As we near the two-year mark from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. that shut down life as we know it, we are now closer than ever to seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and getting “back to normal.” That means more traveling, more time with friends and more celebrations.
As you start to plan your vacations for 2022 and beyond, we put together some information on a few of the biggest LGBTQ events happening over the next 12 months(ish). (We do have one LGBTQ event that got bumped from the fall of 2022 to the fall of 2023, but we didn’t have the heart to remove it from the list.)
We have included some big Pride events, some mind-blowing circuit parties and a few posh getaways that are happening all around the globe. There is something for everyone on the list, so start hiring your sitters and booking your hotels because it’s time to take some time off. You’ve earned it.
White Party Palm Springs
April 29-May 1
The White Party in Palm Springs is an annual multi-day music festival and the largest gay circuit party in the U.S. The event typically brings more than 30,000 to California’s desert resort city every year for a series of pool parties during the day and epic dance parties at night.
The event was first launched in 1990 by event organizer Jeffrey Sanker, who passed away in May 2021, and has grown into White Party Global, which hosts LGBTQ events around the world throughout the year.
After postponing, first due to COVID-19 then after the passing of Sanker, White Party Palm Springs returns to the desert after a three-year hiatus April 29-May 1. The event’s host hotel, and the setting for each day’s Soaked! Pool Party, is the Hilton Palm Springs. The weekend kicks off Friday night with a rainforest-themed Rio party called “Jungle Cruzin” at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The party returns to the convention center Saturday night with its traditional event where everyone wears white.
This year’s theme is inter-dimensional superheroes and is called “Eternal.” The weekend’s circuits close out Sunday with “Big Top Circus T-Dance,” an outdoor party that starts in the afternoon and goes on into the wee hours of the morning.
Weekend passes start at $395. For more information on events and to purchase tickets, go to WhitePartyGlobal.com.
RuPaul’s DragCon
May 13-15
There is no denying that drag has taken over the world and that is in no small part due to the popularity of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Since it first premiered on Logo TV in 2009, “Drag Race” and its growing list of spin-offs have brought drag into the mainstream and turned its queens into household names.
Fans pack clubs, bars and theaters across the country to get a look at their favorite queens, so it was only a matter of time before Mama Ru put a plan into place for those fans to see dozens of “Drag Race” queens in one place – and so DragCon was born.
Starting in 2015 in Los Angeles with a sister event launching in New York City in 2017, DragCon is the “world’s largest celebration of drag culture.” After two years away from an in-person drag convention, DragCon LA returns to the Los Angeles Convention Center May 13-15 and currently has more than 100 drag queens attending the event including Alaska, Eureka!, Kameron Michaels, Kim Chi, Latrice Royale, Milk, Raja, Sasha Velour, Silky Nutmeg Ganache, Thorgy Thor, Trinity the Tuck and many more.
Tickets start at $40 for a single day and $70 for the whole weekend. Kids 8 years old and younger are admitted for free. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to RuPaulsDragCon.com.
Gay Day at Disney’s Magic Kingdom
June 4
As huge LGBTQ events happen around the world every year, one of the largest occurs right here in our own backyard. Gay Day at Disney’s Magic Kingdom started as a single day event on the first Saturday in June 1991 in which LGBTQ individuals and their families gathered in front of Cinderella’s Castle at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom wearing red T-shirts as a way be visible to each other and the world. That first year, 1,500 people attended with that number doubling the following year and growing to 10,000 by 1995.
The celebration ballooned into multiple days of events from many groups — including GayDayS.com, One Magical Weekend, Girls in Wonderland and Tidal Wave Party — who bring circuit parties, concerts, expos and pool parties every year that encircle the original event and is attended by more than 100,000 people each year, all while still not being an officially sanctioned event by Disney World.
In 2019, the KindRED Pride Foundation was launched in order to increase awareness around the legacy of Gay Day at Disney’s Magic Kingdom and to create Red Shirt Pride Day in an effort to ensure that the celebration that was started in 1991 would continue to be recognized on the first Saturday in June every year. Due to the pandemic, the surrounding celebrations were cancelled and Gay Day at Disney’s Magic Kingdom saw a reduced number of attendees at the theme park in red shirts.
But this year, each of the major party organizers say their events are coming back and they will be bigger than ever.
The KindRED Pride Foundation will host several events including the “We Are One” benefit concert June 2 and a multi-sport LGBTQ competition called The Pride Cup June 3-5. For more information, go to KindREDPride.org.
GayDayS.com will host events from May 31-June 6 with the Avanti Palms Resort serving as host hotel. For more information, go to GayDayS.com.
One Magical Weekend returns June 2-6 with the Sheraton Lake Buena Vista Resort serving as its host hotel. For more information, go to OneMagicalWeekend.com.
Girls in Wonderland events will happen June 2-6 with the Grand Orlando Resort at Celebration serving as host hotel. For more information, go to GirlsInWonderland.com.
Tidal Wave Party will be hosting events June 2-5 with The B Resort and Spa serving as host hotel. For more information, go to TidalWaveParty.com.
São Paulo Gay Pride Parade in Brazil
June 19
The Gay Pride Parade in São Paulo, Brazil is the largest Pride parade in the world with millions of attendees every year. The parade holds the Guinness World Record for parade crowd size with 5 million attendees in 2013, and there is no question as to the parade’s popularity once you experience it, or even just see the parade photos.
Events tied to São Paulo Pride start several days before but the Pride Parade is the highlight of the weekend. The parade, happening June 19 this year, will begin in front of the Museu de Arte de São Paulo and travel nearly 3 miles to the Praça Roosevelt in Downtown São Paulo. The parade goes on for hours and features thousands of colorful outfits and headdresses as well as more than two dozen themed floats known as Trio elétricos.
For more information on the parade and surrounding events, clubs and hotels, go to GayTravel4U.com/Events/Sao-Paulo-Gay-Pride.
NYC Pride Parade
June 26
New York City is where the modern LGBTQ rights movement was birthed with the 1969 police attack on the Stonewall Inn which led to LGBTQ people protesting and rioting for several days. The following year, LGBTQ leaders and activists held marches in several U.S. cities to commemorate the events at Stonewall. In the 1980s, the marches took on a more celebratory atmosphere and today thousands of Pride festivals and parades take place throughout the year in cities and towns, big and small, all over the world. At some point in every LGBTQ person’s life, you should make it a point to visit the one that started them all in NYC.
NYC Pride averages 2 million attendees every year, with the parade making history in 2019 with more than 4 million people attending the parade for its partnership with WorldPride to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Stonewall.
This year, NYC Pride will begin with a pair of events celebrating LGBTQ film: Family Movie Night on June 15 and Pride Presents 17. On June 23, NYC Pride hosts a human rights conference, its annual symposium of transformative changemakers in the queer community focused on activism and issues impacting the community. The weekend kicks off June 24 with an LGBTQ rally and a youth Pride celebration June 25.
NYC Pride’s big day is June 26 starting at 11 a.m. with PrideFest in Greenwich Village. PrideFest is an annual LGBTQIA+ street fair that combines exhibitors, entertainers, food and activities for a day of fun and celebration in the name of equality. The march begins at noon through Lower Manhattan, passing in front of Stonewall, now the Stonewall National Monument. Pride Island, a concert and fundraising celebration, begins a 2 p.m. and will be a hybrid of in-person and virtual options.
For more information, go to NYCPride.org.
Gay Wine Weekend
July 25-17
What could be better than a weekend getaway in California’s Wine Country? A summer weekend getaway to Wine Country for Gay Wine Weekend!
Out in the Vineyard returns in full force with its Gay Wine Weekend July 15-17 after going virtual in 2020 and then hosting smaller events in 2021. This year, you’ll enjoy three full days of LGBTQ events in Northern California’s magnificent Sonoma Valley, home to some of the world’s most prestigious wines and wineries.
Celebrate with world class wine and culinary delights, music and dancing in a private estate vineyard, VIP receptions, wine excursions, a drag queen brunch, wine auction and pool party in one of the most famous luxury destinations in the world, all while benefiting Face to Face, Sonoma County’s HIV/AIDS network.
Winery Tours and Winemaker Dinner tickets will run you $95 and $150 respectively for each event. An additional $500 will get you the VIP All Access Pass and will include admission to the Twilight T-Dance and VIP Reception at the Chateau St. Jean Winery, event after parties, the Drag Queen Recovery Brunch and Wine Auction and the Sunday Pool Soiree.
For more information and to purchase tickets, go to OutInTheVineyard.com.
Northalsted Market Days in Chicago
Aug. 5-7
Northalsted Market Days is a weekend long, live music street festival held in Chicago’s Northalsted neighborhood (also known as Boystown) every year. The half-mile long festival features multiple stages with live performances, hundreds of vendors, DJs, dance floors and more.
Founded in 1982, Market Days now spans from Belmont to Addison on North Halsted St. in Chicago’s Northalsted neighborhood – America’s first recognized gay village and a Chicago LGBTQ historic landmark. The neighborhood is home to one of the largest LGBTQ populations in the country and also host’s Chicago’s annual Pride Parade every June.
The weekend Market Days festival averages 120,000 attendees each year and is considered the largest street festival in the Midwest. It features five stages: three main music stages and two stages dedicated to local bands.
The event is free but a suggested donation of $15 is asked which helps to make Market Days possible, as well as supports local nonprofits and funds other community projects.
Performers for the 2022 Market Days have not been announced yet but with it being the event’s 40th anniversary, expect some big names.
For more information, go to Northalsted.com/MarketDays.
Circuit Festival Barcelona
Aug. 6-14
Created by nightlife promotion company Matinée Group in 2008, Barcelona’s Circuit Festival brings together the world’s top promoters and international DJs every year for more than 20 parties and events spanning 10 days. Circuit Festival is currently the biggest international LGBTQ circuit party event in the world, attracting tens of thousands of partygoers each summer.
This year’s festival runs Aug. 6-14 and is sure to be huge given the festival had to cancel the passed two years due to the pandemic. Between the beaches, the pool parties and the dance circuits, there is no shortage of fun to be had but when planning your itinerary make sure not to miss the main stage party with its over-the-top fireworks show, the opening and closing parties and the centerpiece of the festival —Water Park Day.
Water Park Day, which is on Aug. 9 this year, attracts 14,000 attendees on average to Illa Fantasia, one of Europe’s largest water parks, and is broken into two parties: the Main Stage Party and Water Park Night. Party goers start to arrive at 10 a.m. to enjoy the park’s waterslides and pools until the Main Stage Party kicks off at 2 p.m. Get ready to dance and splash around until 10 p.m. when the transition from day party to night party occurs with a huge firework display. Then it is off to the water park’s club venue to continue dancing until 6 a.m.
For more information, go to CircuitFestival.net.
Provincetown Carnival
Aug. 13-20
Provincetown Carnival is one of the largest outdoor celebrations in New England and attracts around 100,000 visitors each year to the popular LGBTQ vacation town which has been called the “gayest city in America.”
This year, Provincetown celebrates its 43rd annual Carnival Aug. 13-20 and is themed “Monsters, Myths & Legends,” so plan your outfits accordingly. The full event list has not been released yet but expect to see some of the traditional events including the official raising of the Carnival Flag at the Pilgrim Monument, opening and closing parties at the Crown & Anchor resort, boat cruises, costume parties, T-Dances and, of course, the parade, which will take place Aug. 18 and will begin at the Harbor Hotel and make its way through downtown.
For more information, go to Ptown.org.
Southern Decadence
Sept. 1-5
Southern Decadence is a weeklong event celebrated in New Orleans’ French Quarter around the first week of September every year, culminating in a parade on the Sunday before Labor Day.
Southern Decadence began in 1972 as a going away party within a group of friends who playfully called themselves the “Decadents.” The costume party, that was held on the Sunday before Labor Day, grew and eventually shifted focus from a house party to a parade. The parade featured its first grand marshal in 1974 who is granted complete control over the parade, a tradition that continues today.
Southern Decadence is now attended on average by a quarter of a million people each year and resembles the city’s annual Mardi Gras holiday with its street parties and bead tossing. Each celebration also features a theme and colors, a tradition of Southern Decadence since the late 80s. Themes have included titles such as “Plagues, Pests, Parasites,” “Menage à Trois” and “Fruit Salad: Come Toss A Good Time.”
Southern Decadence 2020 was cancelled due to the pandemic and was cancelled again in 2021, once again because of the pandemic and the impact Hurricane Ida had on the area. With no Southern Decadence in the past two years expect its return to be huge.
Southern Decadence will announce its 2022 theme and colors in June. For more information, go to SouthernDecadence.com.
EuroPride
Sept. 12-18
EuroPride is a pan-European international LGBTQ event that features a Pride parade, hosted by a different European city each year except in cases where WorldPride is being held in Europe. In that case, that WorldPride event will also carry the title of EuroPride. The host city is usually one with an established LGBTQ Pride event or a strong LGBTQ community.
EuroPride was first celebrated in London, England in 1992 with an estimated 100,000 people in attendance. Since then, the event has seen large-scale events such as 300,000 attendees in Paris 1997 and 1 million in Rome 2011. Smaller but significant events have also been held, like in Warsaw, Poland 2010 when 10,000 attended EuroPride as a political demonstration in the conservative country.
EuroPride 2022 will be hosted by Belgrade Pride in Serbia Sept. 12-18. Belgrade held its first Pride in 2001 but were prevented from holding another Pride event until 2010. During the 2010 Pride parade, a riot broke out between police and anti-LGBTQ, anti-government protesters. The third Belgrade Pride was held in 2014, alongside the country’s first transgender Pride event, without incident and has been held each year since expect for 2020 due to the pandemic.
For more information, visit EPOA.eu/EuroPride.
Folsom Street Fair
Sept. 25
The Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco is an annual leather, BDSM and kink event that takes place on the last Sunday in September each year. It gets its name because it takes place across 13 blocks in the city’s South of Market district on Folsom Street.
Started in 1984, Folsom Street Fair is now California’s third largest street event and the largest leather event in the U.S., estimating 250,000 attendees every year.
The street fair features hundreds of exhibitor booths catering to an array of fetishes, vendors, food areas, meet-and-greets with popular porn stars, dancing and live music stages. But the event is best known for its public sex performances and sadomasochistic activities.
The Folsom Street Fair is put on each year by the nonprofit Folsom Street Events, which uses the event to raise funds for various charities in the area. While the event is free to attend, a $10 donation is recommended at admission.
For more information, go to FolsomStreet.org.
Aspen Gay Ski Week
Jan. 2023
Aspen just celebrated its Gay Ski Week last month but that doesn’t mean you can’t start planning for next year’s events now.
Aspen Gay Ski Week got its start in the late 1970s when a group of local gay men began meeting up with gay tourists from ski clubs in San Diego, Los Angeles and Chicago every January. Every year, each ski club would volunteer to host parties on different nights. Eventually hot tub get-togethers became pool parties, visits to the discos became dance parties, drag shows became downhill costume contests and more.
Now the weeklong event brings thousands of visitors to the valley and is the signature fundraising event for AspenOUT, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the Roaring Fork Valley that promotes tolerance, understanding and diversity through local and national programming, fundraising and grants for the LGBTQ community, their families and allies, with a focus on youth, education and community action.
Highlights of the annual event include the Friday night White Party, the above-mentioned Downhill Costume Contest and the Saturday night Grand Finale Pool Party. But let’s be honest, if you are going to Aspen Gay Ski Week you probably want to get in some skiing and Aspen is one of the best-known ski towns in the world with four mountains to choose from — Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk Mountain and Snowmass Mountain.
For mores information, go to GaySkiWeek.com.
WorldPride
Feb. 17-March 5, 2023
InterPride, an international alliance consisting of more than 400 Pride organizations from 70 countries, started its WorldPride event in order to promote LGBTQ issues on an international level through Pride parades, festivals and other activities. The event, licensed by InterPride and organized by the host city’s Pride organization, got its start in Rome in 2000 and has been held on six other occasions since: in Jerusalem in 2006, in London in 2012, in Toronto in 2014, in Madrid in 2017, in New York City for the 50th anniversary of Stonewall in 2019 and, for the first time ever, in two cities in two separate countries — Copenhagen and Malmö — in 2021.
WorldPride will be hosted next in Sydney in 2023, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the first Australian Gay Pride Week, the 45th anniversary of the first Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras and the fifth anniversary of same-sex marriage in Australia.
The event, themed “Gather, Dream, Amplify,” will take place over the course of 17 days during Australia’s summer. The centerpiece of Sydney WorldPride will be the three-day Human Rights Conference which will focus on LGBTQIA+ human rights across the Asia Pacific region March 1-3.
Other events will include opening and closing ceremonies, a fair day, a gala concert, a Pride march, a beach party and more.
For more information, go to SydneyWorldPride.com.
Gay Games 11
Nov. 3-11, 2023
The Gay Games, which began in 1982, is a worldwide sporting event that promotes LGBTQ acceptance and features queer athletes performing in a variety of sports much like the Olympics. It is the world’s largest inclusive sport, arts and culture event.
The Gay Games, which were first held in San Francisco, share many similarities to the Olympics including lighting a flame at its opening ceremonies and being held every four years. Of the 10 Gay Games since its start, six of them have been held in North America, three in Europe and one in Australia. The 11th Gay Games will be held in Hong Kong, the first time for an Asian city.
Originally scheduled for Nov. 11-19, 2022, the 11th Gay Games were pushed back to Nov. 3-11, 2023 due to the ongoing pandemic. Gay Games 11 will be broken down into eight sections: Aquatic, which includes swimming, diving, water polo; Athletic, which includes track & field, running and marathons; Ballgame, which includes basketball, soccer, rugby and softball; Cross-Disciplinary, which includes bowling and cheerleading; Combines, which includes dance, eSports and golf; Mat, which includes fencing, martial arts and wrestling; Racquet, which includes squash and tennis; and Sea, which includes rowing and sailing.
The weeklong series of events will also highlight arts and culture with choir performances, cabarets, dance, performance art and more.
For more information, go to GayGames.org/Gay-Games-11.
