Pride Month 2024: Here’s a South Florida guide to June’s LGBTQ+ celebrations
It’s almost June, so that means it’s also almost Pride Month, when South Florida’s LGBTQ+ communities celebrate with street festivals, parades and pageantry.
Our roundup includes insider information on concerts, exhibits, panels and benefits staged to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, a pivotal moment in gay and lesbian history.
Find all the details below, and keep coming back to this roundup listing as we will continue adding events.
May 30 — Opening reception for ‘Take PRIDE! A 100-Year Retrospective of LGBTQ+ Milestones’ exhibit
Galleria Fort Lauderdale and History Fort Lauderdale will host this exhibit of major moments in LGBTQ+ history — locally, statewide and nationally — throughout the month of June. Admission to the exhibit in June is free during mall hours (and is located near Swarovski, between Macy’s and Dillard’s).
The opening reception, set for 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 30, will honor 10 community leaders and feature performances by Velvet Lenore and Vauz Allen. There will be an open bar and light bites from The Capital Grille and Tulio’s Tacos & Tequila Bar. Tickets are $50. Visit historyfortlauderdale.org.
May 31-June 1 — ‘Considering Matthew Shepard’
The Master Chorale of South Florida will perform this oratorio by acclaimed composer Craig Hella Johnson with featured soloist Gabe Salazar, the artistic director of the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida. The concert is set for 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 31-June 1, at Sunshine Cathedral Center for the Performing Arts, 1480 SW Ninth Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets are $40 and $55. Visit masterchoraleofsouthflorida.org.
June 1 — Pride on the Block
The fifth annual Pride on the Block is produced on downtown West Palm Beach’s Clematis Street by Transpire Help, an organization that aids LGBTQ+ communities, especially transgender people. On Saturday, June 1, there will be live performances, a vendor market, raffles as well as youth and VIP areas. Admission is free, however there are wristbands for special perks at nearby restaurants and bars. The regular wristband is $35 and the VIP wristbands are $45. Pride on the Block will take place from 1 to 11 p.m. in the 500 block of Clematis St. Visit eventbrite.com, Facebook.com/TranspireHelp and Instagram.com/transpirehelp.
June 1-Sept. 30 — ‘Stonewall “INN” Stonewall’
This immersive exhibit will recreate the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar that on June 28, 1969, became ground zero for a riot between patrons and the New York Police Department. It will feature a video recording of the bartender who worked at Stonewall Inn and was there the night of the uprising.
In addition to the exhibit at Fort Lauderdale’s Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library, there will be a reenactment at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, June 29, in which donors will be “arrested” (visitors are asked to dress in 1960s-era fashion). Documentarian, actor and activist Kristen Lovell of HBO’s “The Stroll” is expected to make an appearance, portraying gay liberation pioneer Marsha P. Johnson.
“Law enforcement went from enemies to supporters … and some of the officers who will participate in the reenactment are today some of the most ardent supporters of our cause,” said Robert Kesten, executive director of the Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library.
Admission to the exhibit is free. The Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library is at 1300 E. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. Visit stonewall-museum.org.
June 7 — Oakland Park Wonderland Pride
This free event, set for 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, June 7, will bring a DJ, food trucks, cash bar, dance floor, a lip sync contest (for age 18 and older) and kids’ activities to Jaco Pastorius Park, 4000 N. Dixie Highway, Oakland Park. Visit oaklandparkfl.gov/Pride.
June 8 — FLoatarama
Sam Lantz, a finalist on Netflix’s “Squid Game: The Challenge,” will serve as the 2024 Grand Marshal during the FLoatarama Flotilla taking place noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 8. This Pride-on-water event will celebrate its fifth year, with a fleet of more than 30 decorated private and commercial boats sailing from Esplanade Park in downtown Fort Lauderdale through the New River and Intracoastal Waterway.
The Downtowner, Masa & More and The House on the River all will host watch events. The House on the River will also have a Garden Party/Tea Dance with a DJ and four bars from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, June 2 (with 20% of liquor and food sales benefiting FLoatarama).
You can register a vessel for $30 or, if you don’t have a boat, purchase a VIP ticket for $150 that will get you aboard the Yacht Catalina (boarding at 11 a.m.). Visit FLoatarama.org.
June 8 — 4th Annual Pride 5K Run/Walk
Presented by Night Runners WPB, this event will take place at the Waterfront Landing in downtown West Palm Beach and raise money for Vita Nova, a local nonprofit helping homeless youth in Palm Beach County. The 5k Run/Walk starts at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 8, at 109 S. Flagler Drive. Registration is $45 and $50. There will also be a Health & Wellness Expo from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Nancy M. Graham Centennial Square at 150 N. Clematis St. Admission is free. Visit nightrunnerswpb.com.
June 12 — PBCHRC Pride Happy Hour
The Palm Beach County Human Rights Council will have a fundraising dinner at Meat Market Steakhouse Palm Beach from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 12, with 10% of dinner proceeds going to the council. There will be hors d’oeuvres and happy hour cocktails. Meat Market is located at 191 Bradley Place, Palm Beach. Admission is free (you pay for your dinner). For more information or reservations, go to Facebook.com/PBCHRC or pbchrc.org/events.
June 15 — Stonewall Pride Parade and Street Festival
This all-day event on Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors starts with a street festival from 3 to 11 p.m. Saturday, June 15, with more than 100 vendors and performances on seven stages, followed by a Glow Night Parade at 8 p.m.
“This event is about celebrating and supporting the LGBTQ+ community locally and across the globe,” said Wilton Manors Mayor Scott Newton. “We couldn’t be prouder to be a safe space for the more than 50,000 people who come together from all across the country and world to celebrate love, acceptance and inclusion.”
General admission tickets are available online now through Friday, June 14, for $10 per person and include festival entry at special prepaid lines. The day of the event, general admission tickets will be $13 per person and may be purchased with a credit card only (no cash accepted) at the main entrances. VIP tickets are available for $125 in advance or $175 the day of the event (air-conditioned tent, snacks, drinks) and $250 in advance and $275 the day of the event (air-conditioned tent, access to lounges, drinks, food).
There will also be a Women’s Lounge for $65 in advance ($85 the day of) and a Black Excellence Lounge for $65 admission ($85 the day of).
All Wilton Manors Stonewall Pride entrances, VIP tents and lounges are cashless. Visit stonewallpride.lgbt.
June 20 — ‘Introduction to Pride Authors from South Florida’
As this event’s title promises, Gregg Shapiro — himself an author of nine books and anchor on Queer News Tonight — will highlight notable authors in contemporary LGBTQ+ literature, including:
Caridad Moro-Gronlier, newly named poet laureate of Miami-Dade County
Julie Marie Wade, a 2024 Lambda Literary Award finalist
Jubi Arriola-Headley, writer of the recently published poetry collection “Bound”
Rick Karlin, author of “Last Call South Florida,” a history of LGBTQ+ bars from West Palm Beach to Key West
Admission is free for the discussion from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 20, at the Boca Raton Public Library, 400 NW Second Ave. Visit bocalibrary.libcal.com.
June 29 — The Stonewall Ball
This year, the fundraiser for the Compass Community Center (that serves Palm Beach County) will have the theme of “Love, Lights & Liberation.” There will be an award ceremony, cocktail reception with light bites, live entertainment and a silent auction from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 29, at Hilton West Palm Beach, 600 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach. It will be followed by a dance party with DJ Legato, late-night snacks and a cash bar from 9 p.m. to midnight. Tickets for the awards ceremony and cocktail reception are $150 per person. The dance party tickets are $50 per person. There are also elected official tickets for $500 and influencer tickets for $1,000 (recognition from the podium during the VIP Awards, as well as listed in the program marketing materials as supporters of the event). Visit compasslgbtq.com/stonewallball.
June 29 — ‘Pride: Then, Now & Forever: A Multigenerational Concert Celebration’
The Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida will share decades of music, stories and voices that resonate with LGBTQ+ audiences during its concert at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 29, at The Parker, 707 NE Eighth St., Fort Lauderdale. In addition to chart-toppers such as “It’s Raining Men,” “Dancing Queen,” “Y.M.C.A.” and “Believe,” there will be the world premiere of “We’ve Come Through The Storm” and “Don’t Say Gay” (created exclusively for the GMCSF). Tickets range in price from $43.75 to $68.75. Visit gmcsf.org or parkerplayhouse.com.
