SAN DIEGO — June 1 means that Pride Month is officially here, with plenty of festivities taking place across the county to celebrate.
Pride Month is held every June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, which marked the beginning of the movement to overturn discriminatory laws against LGBTQ+ Americans, and celebrate the community at-large.
While San Diego’s biggest Pride event takes place in July, there’s no shortage of things members of the community or allies can do to commemorate the month.
Here’s a list of Pride Events hosted this month:
QTAPI Week: The San Diego Queer APIMEDA Coalition, a group of queer and transgender Asian American Pacific Islander individuals, has ended AAPI Heritage Month and kicked off Pride with a series of events to celebrate those who live at the intersection of the two communities.
While a few of the events for QTAPI week have already passed, there are two more set to take place this month:
- Night Light: A sunset gathering in Kate Sessions Park on June 2 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. More information, including how to RSVP, can be found here.
- QTAPI at Convoy: Head over to HIVE Convoy, located at 4428 Convoy Street, in Convoy for a night of live entertainment, food and more. The celebration goes from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on June 3.
Health, Pride and Resiliency Fair: The second annual event from Mid-City Can will bring together educational resources and fun activities to promote health, pride, hope and resiliency among the queer, trans and intersex communities. The fair, whose theme is “Protect Queer, Trans and Intersex Youth,” will be held at the YMCA Copley-Price on Saturday, June 3 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. More information about the event can be found here.
Pride by the Beach: The 16th annual street festival organized by the North County LGBTQ Resource Center, will be taking place Saturday, June 3 in Oceanside. The free, family-friendly community event will have food, speakers and live performances. The event will be held from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at 300 N Coast Highway. More information on the event can be found here.
Rumba Gala: Dance the night away to the sounds of Latin GRAMMY-winning salsa band, Yamila & Yalil Guerra Orchestra, at this formal-attire fundraiser on Saturday, June 3 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. All proceeds from the night will benefit the Lambda Rising Soccer Club, a San Diego nonprofit organization that provides inclusive and gender-affirming soccer programs for youth and adults. Tickets can be purchased for the 21+ event here.
Drag Then and Now Advocacy Trivia Night: Head over to Hillcrest for a night of drag-themed trivia — from the history of drag to contemporary drag culture — hosted by local queen Amber St. James. Put your drag knowledge to the test during this 21+ event on Thursday, June 8 from 6p.m. to 8 p.m. at San Diego’s only lesbian Bar, Gossip Grill. The first 25 people to arrive will receive a free drink token and light appetizers will be provided. Learn more here.
Ramona Pride: The second-ever Ramona Pride is set to take place on Saturday, June 10. The event will start with a visibility walk at 10 a.m. down Main Street in Ramona, before a family-friendly community picnic at Collier Park. More information can be found here.
Santee Pride Walk: Santee United Methodist Church will be hosting a Pride Walk in the East County community to promote LGBTQ+ visibility. The walk will kick-off at 12:30 p.m. on June 10 with a welcome and speakers to kick off the walk, which will start at 1 p.m. Walkers will head down Mission Gorge Road from Magnolia to Cuyamaca. Learn more here.
Community Ofrenda: This event organized by Latin@x services at the San Diego LGBT Community Center will be a remembrance service for the 49 people killed in the Orlando Pulse Nightclub shooting. Anyone can drop in from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, June 12 at The Center’s Patio on 3909 Centre St. A blessing will take place at noon. More information can be found here.
Pride Crawl: Take to Hillcrest on Saturday, June 17 to hop between various businesses in the neighborhood, including Gossip Grill, Number One on Fifth and Urban Mo’s. The crawl will start at 4 p.m. at The Loft on 3610 Fifth Ave., before concluding with an after party. 20% of proceeds from the night will be going towards San Diego Pride fundraising. Tickets for the the 21+ event start at $15 and can be purchased here.
Pachanga de Frida: Celebrate the legendary life of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo at this fundraiser for the Latin@x services at San Diego LGBT Community Centers. The event will take place on Saturday, June 24 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase starting at $20, with each including two tacos and one drink. The 21+ event will also have live music, art exhibits and a Frida Kahlo look-alike contest. More information can be found here.
