Originally published at Edge Media
SF Pride Drag Queens Parade
One of the world’s “destination” LGBTQ celebrations, the official San Francisco Pride festivities take place on Saturday, June 23 and Sunday, June 24, with a citywide air of festivity and plenty of events extending the long weekend from Friday through Monday.
Visitors will find themselves tripping over rainbows wherever they wander around town. Here’s a tip sheet for out-of-towners looking to maximize a Pride-immersive visit.
The Heart of the City
Tens of thousands of locals and goggle-eyed visitors will flock to Civic Center Plaza on Saturday and Sunday for the city’s official celebration and rally, which include two days of free entertainment and community engagement. There’s live music and other entertainment on over a dozen stages and some of the year’s best people watching (San Franciscans seem to believe every holiday is a version of Halloween).
When you’re looking for a respite from the maddening crowds (and sometimes overwhelming commercialism), slip into the Faerie Freedom Village, where the gentle, sexy souls of the Radical Faerie movement create a chilled out oasis, entirely free of corporate sponsorships.
The plaza also marks the endpoint of Sunday’s epic parade, which runs along Market Street from 10:30 a.m. for at least four hours. Last year, there were over 50,000 marchers and 100,000 spectators. You can find yourself a free spot along the downtown sidewalks, or reserve a grandstand seat for $40. Celebrity Grand Marshals Our Lady J and House of Xtravaganza dancers Luis Camacho and Jose Xtravaganza — who appeared in Madonna’s “Truth or Dare” — will perform on Civic Center stages post-Parade.
A Queer Premiere and Grand Finale
A high-class highlight of Pride 2018, is sure to be the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus’ world premiere performances of “Unbreakable,” a major new work by composer Andrew Lippa, commissioned by the chorus after the enormous success of their previous collaboration, “I Am Harvey Milk.”
“Unbreakable” is a musical chronology of the American LGBTQ experience between 1900 and the present, with sections that address topics from the somber (the McCarthy-era lavender scare) to the glorious (the work of Nobel Peace Prize winner Jane Addams). Soprano Lisa Vroman is among the acclaimed soloists.
If you’re more of a screen queen than a stage door Johnny, Pride weekend always marks the culmination of the city’s beloved Frameline LGBTQ Film Festival. The pre-parade late morning screening of short subjects at the Castro Theatre on Sunday is a tradition for many, and revelers who stay in town through Monday night can attend the closing night festivities, featuring a new documentary on the legendary Studio 54.
Eat, Drink and be Mary
While carousing on Castro Street, check out two new bar/restaurants sure to be hosting big, curious crowds as they celebrate their first Pride season.
Opened just in time for Cinco de Mayo 2018, the kitschy-cool Papi Rico brings a permanent Puerto Vallarta vibe to the neighborhood. Its frenetic fiesta decor begins with a wall of skimpy swimsuits that greets you at the door and continues all the way into the sunny back bar courtyard, which features a mural of studly beach boys. Tequila, mezcal and socol cocktails (including the inevitable frozen margaritas) flow in abundance. The tight munchies menu includes one of the great San Francisco bargain bites: belly-filling quesadillas for just $5.
Just a block away is the reincarnation of a local legend, Hamburger Mary’s. While the one-time South of Market staple — born 1972 — has spun off locations in several other cities, the latest is situated in the former home of another legendary SF watering hole, The Patio, which has sadly been vacant since 1999. The sprawling space includes its predecessor’s namesake outdoor dining area and features drag brunch on both Saturday and Sunday of Pride weekend.
The Party Scene
If the entirety of the city isn’t a specific enough location for your celebrations and libations (and, beginning this year, your legal inhalations), there are plenty of places to take it inside and onto the dance floor. Here’s a specialty pick for each day of the weekend:
Friday, June 22 — Bearracuda Sometimes, it’s hard not to wonder if perhaps California’s state flag was inspired by the San Francisco gay community. Our most burgeoning scene is ursine. And this is its epicenter for Pride.
Saturday, June 23 — XOXO Pride
From 10 p.m. until 7 a.m. on Sunday morning, this massive dance party featuring Tel Aviv-based DJ Sagi Kariv will shake one of the city’s newest, most intriguing venues, The Midway, a sprawling 40,000 square foot industrial playpen.
Sunday, June 24 — City Hall VIP Party
In the thick of the official pride festivities, this cool and classy shindig takes place under the rotunda of City Hall, with an open bar, hors-d’oeuvres, and three entertainment stages. Tickets are available to the general public, but the event is always dotted with dignitaries. A swanky escape if the day turns out to be hot or rainy.
Get a Room!
Ideally located for exploring the city and a stalwart supporter of local LGBT causes, the Hilton San Francisco Union Square is offering a special Pride package. The official hotel partner for both SF Pride and the Frameline film festival, the Hilton also participates in other community institutions year-round, including the AIDS Walk and the LGBTQ community center.
The W San Francisco is offering two themed EWOW suite packages including the Folsom EWOW, with decor inspired by the annual festival where BDSM goes full frontal or the Unicorn EWOW, featuring bright and bold decor that illuminates playful uniqueness and keeps the weekend fun. Both packages include a pre-party bar area with spirits and snacks (valued at $500), closets full of props and dress-up attire with a Pride flag backdrop for the ultimate selfie station. But luxury frolicking comes at a price – each suite starts at $5,000 per night.
Located in the heart of the Mid-Market district (a hub for some of the city’s best restaurants, retail, and cultural institutions), the newly opened San Francisco Proper is welcoming LGBTQ revelers this year with its “Proud and Proper” package, which includes two welcome cocktails + breakfast for two at the trendy all-day restaurant and lounge Villon. Be sure to check out Charmaine’s rooftop bar while the parade marches by. You’ll also be giving back to the local community as 5 percent of revenue will be donated to the SF LGBT Center. The “Proud and Proper” is valid through 6/30/18 with rates starting at $355 per night by using the promo code: PROUD.
