Both the pride parade and the annual street festival return to Boystown. Scheduled for June 22-23, Chicago Pride Fest takes over North Halsted Street every year, turning Boystown into a huge LGBT celebration with four entertainment stages.
Music stars Leann Rimes, Pabllo Vittar, and Alex Newell will each perform sets this year at Chicago Pride Fest, the Northalsted Business Alliance confirmed with GoPride.com in March.
Now in its 19th year, Chicago Pride Fest kicks off on Saturday, June 22, with Alex Newell, Ultra Naté, Inaya Day, Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus, Catfight and Hello Weekend.
On Sunday, June 23, Leann Rimes, Betty Who, Leland, Adam Barta, Rod Tuffcurls, and local favorites Sixteen Candles take to the stage.
Related: Betty Who added to 2019 Chicago Pride Fest lineup
The festival, which is the weekend prior to the annual Chicago Pride Parade, brings together tens of thousands of LGBT supporters annually. It runs from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. down North Halsted Street from Addison to Grace. Organizers suggest a $10 donation upon entering.
This year, Chicago celebrates 50 years of Pride as the 2019 Chicago Pride Parade steps off noon on Sunday, June 30. The annual parade, which now brings more than a million people to the Uptown and Lakeview neighborhoods, will be lead by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who became the first African-American woman and first openly lesbian mayor in Chicago’s history.
Related: Lightfoot named Honorary Grand Marshal of 2019 Chicago Pride Parade
The festival and parade are coupled with other major LGBT celebrations in June, like the 38th annual Proud to Run 5K/10K run/walk and the all-new Pride in the Park celebration, that are both slated for Saturday, June 29.
The inaugural Pride in the Park includes an all-star lineup including Iggy Azalea, Steve Aoki, Taylor Dane and Todrick Hall. The one-day music festival will take place in Grant Park.
Related: Iggy Azalea, Steve Aoki to headline first-ever Pride in the Park Chicago
More than 100 other LGBT-focused events mark nearly every other day in June on the 2019 Chicago Pride Calendar.
Since the New York Stonewall riots in 1969, and the first Pride celebrations that followed, a multitude of events has emerged around the world. Today, over 60 countries have pride festivals that celebrate the LGBT communities.
