The Best Things To Do & Eat In NYC During Pride Month 2023

Happy Pride Month, NYC. It’s time for drag shows, day drinking, and a seemingly endless supply of go-go dancers and Renaissance remixes. NYC does Pride big in every borough, so you should surrender your weekends to the dance floor now. If you don’t know where that dance floor is yet, and you’re seeing too many rainbows to keep track of on your feed, use this guide to find some of our favorite spots in the city hosting brunches, parties, and art shows.

June 5 - 11

Brooklyn Cyclones Pride Night at Coney Island Brewing Co. 

June 8, 7pm

Both the Mets and Yankees are doing Pride nights this month, but we’re most psyched for Pride Night with the Brooklyn Cyclones, New York’s championship-winning Minor League team. The game is in Maimonides Park, just off the Coney Island boardwalk, and a portion of the ticket sales go to Brooklyn Pride. Be sure to arrive early for a performance by the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus. It wouldn’t be an LGBTQ+ event without a little harmonizing.

Queer Speed Dating at Ursula and others

June 11, 12, and 14, 6:30pm

Just in time for you to find your summer fling, an Oakland, CA queer bar called Friends and Family is coming to New York for their Queer Speed Dating World Tour. They’ll be in Bed-Stuy at Oddly Enough on 6/11, Ursula on 6/12, and Winona’s on 6/14. Even in New York, queer spaces where the community can connect offline have dwindled over the years, so this is a great opportunity to make some new friends. Walk-ins are welcome, and there will be drink specials and merch created by Hello Machine, a creator of queer-themed apparel. 

Queer Book Fair at Playground Coffee Shop

June 10, 11am-4pm

Pre-pandemic, Bed-Stuy’s Playground Coffee Shop was home to a vast collection of books by queer POC, and it helped launch queer libraries all over the city. After a three-year hiatus, they’re back with their own Queer Book Fair on June 10. Come by to peruse an impressive collection of rare books and zines, and chat with artists, authors, and organizers from the community.

June 12 - 18

Queens of the Garden at Queens Botanical Garden

June 14, 6pm-8:30pm

One the best, and most beautiful, annual Pride events in the city is at the Queens Botanical Garden. You get after-hours access to the garden with food and drinks for purchase, and drag artist Marti Cummings will be hosting a night of performances by some of our city’s most notorious queens. Feel free to bring kids—they’ll have a Pride-themed craft table on site.

Stand Up NYC at Three Dollar Bill

June 17, 4pm-4am

Fire up the fog machine for Stand Up NYC: Pride, a day and night festival featuring NYC’s queer nightlife icons. Drag performers, DJs, and vendors will take over the bar at Three Dollar Bill from 4pm to 4am, and proceeds go to three organizations supporting the trans community.

Tiara By Night at Elsewhere

June 17, 11pm

Wear your best crown to Tiara By Night, a pride party at Elsewhere on June 17. Tiara is a collaboration between Bubble T, a queer Asian collective known for their roving dance parties and iconic sartorial choices, and Bias NYC, a queer KPop club night that’ll have their own zone at Elsewhere, where you can stan everything from NewJeans’ latest hits to throwback EXID bops.

June 19 - 25

Criminal Queerness Festival at Lincoln Center

June 21-24, 7:30pm

Now in its fifth year, the National Queer Theater’s Criminal Queerness Festival showcases work from countries where queer art is criminalized or censored. This year’s lineup highlights work by artists from Ukraine and Eastern Europe, kicking it off with Danielle Levsky War and Play: A Clown Odyssey of Survival on June 21. Full productions of Andrew Kushnir and Wojtek Rodak’s works will follow. The event is free and open to the public, and seating is first-come, first-served. Check out this guide to our favorite restaurants near Lincoln Center and Columbus Circle so you can make dinner plans around the show.

Lucid Dreams at Mood Ring

June 23, 10pm-4am

Come prepared with your natal chart for Lucid Dreams at Mood Ring. The dance party will have some of the city’s best queer DJs on the decks, and, as always, some very fruity astrology-themed cocktail specials. Everyone’s invited, even Scorpios.  

Pride Brunch at Edy’s Grocer

June 24 and 25, 10am

In addition to partnering with The Infatuation for our Pride Bake Sale, Edy’s is celebrating queer life with brunch on both sides of the river. First, join them at their Greenpoint shop for their second annual Korean-Lebanese popup brunch with chef James Park on Saturday, June 24. On Sunday, they’ll be in Manhattan at ilili hosting a Middle Eastern ‘60s drag brunch. 

House of Yes presents Glitterbox Pride at Under The K Bridge Park

June 25, 3pm

If you’re not looking to dive headfirst into the official New York Pride march, dance outside all day in Greenpoint on the final Sunday instead. Glitterbox and House of Yes will be at Under The K Bridge Park for their Summer of Love Festival. Music, drag, installations, circus performers—it’s all there, covered in lashes and glitter. Dimitri From Paris will be headlining.

More Events and Openings to Know About:

• Fotografiska has excellent Pride programming all month, starting on June 7 with a two-hour DJ lesson from NYSocialbee. On June 11, join photographer Marco Ovando and Drag Race winner Aquaria for High Tea in the lobby, where the museum has recreated a 19th century chapel lounge. Later in the month, the museum will host a conversation with the city’s queer nightlife icons, and another event geared towards queer youth. 

• Keep an eye on Papi Juice’s Instagram. The queer and trans POC collective is celebrating its 10-year anniversary with a three-night Pride Party at the end of June.

• Brooklyn Brewery Bazaar: Pride Edition is on Sunday, June 18. Applications for LGBTQ+ and POC chefs and artisans who want to be vendors were open as of June 5.