7 events to mark Pride Month
June celebrations set in Oklahoma City
“Let us remember the roots of Pride. Our QUEER JOY is an act of resistance. And it is incredibly important that we stand united.”
OKC Pride Alliance
As June approaches and brings the Oklahoma summer heat, it also brings with it a myriad of events celebrating Pride Month in Oklahoma City.
Pride Month is a commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York, when police raided the Stonewall Inn, a prominent gay bar in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. Some of the first Pride parades were held the following year in Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York.
The annual celebration during the month of June celebrates the LGBTQ community and the fight for equal rights. Pride has been celebrated in Oklahoma City as early as the 1970s, and the first Pride parade was held in 1987, according to The Oklahoman.
Here is a list of events being held in Oklahoma City for Pride Month this year.
OKC’s Pride Month opening ceremonies
There will be two opening ceremonies to kick off Pride Month this year, held by two separate Pride organizations.
The first, hosted by OKC Pride Inc., will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at NW 39 and N Barnes Ave., where Mayor David Holt will make a proclamation.
The next day, OKC Pride Alliance will hold its ceremony from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Myriad Gardens Water Stage. There will be a ribbon cutting and speakers, according to the website.
Pride on 39th Festival
OKC Pride Inc. will host its annual Pride celebration the weekend of June 2-4, with plenty of music, food and a parade at 6 p.m. June 4 to end the festival.
The event will be held on 39th Street, which has historically been a gathering place for the LGBTQ community.
Find an event map, schedule and more at prideon39th.com.
Pride! On the Plaza
The Plaza District will host a monthly LIVE! On the Plaza block party with art shows, live entertainment, food and shopping. On June 9 at 6 p.m., head to 16th Street for Pride! on the Plaza.
OKC Zoo Pride Sip and Stroll
The OKC Zoo has held its Sip and Stroll events since the summer of 2020, and it’s back this year.
Every second and third Thursday in May and June, adults 21 and older can pay $22 to get in and enjoy drinks from different conservation-themed bars while taking in the zoo’s animals.
The zoo will celebrate Pride Month on June 15’s Sip and Stroll, featuring drag queens, Pride-themed cocktails and highlighting queer community organizations.
Gimme Gimme Disco
The OKC Pride Alliance and Norman Pride are collaborating on this event for all the dancing queens out there.
Gimme Gimme Disco is an ABBA-inspired touring dance event that is coming to Oklahoma City for a special Pride edition to be held at 10:30 p.m. June 24 at Tower Theatre.
2023 OKC Pridefest
For the third year in a row, OKC Pride Alliance will hold its Pridefest in downtown Oklahoma City at Scissortail Park.
This year’s theme is “Queer Joy: The Resistance.”
“In 2023, our 2SLGBTQIA+ community is facing a heightened level of continual attacks on our livelihoods,” the event page said. “Let us remember the roots of Pride. Our QUEER JOY is an act of resistance. And it is incredibly important that we stand united.”
Food, music, vendors and more will be offered during the weekend. The parade will be at 11 a.m. June 25 and will move from Walker and Robert S. Kerr to Oklahoma City Boulevard and S Robinson.