This year’s Pride festivities will look a whole lot different than the colorful crowds of parades past, but the annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community and commemoration of the Stonewall Riot continues. Virtual events in June bring the joyous spirit of Pride into your living room through Zoom dance parties and archival film. Here are some Pride Month events to check out online ?️? :
Tune In To Capital Pride Events
Although there won’t be any elaborate floats this year, Capital Pride Alliance is still painting the town rainbow with a slew of virtual events kicking off on June 1. Highlights include the roving “pridemobile,” which will travel through DC livestreaming festive storefronts on Saturday, June 13, and the premiere of Pride in the City, a Facebook and YouTube series with local drag performers and dancers on Sunday, June 14. Even the annual Capitol Sunset Dance Party is going digital, so you can groove to DJ Tracy Young‘s playlist on Sunday, June 14, and dance like no one is watching.
Stream the Smithsonian’s Project Pride
Part concert, part queer-history lesson, Project Pride airs on Sunday, May 31. The YouTube show is emcee’ed by All Things Considered host Ari Shapiro and features musicians including Indigo Girls and Girl in Red alongside writer Roxane Gay and comedian Tig Notaro. Performances are interspersed with Smithsonian curators telling the stories behind museum artifacts and historic photos. A panda from the National Zoo’s will make an appearance eating rainbow cake.
Catch A Pride Month Performance
Continue the musical celebration with a Zoom Pride concert streamed by event producers Brightest Young Things on Saturday, June 6. Singer-songwriters Heather Mae and Crys Matthews headline the $15-interactive production. Storytelling show Story District is also going virtual for their annual Pride performance Out/Spoken on Tuesday, June 9, presenting stories centered on the LGBTQIA+ experience.
Learn About LGBTQ+ History
Explore archives and collections made available by DC institutions for an at-home peek into the past. The Library of Congress offers access to research guides and photo resources, including footage of the first Pride march in New York a year after Stonewall. For a window into LGBTQ+ history in our very own backyard, dive into DC Public Library’s digital archive of the Washington Blade dating back to 1969. The library also houses an online collection of Women in the Life, a magazine from the late ’90s for the black lesbian community.
Get Competitive at a Game Night
Even while we’re avoiding crowds, bars and restaurants around DC are still bringing together communities online. Test your knowledge at Pride Week trivia hosted by NoMa’s Red Bear Brewing on Monday, June 8, or pull together a team of six for A League of Her Own’s monthly Queer Trivia Night on Tuesday, June 9. Drag performers call the numbers and take the virtual stage at Shaw Tavern’s drag bingo, streamed on the gastropub’s Facebook Live every Sunday.
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Northeast DC.
