The Ultimate Guide to Pride Month in Houston
From pool parties to the Pride parade, here are Houston’s best events to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ Community.
Pride Month is here, y’all! A time to celebrate, honor, and advocate for our queer community and its impact in America. This June, cities across the country will host a series of events, the Magnum Opus of which is an annual Pride Parade, paying homage to the 1969 Stonewall Riots that ignited the modern LGBTQIA+ rights social movement in America. And we’re happy to announce that after cancellations, postponements, and downsizing the past couple of years, Houston Pride Festival and Parade is officially back in 2022.
Fittingly, this year’s theme is “The Beat Goes On,” a tribute to the trailblazers who inspired change and to the current community that won’t let a pandemic stop them from celebrating and fighting for equality. The 44th annual Houston LGBT+ Pride Celebration will go down at Houston City Hall on Saturday, June 25, but there’s plenty to celebrate before and after, too—from a bar crawl and pool bash to the official after party put on by one of Houston’s most legendary gay bars. Consider this your guide to all things Houston Pride 2022.
The Official Pride Market will be popping up at hometown favorite Karbach Brewing on Sunday, June 5 from 11 am to 6 pm. You can expect a Biergarten Party and market rocking over 25 local vendors, DJs and drag queens, food trucks, live music, games, contests and giveaways, and plenty of Pride. The event is free to the public with RSVP.
Throughout the month, the super cool al fresco theater experience Rooftop Cinema Club will be screening LGBTQIA+ hit movies, including The Birdcage (June 1), To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (June 8), But I’m a Cheerleader (June 15), The Wizard of Oz (June 22), and Set It Off (June 22).
Houston’s newest Pride event brings together NYAK Cognac spiked specialty drinks, mimosas, and shots, DJs and hookah, good food, free swag, and hot bods. The good times go down at Midtown’s Belle Station from noon to 7 pm and admission is free.
A kaleidoscope of sexy bods will be rocking Pride’s hottest event, the Soaked pool party at popular day and nightclub Clé. You can expect a lineup of DJ sets and headlining entertainment, dancers to keep the party levels skyrocketing, fun games and prizes, food and drink specials, hookahs, and good vibes all around. Tickets start at $15 early bird with VIP poolside daybeds available for $450 and cabanas for $550-$650.
Spend your day bar hopping through Houston’s gayborhood on Saturday, June 18 as the Pride Bar Crawl takes over the streets. Check in is at Buddy’s from 4 pm to 6 pm, and the after-party goes down at ReBar from 10 pm to midnight. In between, you’ll find drink specials and bashes at some of the area’s hottest bars and clubs. Tickets are $15 ($10 for groups) and include two free drink vouchers and drink specials and no cover at participating bars. A portion of proceeds will be donated to The Trevor Project in support of its suicide prevention efforts among LGBTQIA+ and questioning youth.
LGBTQIA+ designers and models will be displaying the latest haute styles and avant-garde creations at Rise Rooftop, alongside DJ beats and booze at the Pride Fashion Show on Thursday, June 23. The event is $5 in advance (prices rise at the door) or $65 for VIP floor seating. Doors open at 6:45 pm for general admission and 5:45 pm for VIP.
Show your pride along the official parade route
The big event is of course the Pride Parade, which’ll march through the streets of downtown around City Hall from 7 pm to 9:30 pm. Bring some water (and maybe a little spiked bevy, too) and post up along the parade route for what is sure to be a prideful, beautiful raucous affair. Stay tuned for details on the official route by following Pride 365 on Facebook.
The official girl party Eden is back, celebrating the strong womxn of Houston's LGBTQIA+ community at Rise Rooftop on Friday, June 24. As always, male friends are welcome to the party as well. Music, dancing, and sure to be wild times go down from from 9 pm to 2 am.
Kicking off the party before the parade, the Official Pride Festival goes down from 1 pm to 6:30 pm around Houston City Hall, with gates opening at noon. Score tickets to enter the festival grounds and you’ll find outdoor concerts, live DJs and entertainment, vendor booths and concessions, and rainbow-colored everything. GA starts at $4 (free for kids 12 and under), with Main Stage tickets for $35 and VIP experiences for $225, including open bar and catered food, access to the main stage plaza, grandstand parade viewing, cooling VIP restrooms, a swag bag, and more.
Longtime gay bar Rich's will play host to the official Rich’s at Rise Pride Houston After-Party at super cool dance club and music venue Rise Rooftop (yeah, that’s the one with the retractable roof), where two DJs will keep the energy going until the wee hours of the morning. Presale tickets start at $20 and the fun runs from 9 pm to 3 am.
Pride 365, the group that puts on all the awesome stuff you just read about, is a 100% volunteer-run organization. Sign up to help make a positive impact in the LGBTQIA+ community, whether that be by setting up and tearing down activations, running merch and ticket sales, manning the VIP bars, creating graphic designs, joining a committee, or more.
The Pride Parade is entirely free to attend, and any donations are welcome to ensure the community-building event remains that way for years to come. Your support helps in Pride 365’s mission to elevate the voices of the LGBTQIA+ community, celebrate its legacy, raise critical funds for youth scholarships, offer ongoing health and wellness education, and continue to fight for equality.