This morning I had a bad idea that I'm sure will cost me some subscribers for even saying aloud. I considered opening a Chrome tab and going, "Dear Claude: Write me a Pride Guide for San Francisco."
Pride guides are a lot of lists these days that aren't especially hard to make or find. I'm happy to provide that to you—and I will—with a rundown of this year's parties. But you can Google that omg, whyyy journalists I ask you are we putting out these lists?? How about instead I tell you about my extensive experience with Pride that mostly began as an insecure 30-something with a severe case of FOMO. Because I went to everything, and I have thoughts, receipts, and recommendations.
(If you're looking for just a list of Pride-related and LGBTQ+ things to do: The Bold Italic events calendar has grown quite robust.)
First and foremost, the parade
So this is typically every gay person's last recommendation. Pride is often whined about as too corporate and hollow. And lately there's even more pile on about free parties in San Francisco, of which there are many. Criticism like, "Who pays for the parties and aren't they the epitome of evil??" I mean, maybe. But also: please be a bigger killjoy, no one is stopping you.
I've enjoyed the parade almost every time I've gone. You really don't have to register for a contingent or even tell one you're coming. The staging area is thousands of people all hungover from the Saturday before. We're just happy to be awake and out the door literally at all. There are years I've gone with friends, and we just attach ourselves to whatever contingent has the best music. (NGL, I've always loved the music coming from Graton Casino's float.) I've also "marched" with Jeff Adachi (RIP), SF Oasis, and ridden Mayor Breed's float.
The Bold Italic
Jay Barmann
Being in the parade is quite often more fun than watching it, because you're not pushing for a spot to stand and because floats aren't that interesting. Critics are right that it is actually a lot of straight teens cheering you on. I'm not especially mad about being a positive representation for them. And it's an easy way to burn calories on your way to party in Civic Center. That's if you eat, of course; the Pride diet for many seems to be:
Parade details:
- June 28, 2026. Steps off at 10:30 am on Market Street at Beale.
- Join a contingent or just go to the staging area at Beale and Steuart ~9:30 a.m. You can come a bit later if you just plan on walking. The contingents file onto Market street until about noon-ish.
- Roughly a 1.5-mile route with 200 to 250+ contingents, lasting around four hours.
The Civic Center party
Yeah it's a clusterfuck of lines for security checkpoints, and lots of sizzling hot dogs that smell way too good. If you're wearing something bright and shiny, expect to be photographed a lot, and to run into some rando from childhood who truly accepts you now and—surprise—is also gay now!! Rainbows for everyone!! Honestly it's a decent time once you get inside the area.
I've also performed several times on the main stage with one Miss D'Arcy Drollinger. This plus the parade are both quite frankly probably the biggest crowds I have felt seen in front of. Is it a must-do? I mean, no.
Civic Center party details:
- Runs both June 27th and June 28th. 11am–6pm at Civic Center Plaza.
- Free to attend, with a suggested $5–10 donation at the entry gates; bag checks and security screening at entrances. Don't carry a lot, honestly, it's a hassle.
- The main stage sits at the base of the City Hall steps, with five additional community stages plus Leather Alley, the country-western space, and the Faerie village spread across the plaza.
Where you really want to be on Pride weekend
So consistently, my favorite parties all weekend are:
- Gay brunches hosted in people's homes
- Pink Saturday at Dolores Park
- Small corporate or other "exclusive" activations with open bars and actual candy
- Sometimes Afterglow with Comfort & Joy. More on that in a bit
I'm not one for huge crowds and lines. In the 2010s my friend group would go to small parties like one Eventbrite put on called Pridelings. I also heard, a few times, about a queer prom at Salesforce. More recently, London Breed loved to party at City Hall. I get the sense that Lurie is all about that budget crunch though, and I don't get the epitome of gay friendly vibes from him.
If you look like a snack, have a rainbow parasol or generally enjoy sun and friendly drunk people, gay beach at Dolores Park is a fabulous time all weekend. Pride for me is a lot like gay Christmas; it's not so much that you need a specific party moment to happen. You just need to find people you love and share in our ability to express ourselves freely and to appreciate each other. And Dolores just tends to be a great vibe for all that.
If you don't know of a gay brunch, lol, crash one. Or host your own. I've done both. Everyone is always super fine with it. I do also miss like shockingly good surprise activations like this one cuddle puddle in 2015 from a former Burning Man camp. Neither the camp nor the party exist anymore.
Pink Saturday details:
There is no permitted Pink Saturday street party in the Castro anymore. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence stopped organizing it, the LGBT Center ran a daytime "Pink Party" for one year, and it was fully canceled by 2016 over violence and security costs.
Go to Dolores park anytime on Pride weekend, but especially Saturday, June 27th, at anytime.
- "Gay Beach" is a great meeting spot near 20th and Church streets.
- Trans Ally Rally/March — On June 26, at 10:00 am, starting from the Embarcadero and ending at Civic Center at the People's March stage.
- SF Dyke March (34th annual) — Saturday, June 27. The march steps off at 5:00 pm from the intersection of 18th and Dolores.
The weekend raves, circuit parties, and drug-soaked revelry
The big parties I hear about every single year, and I've gone to most of these
- Juanita More's party at Jones
- Electroluxx
- Afterglow with Comfort & Joy
- Honestly: The poolside party at Phoenix Hotel. They've been in flux this year so that might be off.
Here's the thing: You're going to hear a ton of, "We're doing this for the community" words and vibes about these parties—as if we're all getting together to have a happy love fest with hugs, affirmations, and prayer circles. When in fact a big part of these events is literally molly and ketamine, and a healthy serving of coke, and poppers. Booze is the afterthought.
I used to love Juanita's party because she didn't sell tickets online, so in order to get one, you had to patronize a local store. Then at the party, you felt like it was a party by San Francisco locals, for San Francisco locals.
By the mid-2020s though, this party has been completely overrun with crowds.
In spite of capacity limitations, I have never seen this party turn away attendees from buying a ticket at the door, and the result is an exceptional hazard for getting trampled or burning alive; we're in media so I'm going to tack on now that this is just my opinion and observation. I can't go lately to this party because there's nowhere to stand. Go early if you go, and leave early, too, before that moment happens.
I actually love Afterglow but it's another one of those "for the community"-type branding that—with the exception of a recent year, maybe 2025—tends to become super circuit party for Pride. Comfort & Joy is a large Burning Man collective of weird, sex-positive, and often quite queer members. On Pride, though, Afterglow gets a lot of Los Angeles-looking out-of-towners who don't know body fat or sobriety.
The vibe at Afterglow really depends on the year you go. Last year I feel like it just wasn't quite as popular but that also made it more local and San Francisco-feeling.
This is my favorite "dance party" because my eyes and ears are overwhelmed: all the neon, bass that reverberates through you, and the second-floor sex area that happens as you're looking out over the dance floor. It's queer expression I love to see happen so freely.
I'm not sure Phoenix is happening this year. I hear different things, like it was closing, then reopening, and now they're also advertising events. For Pride, it was one of the more boring parties I've seen. Stand and pose. It's a pool-"side" party meaning you can't get in the pool unless you're staying in a room. I'm sure they want to prevent drownings.
And I've never actually been to Electroluxx. My boyfriend swears by it and goes every year, and we have tickets to go this year. I will say this has been ahem—how to put this nicely?—a super progressive cohort with one of its organizers discouraging me from taking the editor job at The Bold Italic, and people tangentially connected calling me the bad circuit party guy. Again I'm sure it's all hugs, affirmations, and prayer circles at this party; I might find out this year if I'm not turned away at the door, lol.
I will put out a Pride guide with my over-all picks by Monday. My LGTBQ+ section on The Bold Italic events page has quite a few of those events for June already.
And one I didn't mention but will recommend now is Pride at The Academy SF. I've known and worked with these owners for more than a decade and enjoyed their party the one year I went. They are also hosting an upcoming Pride month event with me: An Evening with The Bold Italic and SF Symphony. You should commmeeee. June 18th.
Saul Sugarman
Some love to Pride guides by local media outlets who aren't me:
Remember to bring sunscreen. Also take an Imodium, and plan ahead for where and how you need to pee. And yessss everyone: the first Pride was a protest. Keep that spirit alive.
Saul Sugarman is editor-in-chief and owner of The Bold Italic. The header photo of Sugarman is circa Pride 2018, taken by Darryl Pelletier.
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