How To Celebrate San Diego Pride: Events, Parties & Things To Do [2024]

The world may celebrate Pride Month during June, but San Diego always extends the party when it hosts its Pride Week July 13-21, 2024.

San Diego Pride Board Member Andrew Picard, who serves as the Executive Director of addiction service Stepping Stone of San Diego, says this year focuses on community and growth. “In the post-COVID world, it was really hard for Prides everywhere to recover and rebound,” he says. “San Diego Pride has only continued to get bigger and stronger every single year.”

This time, the festivities see big industry names like Sheila E., Todrick Hall, and recent RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Nymphia Wind as part of the entertainment lineup, but Picard stresses there’s so much more to it than that.

“Yes, we want to have the Nymphia Wind’s and the Sheila E.’s and the names that bring in a crowd who wants to celebrate,” he says. “But what I really love about San Diego’s Pride is with the festival and parade, they really prioritize diversity and representation and make sure there’s something for everyone, which you don’t see in every Pride.”

The San Diego Pride organization operates as a nonprofit and puts on a lot of the events that happen during the weekend celebration. However, there are a number of other parties and options you can choose from. That said, if you have a chance to support or attend an event from San Diego Pride themselves, you should. 100% of the proceeds that come from the festival and parade go toward year-round programming to uplift the community, which helps events like these take place.

Things to do for San Diego Pride 2024

The Epicenter of San Diego Pride is in Hillcrest and if you go there between July 13 – 21, you will find a sea of rainbows, parties, and events going on. Here are the events hosted by San Diego Pride, as well as a couple of other options and some after-dark festivities, too.

Also read: Best Bars in Hillcrest

Spirit of Stonewall Rally

You may not know that the first Pride occurred in New York City to mark the first anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. If that doesn’t strike a bell, the Uprising occurred at the Stonewall Inn in 1969 when the police raided the gay establishment and sparked an outrage that changed the course of the future for the queer community forever.

On Friday, July 19, join for the annual Spirit of Stonewall Rally at 6 PM under the Pride Flag at the corner of University Avenue and Normal Street. San Diego held their first Rally in 1975, and it’s our time to recognize and honor the leaders who work hard to preserve our gains and reflect on our origins as we celebrate those who have helped pave the way to where we are now. 

The Rally also serves as the kickoff to the Pride weekend, and Picard says it’s a “moment that really resonates. It’s a centering moment. Yes, we’re all part of Pride because we want to dance and celebrate and go crazy and have fun. But that is a moment where you’re seeing local heroes, people volunteering their time who have dedicated themselves to making a positive change in the queer community.”

San Diego Pride 5K

The Pride 5k is described as “the most fun and wacky event of the summer.” Presented by Front Runners & Walkers San Diego, it’s a great way to start your Pride celebrations with some physical activity — especially if you’re planning on living it up over the rest of the weekend.

This one comes at you bright and early, so explore at your own risk. It’s on July 20 at the corner of University Avenue and Centre Street. The race day activities start at 6:45 a.m. Registration is open, and you can do so here.

San Diego Pride Parade

Whether you hit the 5K or not, the annual San Diego Pride Parade on Saturday the 20^th is an event you won’t want to miss. It’s among the largest Pride events in the country and attracts over 250,000 people to make it the largest single-day civic event in the entire region.

Anywhere along University Avenue will be a good place for you to catch the show, but know you’ll run into a crowd regardless. It begins at the Pride Flag on the corner of Normal Street and University Avenue at 10 AM and lasts until around 3 PM. The parade marches down University Avenue, turns down 6^th Avenue, continues onto Balboa Drive, and ends on Laurel Street as a perfect entrance to the festival.

“Pride is embracing the most authentic and fiercest version of yourself,” says Picard. “It’s about recognizing that you’re part of a community. It’s this celebration that we’re a diverse tapestry of a community, and we want to empower people to show up as their fabulous selves.”

San Diego Pride Festival 

The San Diego Pride Festival in Balboa Park is an all-weekend affair, starting at 11 AM and ending at 9 PM on both Saturday, July 20 and Sunday, July 21. This is where you’ll find the entertainment for the weekend. It’s also a paid event, though it won’t do much to break the bank. $38 gets you a whole weekend pass, but it’ll only cost you $42 if you wait until the last minute. VIP access costs $219, but it’ll be $239 if you buy it at the door. It’s also free for those who complete a five-hour shift.

Grab your tickets here, and keep an eye out for the lineup to keep track of which show you want to see, and when. Remember, the money you spend here and at any of the other San Diego Pride-related events goes back into the community and right into making sure next year’s festivities are even better.

Pride Block Party

The annual Pride Block Party, hosted by Fabulous Hillcrest, is a great way to start off your Pride weekend right in the thick of it all. The Block Party goes from 5 PM – 11 PM on Friday, July 19 and is a perfect all-ages event. The Block Party also features the Spirit of Stonewall Rally, and the entertainment consists of drag queens and a DJ dance party. The block behind the Pride Flag gets shut down for the event, in the same area that holds the Hillcrest Farmer’s Market (which is still happening the Sunday of Pride, just in case you want to go.)

Yoga and Dance Party at the Rady Shell

If the 5K isn’t your thing, perhaps yoga and dancing align more with your interests. Every year, Fit Athletic hosts a Yoga and Dance Party led by Viktoria Talbot at the Rady Shell. This year marks the third annual event, which is free and starts at 7 PM on Thursday, July 18. All levels of yogis attend, and the dance party afterward sees returning guests DJ Sassy and DJ Dova. Even though it’s free, be sure you register for your spot!

Pool Parties

When in San Diego, you can’t celebrate Pride without going to at least one pool party. Although some of the more fun pool parties take place in private residences with invite-only appeal, LE Parties throws multiple pool parties around town for Pride every year, and any of them would be a good option to attend. Each day from Friday through Sunday has a different themed pool party. You can purchase tickets to just one or buy a weekend pass that gets you into all three. 

Friday’s pool party is at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Mission Valley from 1 PM – 7 PM (as are the others) as the Fun Dip Kick-off Pride Pool Party. This sees Insomniac DJ Missy B transform the pool “into a vibrant water wonderland.” It also has DJs Codak & Laser Fox open and close the show.

On Saturday, after you spend some time at the parade, you can also head over to the Sunshine Disco Pool Party, also billed as the “Saturday Massive Pride Pool Party.” Entertainment includes headliner DJ Hektor Mass from Las Vegas on the Main Pool stage, and DJs Matt Suave and Guatamex hold up the rest of the party. Oh, and there will also be plenty of go-go dancers for your entertainment at this one, as well.

To close out the weekend on Sunday “Fungay,” join in for the Epic Pink Pool Party. The theme is EPIC PINK! and has RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 10 winner Aquaria as the headlining entertainment. DJ Mascfish opens the show, and Grammy-winning DJ Dave Audé will close out the weekend. 

Nightlife Weekend Passes

Once the sun goes down, you’ll have even more options for how to spend your time. Although bars like Flicks, Number One Fifth Avenue, The Rail, and The Loft have yet to release any Pride-specific events, they’re still great places to go to socialize and have a good time (though it’s the only time of year you can expect to pay some more covers). Number One Fifth and The Loft are perfect choices for those who want something a little more local. If you’re still wanting to keep the Pride-themed party, here are some options for your weekend:

Rich’s

Rich’s nightclub has seven Pride events starting on Wednesday, July 17 with Mischief Pride from 9 PM – 2 AM. Thursday night sees Papi Pride at the same time, while Friday night continues with Dirty-POP Pride from 8 PM – 3 AM. On Saturday, they have the Pride Parade Party from 10 AM – 6 PM, followed by the Pride Massive Party from 8 PM – 4 AM. Sunday sees the Souleil Pride party in the day from 12 PM – 9 PM, then closes out the weekend with the Sunset Tea Pride Closing Party right after until 3 AM. Please note that you can only buy individual tickets for Papi Pride and Souleil. 

Turn

Turn is also offering a weekend of fun after hours, though you can purchase tickets for individual days as well as the whole thing. On Friday, Drawn This Way encourages you to grab your sexiest outfit or jockstrap to dance the night away. Saturday sees The Dip, where you’ll want to bring along your best sexy villain look. Sunday closes off the weekend with Tune Town, where you’ll dance the night away dressed as your favorite cartoon character. 

Other Pride Events

Besides the actual weekend of Pride celebrations, July sees a couple of other parties that also contribute to the overall theme. 

The weekend before Pride, She Fest is another event through SD Pride held at the Pride Flag on July 13 at 11:00 AM. This annual event has workshops, community organizations, and performers to help uplift and build community with people who identify as queer or non-binary women.

 San Diego Black Pride also has a weekend of celebrations from Friday, July 5 through Sunday, July 7. The kickoff party is on Friday night at Gossip Grill, with the “Express Your Essence” mini-ball to follow. Saturday sees the Fam Bam Beach BBQ from 11 AM – 1 PM and/or the Freaknik Beach Party after from 5 PM – 11 PM. The weekend closes out on Sunday with the Decadent Day Party at Rich’s from 3 PM – 9 PM.

Just go out and celebrate!

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how you celebrate Pride — it only matters that you’re authentic to who you are. Pride is the annual reminder of the community queer people have, and how diverse that rainbow actually is. It’s a time to recognize your similarities and differences, then put everything aside to simply honor your best self.

Most importantly, just take care of yourself. Get a can or two of Narcan just in case you or somebody else needs it. Sometimes people have a little too much fun during Pride, and it’s a good backup to have in case somebody overdoses on something. Also know that most bars have a heavy stock of this at the ready, too. 

Whether it’s your first Pride or your 50th, go out there, have fun, and make memories that will last a lifetime — all while living it up in America’s Finest City.

Last Updated on June 13, 2024 by Maria Haase

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