Happy Pride Month from MTC! This year, most people are worried about how Pride will safely take place in a big city. Today we got you covered with all safety guidelines and specifics for NYC Pride and all the corresponding boroughs, so you can celebrate the LGBTQ+ community while keeping you and your loved ones safe from COVID-19.
If you're unfamiliar with Pride, we're here to help! Here's everything you need to know about Pride 2021:
What is Pride Parade Celebrating?
Pride celebrates LGBTQ+ identity and the freedom that comes with loving your person of choice regardless of your gender. The terms "pride" is used to directly counter the feeling of shame/guilt and the stigma that is often associated with LGBTQ+ identifying people. It's about people coming together to show how far gay rights have come since the Stonewall Riots, but also how much is still left to achieve. These community events help teach populations acceptance, equality, and pride history- and MTC supports and celebrates Pride!
Pride 2021
The theme this year is "The Fight Continues," and it seeks to connect the stories of the past with the exciting milestones of the future for the community. It's inclusive of identity, race, age, religion, language and body types and recognizes the diversity of the LGBTQ community while still acknowledging each individual's outlook for the future. While most of the main events will be virtual, you can still party in the streets on June 28th from 11am to 6pm. That Sunday will be PrideFest in the Big Apple, a free and open-to all street fair that will be located on 4th Avenue between Union Square and Astor Place. More info on Pride Events, including how to access the live stream can be found here.
Instead of parade floats, the outdoor seating areas on the parade route will be decorated with Pride imagery and transformed into "Pop Ups." This unique idea will help boost visibility for local businesses add some fun back to the streets! Stay tuned for the soon-to-be-released interactive map that will allow attendees to find activities across the city. The NYC Pride March will take place on June 27th at 12pm EST, and it'll air on ABC-7 until around 3pm- after that the streams and virtual events will begin.
Keep checking nycpride,org in the upcoming weeks to stay up to date with new information and maps for the main celebration beginning on Jun 25th and lasting through the 27th (although there are also fun virtual and non-virtual events in the prior weeks as well!).
Happy Pride!