Chicago Pridefest & Parade

Feeling very lucky to be able to celebrate Pride here in Chicago– one of the greatest and gay friendliest cities in the States.
The feeling of Pride is one not to underestimate. There is an energy that is unmatched when attending a Pride celebration; a feeling of being open to be yourself around others in a time for reflecting and celebrating. This year, we stand in solidarity with our Orlando Family after the devastating attack to our community. When you attend Pride, you will see just how strong our community can be.
You’ve got food vendors. Drinks. Drag Queens. Bears. Twinks. Everyone in between (and outside). The community is fearless, and I love Pride for being able to bring everyone together no matter their background.
Remember, Pride was not created just so straight girls can enjoy themselves. It is not here simply for us to show how great of a party our community can throw either. It really is for us to celebrate and advocate for a community that has experienced decades of oppression, and for us to join together in a safe and inclusive space.
I can’t wait to join in again in celebration soon during Market Days. Until then, be safe, enjoy yourself, and experience some of the greatest people you will ever meet at Pride. #LoveWins

The best people watching experience in the city! Well organized and fun. If you haven’t been to Pride you must go at least once in your lifetime.

This is a great parade and weekend in Chicago. This year’s festivities will certainly be bigger and better than years’ past with the law passed yesterday and the celebrations of marriage equality for everyone. Truly a wonderful day for America and the Chicago Pride Parade for 2015 will be even more special than years’ prior. #LoveWins

Pridefest is probably my favorite parade/​fest in Chicago. I look forward to it every year. It’s one of the only times I’m willing to suffer the heat and crowds! Everyone is really nice, and there is a lot of love to go around! It seems like everyone has a great time. The crowd and people in the parade are full of energy. There’s really nothing not to like! Dancing, beautiful people, free handouts, and free entertainment! It’s a crazy good time!

This was our first year going to the Chicago Pride festival (the weekend before the parade I believe). We saw Jennifer Hudson perform only 30ft away and it was truly amazing. All the performances were fun and the vendors were good too. We will definitely be returning next year.

The Pride Parade is one of my favorite Chicago summertime events by far. The Pride Parade caps off a month of gay pride and a weeks worth of pride events.
The Pride Parade is held on the last weekend of June during the best time of summer in Chicago. The parade, which runs downs Belmont, has been extended due to the high volume of spectators over the past couple of years. This most recent pride parade in 2014 drew over 1 million people. The parade starts at noon and if you would like a chance at viewing I would recommend coming a couple hours early or finding a nearby balcony to view. It gets busy very early and as soon as the parade starts it is virtually impossible to cross.
The parade goes on for hours and is truly one of my favorite scenes. People accepting people for who they are. There are not many events where everyone shares the same joy and are so openly friendly.
With events all week and all venues participating along the parade, the Pride Parade in Chicago is one of the largest in the nation. The celebration is focused in boys town but spills over to Wrigleyville and the surrounding area. Be sure to have a plan and stick to it. It can be extremely busy and hard to stay together if you are traveling ins a large group of people.

I seriously look forward to the Pride Parade the way little kids look forward to Christmas. It’s probably the one day the entire year that I pretty much live for. It’s THAT much fun.
This was my 3^rd year being in the parade. The first two years I was on a float with my alma mater. This year, I marched with Lakeside Pride, a band I’ve been a part of for just over a year now.
I will never in my entire life forget my first time in the parade and how in shock I was at how many people were there and how they screamed at every entry like they were rock stars the whoooooooole parade route — and it is LONG. I think I took between 300 and 400 pictures/​video the first two years.
This year, I wasn’t able to take many pictures since I was «performing» but the excitement was no less, and maybe more so because honestly, who doesn’t love the marching band.
This parade is all about the love and happiness. It’s awesome.

After 10 years of Chicago the parade is a must-​at-​least-​stop-​by every year, although you may not want to stay for the whole 3 hours of increasingly commercial and political platforms. Only about 45 minutes of it is actually fun and the rest of the 3 hours is for show. However the spirit of celebration and acceptance is a boost to the system and reminds you of how progress is unfolding before our eyes, starting with parades like these many years before anything was acceptable.

If you’ve never gone, you just have to. I’ve watched dozens and walked in the parade this year. No other celebration comes close to the energy and excitement of pride.
Whatever your sexual orientation, this is a great way to join in and celebrate acceptance and self-​expression with your community.

Well, this is the 45^th annual Pride Parade and I have seen over 35 of them. Back «in the day» it was a small affair that was absent of politicians and big business. My God, it has grown!!! Over 3 hours with everyone from Quinn to United Airlines and everything in between. Best party in town… every year!!!

I can’t believe I waited so long. The Pride Parade started when I was three and I went to my first June 29, 2014; yes I lost my virginity today. What a bunch of great folks! I had such a blast. Great music, costumes, free gifts. What more could a girl want? And the LOVE. I can’t wait until next year!
My only beef… CTA. They did not step up to the plate. Too little, too late. Not good.

Went for Pride Weekend (⁶⁄₂₂) to see a band perform, it’s a helluva time!
The only issue I have is the fact that the concert area is SO crowded. I’m not saying that the crowd was anything but fun loving and cool, it’s just the massive thrall of people made getting from point A to B a trial in patience and body contortion. Also, the bathroom areas sinks are devoid of water… no fun having a handful of soap and no water :(Other than that it’s a lot of fun.
I unfortunately did not make the actual parade, but I’ll definitely make it a plan to go next year ’round.

I knew the Pride Parade was going to be epic when the 6:30 (yes, as in AM, as in morning, on a Sunday) train from Aurora was full of drunk, happy, rainbow-​clad Pride-​goers. The last time I saw that many people drunk before noon was Boston on St. Patrick’s Day! The Parade itself was absolutely incredible, and this old lady had a hard time keeping up with over 2,5 hours of Parade, amazing people, good vibes, shouting myself hoarse, and perfect weather.
Pro tips for next time, don’t forget to pack alcohol, sunscreen (yes, even my unburnable skin got tanned in an awkward way with my sunglasses on), water, and if you can manage, one of those fold-​up chairs. You will not regret it.

The weirdest and wildest people watching you’ll find in Chicago all summer long. Reviews can’t even describe how hilarious and fun this festival is. Do yourself a favor and check it out at least once.

Born straight and refuse to hate!
I love Pride.
Its like one of the best fests.
Everyone is happy, laughing, loving, etc. This almost never happens. Maybe its because half of the crowd is on drugs… I dont care! Its fun!
The parade always cracks me up. I just love seeing the great floats and the crazy people getting, well CRAZY!
If you havent been, GO!

Well it’s now public knowledge…
After these seven years of being an absolutely nobody but an Elite Unilocaler…
I’m full on OUT and PROUD to have reached 1,000 total Unilocal reviews! Hooray!
That’s a good enough reason to have another coming out party! Well I have decided that it’ll just have to wait until the Chicago Pride Parade, because we all know that there is no party like Pride. With the summer kicking in and the heat picking up, I felt like my 1,000^th review should be a damn good one, from a long-​winded, chatty gay boy.
Chicago is one of the most queer and gay-​friendly cities in the US of A. Heck, it’s clearly the brightest winner among the entire Midwest. Gays escape from below the Mason-​DIXon Line in the South, West of the Mississippi River, North of US-​94 at Madison, and East of Lake Michigan’s shores to come to Chicago. Who can say they have a GAYborhood like Boystown, or heck, even a collar of gay-​friendly neighborhoods taking over the north-​side of the city including Lakeview, Uptown, Andersonville, and slowly Rogers Park. We’re slowly taking over…
Yet, although gays are present all year round, they seem to somewhat hibernate in the winter, and bloom like daisies on that first 70 degree day of Spring to come out to play.
Still, nothing, and I mean NOTHING is like that one day of the year in Chicago: Pride! All the colors and their values of the rainbow flag are exposed and fully represented: Pink = Sexuality, Red = Life; Orange = Healing (from a tough history and future of the AIDS epidemic and GLBT rights); Yellow = Sun (more sun than you can believe); Green = Nature (including hippies and fairies); Blue = Art; Indigo = Harmony; Violet = Spirit (Amen!). I must mention that clothes come off; speedos, leather, and undies come out; sparkly body oil is rubbed on, hard; sparkles and bedazzling up the wazoo appears; alcohol is sneaked in (who would have known this was once a dry city with now more bars per capita than any other city in the world?!); and all races, cultures, genders, and sexualities put their differences aside and unite as one out of love.
Just as Honey Boo Boo says, «Everyone’s got a little gay in them!» Yes, we love to categorize, it’s in our nature as humans, yet everyone fits in!
With this said, you’ll be quick to realize that every gay possible will pop out of the woodwork (and I’m not referring to gloryholes here): queer /​gay /​lesbian /​trans-​folk /​top /​bottom /​power-​bottom /​versatile /​twink /​bear /​cub /​pup /​otter /​wolves /​bull /​circuit boy /​chaser /​frat boy /​sandwich /​gym rat /​gym bunny /​dyke /​lipstick /​fairy /​hippy /​leather daddy /​furry /​hankies /​watersportsman /​chub /​nelly /​androgynous folk /​asexuals /​log-​cabin republican gays /​hasbian /​yestergay /​fruit fly /​fag hag /​fag stag /​advocates… There’s some gay lingo and labels to learn before you go.
Since kicking off in the historic year of 1969 (holla!), over 200 different organizations show their pride: GLBTQ organizations and foundations, restaurants, beer and merchandise companies, universities, news and radio stations, cultural, sports, hobby, dance, cheerleading, political, and music groups, gay/​straight/​ally crews, bars and bathhouses, Unilocal (of course, they love and are kept running by the gays)!
A few tips for the Virgins:
–It always happens on the last Sunday in June.
–Take public transportation (but avoid the Belmont stop chaos).
–The more color, the better. No matter what, you’ll always be topped *cough, no pun intended*.
–Get loaded with sunscreen, no matter what anyone says. It kicks off at Noon, the hottest and brightest hours and one of the hottest months of the year!
–Be thoughtful about where you stick stickers on your body (tan lines people!).
–Drink plenty of fluids. And I mean water, not alcohol (at least to start).
–Eat before your festivities or you may show up a fool in magazines and on news channels across the city (unless that’s your goal…).
–Take off the following day from work because you may be hoarse.
–Go early to scope out your spot and guard it with your life. When traveling, go with the flow and don’t be a dick. Check out the parade route ahead of time and know where you can cross the street to avoid congestion. Half a million people show up each year so be smart!
–It is kid-​friendly, but NOT baby or dog-​friendly (too much foot traffic for that). Heck, kids see worse crap on TV and the Internet. I just recommend escaping from the area after the parade is over since it’s a complete drunk fest. There is nothing quite as humbling as seeing a kid wearing an HRC shirt being pushed in a stroller by gay parents waving a rainbow flag.
While the parade will always remain controversial since the Stonewall Riots with haters on the parade perimeters, it is one day to not be missed and one day I truly feel proud to be a Chicagoan! Now kick back, relax, kiss a couple random folks and take it all in because we are making «Her-​story» (as said by RuPaul)! End.

I hate to rain on anyone’s parade, but I found Chicago Pride to be a bit disappointing. I’ve been to a total of six now… Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix, San Diego, Baltimore, and now Chicago.
Chicago was the least exciting. The parade was a bit standard, the crowd was a bit annoying, it was really dirty. I don’t know, just didn’t feel it the way I’ve felt other prides. I’m glad to have experienced it, and had a good time, but something about the energy was just not as chill as other cities I’ve experienced.

I’ve been in the parade (representing Oak Park) and have watched it from the sidelines. It is CAH-​RAY-​ZEE and I love it. People really get into this parade. I myself have thought about my outfit days and weeks in advance. It’s an event and it’s wonderful. Everyone is happy and friendly and accepting. I’ve often told people that it’s my favorite holiday.
Getting to the parade can be an adventure. It’s easiest to arrive early using the CTA train. Getting to the parade close to the starting time is nearly impossible. You will watch jam-​packed trains pass you by because there is no room for an additional body. Forget about driving because the streets are closed and parking is impossible. This year we found that riding our bikes along Lake Shore path was the best way to get to the parade (because we left 15 minutes before the parade start).
It’s also CRUCIAL to plan you transportation so that you arrive on the correct side of the street (the side where you want to be). We arrived on the wrong side of the street and had to squeeze through the crowd (it took over an hour to move only a few blocks) and eventually cross at Roscoe and Halsted.
I’ve been asked if I think the parade is appropriate for children. I think it depends on the adults responsible for those children. On the one hand, it could be a great opportunity to discuss some important topics and to expose the kiddos to new ideas. If the adults aren’t ready to have those conversations, then it might be a good idea to leave the kids at home.
The reason for the three stars is not because I don’t love the parade. I do!!! It’s just that I don’t like crowds. This year we got pushed and squeezed through the crowd in such an aggressive manner that I understood how folks could get trampled to death. It can also be really challenging to see anything if you’re not up front. Lastly, it’s much better to experience the parade with a little alcohol. This year I was sober and it’s WAAAAY more fun with a good buzz.

Where were all the naked people?!? Come on gays, San Francisco is laughing at our tameness!
Aside from the well-​covered parade attendees and performers, the show is great :)
And the star this year, STANLEY CUP! And the traded Sopel.
Great energy, great support, hot people :)

«The gays throw the best parties.»
With those words back in 2000, I was enticed to my first Pride Parade. I was new to the city and in the neighborhood anyway (living at Lake Shore and Melrose) so I just had to see if the claim was true. And it was. Nine years and seven parades later (sometimes Sunday mornings are not conducive to waking up early), in 2009 it came full circle and I marched in my first parade on the Unilocal float. Now having seen the parade from both sides, I can still say it’s the best party of the year every summer.
Yeah, the word «parade» is a misnomer. Pride is a giant street celebration except the entertainment comes to you (and isn’t that better). In a matter of minutes, standing in one spot along Halsted or Broadway, the spectator can go from informative (I first learned about Barack Obama during his Senate run at Pride) to celebratory (the Brazilian dancers are a sight to behold) to downright wild (the various gay club floats are a cacophony of top 40 remixes, house music, and suggestive grinding) to solemn (remembering those lost in a mobile wake) to agitated (any political or law group that tangentially cares about GLBT issues is there).
And there is not really a cap on how much of a party people are allowed to have in the crowd. As long as something doesn’t violate criminal statutes (besides public intoxication and open container laws which are turned a blind eye to) it’s anything goes. Colorful costumes, public almost nudity, silly dancing, and even old men in thongs (does that warrant a deduction in stars, probably not) abound. The crowd is a much a part of the Parade and a sight to be seen as the floats.
There is the slight problem that with everyone wanting to join the party, the parade can take hours (and only the die-​hard revelers can usually take that). And sometimes the crowds get so thick that overheating can be a problem. But who can blame everyone for wanting to be in or watch the parade? The Prideful do throw the best parties!

hot. :)