. Gay bars like Bulldogs and Blake’s On the Park were super packed during Atlanta Black Pride 2019. Even during the coronavirus Atlanta Black Gay Pride 2020, which took place from September 2, 2020, to September 7, 2020, drew a massive crowd of black queer men from all over the country. The host hotel for Atlanta Black Pride 2020 was the W Midtown which is a cute hotel.
During ABP there are dozens of night and day events including pool parties, brunches, and club parties. There are also black gay events that are educational and informative like health panel discussions and screenings. The weekend usually ends with a big festival at Piedmont Park. Some of the biggest party promoters such as Rockstars Productions and Wassup N Atl will be organizing events. And despite the coronavirus epidemic the bars and lounges will be packed to capacity. The most exciting aspect during the weekend is that you will literally bump into some A-list celebrities hosted by some alist celebrities and black gay influencers.
As it seems now Atlanta Black Pride 2021 is expected to take place. The date is September 2, 2021- September 6, 2021. During that weekend there will be workshops, a health expo, tons of black gay parties, and even a film festival. Atlanta is one of the gayest cities and LGBT-friendly so you definitely should check out AB Pride.
DC BP
DC Black Pride is another huge black gay festival in this country. It is my favorite festival. As mentioned earlier in this post Washington DC was the location for the 1st Black Pride festival.
DC Black Pride attracts thousands of black queer men from around the country. I’ve been to DC Black Pride a couple of years before the coronavirus epidemic. It was like being in a gay fantasy. There were so many parties and events going on including ballroom competitions, brunch day parties, and night parties filled with black LGBT artists like Big Fredia and Christopher Milan, gay Instagram influencers, and all types of celebrities.
DC Black Pride 2021 takes place during Memorial Weekend and this year it will be virtual. For the dates, you can go to their website or the Center Black Equity site which has a black pride calendar for 2021.
Black Gay Pride Houston
Black Gay Pride Houston aka Houston Splash takes place in Houston, Texas. House Splash has been happening for more than 15 years. Thousands of black LGBT persons come to attend this event which takes place from the end of April to May.
Houston Splash started off as a one-day beach event. This year Black Gay Pride Houston is from April 29th to May 2nd.
Los Angeles Black Pride
Los Angeles Black Pride is a precursor to At the Beach which is one of the oldest black gay events in the country. At the Beach took place in 1998 as a black circuit party.
New Orleans Black Gay Pride
New Orleans is the home to bounce music and one of the most popular LGBTQ artists Big Fredia. Black Pride New Orleans started in November 2017. The date for New Orleans Black Pride 2021 is July 2nd to July 4th. M. One of the most anticipated events is Freaknik Nola Edition. Freaknik was a small picnic in Atlanta that grew into one of the largest gatherings for the black community. Freaknik Nola Edition is a smaller LGBT edition of that event. There will be other interesting events during NOLA Black GAy Pride including a brunch and popup shop, a pink day party, and an after-hours party.
The host hotel for New Orleans Black Pride 2021 is the Wyndham hotel which is by the airport.
Birmingham Black Gay Pride
Just like Atlanta Black Gay Pride, DC Black Pride, and other Black Pride festivals Birmingham Black Gay Pride has black gay events meant to unite the black LGBTQ community.
New York Black Pride
New York Black Pride is a fun celebration that brings black LGBTQ persons from all over the country. Being that I reside in New York I’ve had the opportunity to go to multiple New York Black Pride festivals. The most recent was last year which took place from August 12, 2020, to August 16th, 2020. Typically, there are various events that take including night parties, an awards ceremony honoring black SGL/LGBTQ leaders, health panel workshops, and day parties.
New York Black Pride usually ends with a dance festival at Coney Island Beach broad walk. I went there a couple of years ago and I had a good time. One of the most famous black gay DJs Frankie Paradise spun for the crowd playing house music and different types of tunes that got the crowd hype.
Another great aspect of NY Black Pride is being in New York itself. African American LGBT leaders like James Baldwin, Marsha P Johnson, and Alvin Ailey have made contributions to the African American and LGBT community while here in New York.
For the exact date of New York, Black Pride check out the black pride calendar on the Center of Black Equity website.
Atlanta Pride
Atlanta Pride is different from Atlanta Black Pride in that ABP is more celebratory of black SGL culture. That Pride festival takes place in October in Piedmont Park.
Wrap up
Black Gay Pride is all about queer black liberation. All over the world, there are Black Pride Festivals that encourage the black queer community to come together and empower themselves. There are discussions and workshops on HIV prevention and racism & homophobia within the black LGBT community. Black Pride celebrations also consist of enjoyable events including day parties, brunches, midnight cruises, and sex parties. There are more than 25+ cities around the world that host Black Pride festivals. One of the Black Pride Festivals I plan to go to this year is New Orleans Black Pride 2021.
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