Thought Queens was wack and had nothing to offer? Read on about Queens Pride 2025 and discover why it’s such a great pride celebration.

Queens Pride is the second biggest Pride Celebration in New York which tens of thousands of LGBTQIA (lesbian,, gay bisexual, transgender, intersex, and asexual) persons attend annually. The event takes place the first weekend of June which is Pride Month which lasts from June 1st to June 30th; the theme for Pride Month 2025 is the Fabric of Freedom. Queens Pride always takes place in Jackson Heights, Queens which has a huge population of Central Americans and Latinos.

History of Queens Pride

Queens Pride began after the murder of Juilo Rivera. Julio was born in the South Bronx and at an early age he moved to Jackson Heights, Queens along with his other siblings. Friends and family described him as an intelligent and good hearted person. His death took place in 1990. That night he was working as a bartender at the Magic Touch gay bar. He left the bar and walked with his friend Alan Sack. They parted ways and while walking he heard a bystander yell that a few people murdered someone at PS 69 schoolyard. Soon enough Alan found out that it was Julio.

Julio’s murder was a hate crime and as a response the Queens Pride Committee was formed. The first committee was held on November 22, 1992 which was chaired by LGBT activities Daniel Dromm and Maritza Martinez. The actual pride celebration didn’t happen until Sunday, June 6, 1993.

What happens during Queens Pride

During Queens Pride there is a parade, vendors, and live performances. The parade starts around 12pm and ends about 3pm. The route runs along 37th Avenuee between 89th St and 75th St. The performances happens on two different stages and ends about 6pm: one stage is ran by Friends Tavern gay bar and the main stage is organized by the Queens Pride. The theme for this year is “Defiant Joy”

Why go to Queens Pride

Queens Pride is a huge celebration that welcomes both the straight and LGBTQ community. Tens of thousands of persons attend every year and it continues to grow. Being that Queens is diverse community you will find people of so many different races and ethnicity during Queens Pride. One of my favorite aspects of Queens Pride is the presence of LGBT resources including the LGBT network community center which is based in Astoria, Queens Pride House located in Jackson Heights, and so much more.

Cisgender persons can alsoEven if you’re straight you would still enjoy the local businesses at Queen Pride including barbershops like Off the Top, food vendors, and clothing/jewelry shops.

Entertainment

If you’re looking for good entertainment you would definitely enjoy the Queens Pride festival. There is main stage where right across the street from 74th St- Roosevelt Ave train station with a huge lineup of singers, dancers, poets, and other types of performers. One of the headliners is Austin Hall who was the first with Mobebius Syndrome, a condition causing facial paralysis, to walk in New York Fashion Week. One of my favorite headliners was Billy Goat who performed in Queens Pride 2024. He’s a rapper from D.C and had the crowd extremely hyped with the song “Dick”.

Queens Pride starts around 12pm and ends around 6pm. I’m not a big fan of festivals but I can actually say that I do enjoy the entertainment. Every performer puts on a great show and keeps the audience engaged.

Parties

As you would expect at any Pride festival the after parties are packed! Friends Tavern is a popular Latin gay bar on Roosevelt Avenue which attracts many of the attendees at Queens Pride. During that night Friends has at least 8 go go dancers who are all sexually appealing. On a normal Sunday night Friends gets crowded and during Queens Pride it gets 10x more packed. It’s normally free to get into the bar but during Queens Pride there is a cover charge due to amount of attendees. Other Latin gay bars in the area including Music Box and Hombres that hosts enjoyable parties.

Since there is no event catered towards the black gay community Men Who Brunch hosted a black gay event for Queens pride which was named Sundaze: Queens Pride Day Party. Sundaze was held at Uptop Lounge, a chic venue on Broadway located right down the block from Roosevelt Avenue train station. It was an extremely successfully and brought out queer persons from Queens, Manhattan, Bronx, and even parts of New Jersey.

What to wear and bring

You can wear anything you want as long as it’s not overly sexual (many families including minors attend Queens Pride.

Other NY Pride Celebrations

If you can’t make it to Queens Pride there will other Pride festivals including Staten Island Pride, Brooklyn Pride, Sunnyside Pride Bronx Pride, Harlem Pride, and finally NYC Pride.

Staten Island Pride

This celebration takes place on Saturday, May 31st at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden and lasts from noon to 5pm.

Brooklyn Pride

Brooklyn Pride takes place during the 2nd week of June and takes place by Park Slope.

Sunnyside Pride

This is a pride festival that happens in Sunnyside, Queens and will take place on June 13th. This will be the 4th year it’s being held and has an expected list of more than 2,000 person.

Bronx Pride

The Bronx Pride festival takes place during the 3rd week of June at Westchester Ave which has a large black and spanish population.

Harlem Pride

Harlem Pride takes place the same weekend of NYC Pride. The difference is that it’s geared towards persons of the black and brown LGBTQ community.

NYC Pride

NYC Pride is the biggest Pride march in the US and second biggest pride celebration in the world (Sao Paulo Pride in Brazil is the world’s largest Pride celebration). It’s a family friend free event that lasts about 12 hours and attracts more than 100,000 persons. The theme for NYC Pride 2025 is “Rise Up: Pride in Protest:. The grand marshalls for NYC Pride will be Karine Jean-Pietter, DJ Line, Elise Crespa, and Mari Gould Cummings. This year it will be on on Sunday, June 29th. If you just want to be a bystander and not join the parade you can watch by 23rd St in the Flatiron District.

Pride Celebrations Outside of NY

One of the biggest pride celebrations is World Pride. This year it will take place in D.C from May 23rdt to June 8th. More than millions of LGBTQ persons attend annually.

Recap

Queens Pride is a fun and family friendly celebration that both the straight and LGBTQ community should attend. There plenty of great foods to eat, the crowd is very diverse, and the entertainment is good. If you’re not busy on Sunday, June 5th definitely come out to Jackson Heights, Queens and enjoy the Queens Pride parade and festival.