Seattle Pride Guide: 5 Can’t-Miss Events
Plan your Pride weekend with these performances, parade watch spots and doggy drag shows.
By Alexa Peters June 23, 2017
Pride weekend is upon us and festivities abound, with two organizations responsible for much of the fun.
Billed as the country’s largest free Pride festival, PrideFest Capitol Hill goes down Saturday in Cal Anderson Park, along Denny Way and between John and Roy streets on Broadway Avenue.
On Sunday, Seattle Pride celebrates its 43rd year, as its beloved parade streams down 2nd Avenue in Belltown. Meanwhile, the PrideFest crew throws a three-stage festival at the Seattle Center, giving day two a more expansive, citywide feel.
There are infinite ways to enjoy Pride weekend, but here five events you won’t want to miss.
Doggy Drag Show at PrideFest Capitol Hill
From 2:30-3 p.m. Saturday in Cal Anderson park, dogs of all sizes will be dressed up in all the colors of rainbow and paraded around for treats and love pats in their very own drag show. This is a terrific event for the kiddos or anyone who loves a well-dressed pup. The free PrideFest Capitol Hill runs from 12-8 p.m. and features other family-friendly fun.
Foundation Night Club’s “DIVINE” with DJ Grind
Electronic music has long been an emblem of LGBTQ love and inclusivity. Seattle’s Foundation Night Club is one of the best places to get your boogie on to the latest beats, and they have two amazing Pride-themed events this weekend. Saturday’s looks especially fun, as Verotica Events presents “DIVINE” with DJ Grind. The promoter tells Dance Music Northwest, it’ll be an “intimate celebration of what it means to be alive.” We’ll dance to that. 9 p.m., Sat., $30 ($50 for Verotica Events Pride weekend pass).
Pony’s Summer of Love
Pony is one of Seattle’s most iconic gay bars. An old 1930s gas station transformed, Pony is a tribute to the dive-y gay bars of 1970s San Francisco. Plus, Pony has awesome staff, a top-rate karaoke night and the best decorative papier-mâché penises in town. During Pride, Pony is adopting a “Summer of Love” theme: a “love-in” packed with great DJs, hosts and other antics. For a more local experience, this Capitol Hill bar’s weekend-long party is the place to be. $5 after 9 p.m. Fri., 6 p.m. Sat. and 3 p.m. Sun.
Where to watch the parade
The big Sunday parade starts at 11 a.m., running from 4th Avenue and Union Street to 2nd Avenue and Denny Way, where it disassembles sometime around 1:30 p.m. For a special viewing experience, some spend $30 for paid bleacher seating along the route (reservations on Seattle Pride’s website). But some bars and restaurants offer parade prime viewing with food and drink promos. Frolik Kitchen & Cocktails hosts its Pride Parade Brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on their patio, while Mama’s Cantina peddles an entrée and a frozen margarita for $15 after the parade starts.
Mary Lambert at PrideFest Seattle Center
A free, all-ages festival at Seattle Center runs from noon to 8 p.m. The lineup is wonderfully queer and led by Seattle songwriter Mary Lambert. Lambert was working three restaurant jobs when Macklemore asked her to collaborate on “Same Love.” After the hit, which celebrates LGBTQ love, skyrocketed to the top of the charts, pop culture’s relationship with the queer community shifted forever. Lambert, who plays 2 p.m. Sunday on the South Fountain Lawn is a soulful, talented performer worth catching live, especially for a performance of her megahit. It’s an ideal way to cap your Pride weekend.
Follow Us
Ferry Tales: Eight Indie Bookstores Worth the Ride
Plan a summer day around these bookshops in Seattle, Bremerton, Bainbridge Island, Kingston, and Poulsbo.
Independent bookstores tend to be cornerstones of the communities in which they reside, and Seattle is no exception. In addition to helping customers discover their next read, these neighborhood hubs host weekly gatherings and events, like publication release parties, author talks, and book clubs. Many of them have cafés and reading tables that encourage lingering…
Rearview Mirror: Seattle Art Fair is Back, Nordstrom Throws a Block Party, and a Must-Try Ice Cream Sundae
Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).
SEATTLE ART FAIR RETURNS The buzziest event of the summer (well, aside from the World Cup), is returning next week. Now in its 10th edition, the Seattle Art Fair will once again take over the Lumen Field Event Center, packing it to the gills with art from 101 local, national, and international galleries. This year,…
Studio Sessions: Jennifer Leigh Harrison
Seattle artist Jennifer Leigh Harrison uses layers of paint and abstraction to explore what we carry beneath the surface.
Jennifer Leigh Harrison’s paintings are dense with movement. Color and texture gather into mosaic-like fields, as if they have been fractured and reformed. There are places in the work where a frenetic buzz seems trapped between the canvas and the first layer of paint. That energy runs through Patterns of Belonging, her current exhibition at…
ENHYPEN’s Jay Has K-Pop Stardom and a Seattle Heart
The Federal Way-raised singer talks hometown memories, Ivar’s clam chowder, and how it feels to perform in the place he grew up.
Long before he was performing in sold-out arenas around the world and representing brands like Prada, ENHYPEN’s Jay called the Puget Sound region home. Born Jay Park (not to be confused with the other famous K-pop star of the same name, who is also from Seattle) in Seattle and raised in nearby Federal Way before…