13 Things to Do in Seattle for Pride 2023

📍 2800 E Madison St, Seattle
🕰️ Mondays in June • 9 pm – 12 am

If you want to incorporate more Pride-themed events into your weekday, Kamp Social House on Madison has got you. Every Monday in June, the proudly lesbian-owned bar and restaurant will host Lesbian Night for all the sapphic hotties and their allies. There will be a different theme from 9 pm to midnight each Monday evening: the 2000s on June 12, sports on June 16, and a Wear White Party on June 26. DJ BB Brizz, DJ SummerSoft, and Deejay Hershe are the selectors who’ll guide you through the night of drink specials and dancing. Maybe try to incorporate orange, white, and pink into your outfit. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find love <3 🖊️ JAS KEIMIG

 

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📍 Near 401 Pine St, Seattle
🕰️ Sunday, June 25th • 11 am – 3 pm

The big one. Seattle’s annual parade with hundreds of participating groups is the event most people think of when they think of Seattle Pride. The route starts around Fourth and Pike and goes down to the Seattle Center, where PrideFest happens all day. Come and go as you please—this parade takes its joyful time! 

Here’s more from the organizers:

Join us for a dazzling display of LGBTQIA+ Brilliance at the 49th annual Pride Parade taking place on Sunday, June 25, 2023 from 11 am – 3 pm.

The Parade route will again run downtown Seattle along 4th Ave, between Pike St and Denny Way (step off will be at Westlake Park). This LGBTQIA+ reunion is a free, fun, community-wide celebration advancing awareness of LGBTQIA+ issues and promoting mutual respect and equal human rights for all.

 

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📍 Capitol Hill: Along Broadway near the Capitol Hill light rail station
🕰️ Saturday, June 24th • 12 pm – 8 pm

📍 Downtown @ the Seattle Center
🕰️ Sunday, June 25th • 12 pm – 8 pm

There are two major outdoor, all-ages Pride festivals in Seattle, both run by Seattle PrideFest. The first is on Saturday on Capitol Hill, running along Broadway and featuring pop-up performances plus vendors and food/drink specials. The second happens at the Seattle Center on Sunday all across the campus, showcasing tons of live performances, stages, and a beer garden. These parties are where the main action is at.

More from the organizers:

PrideFest Capitol Hill is back! Three stages, 2 beverage gardens, over a hundred vendors—including your favorite Broadway businesses—and free fun for all ages!

The street festival runs for five blocks from Roy in the north to John/Olive in the South, just across from the light rail station. We also have family, youth, and all ages activities happening on Barbara Bailey Way and the AIDS Memorial Pathway Plaza and fun extending into Cal Anderson Park and Bobby Morris Playfield.

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PrideFest Seattle Center is back! Sunday, June 25, 2023 noon-8 pm immediately following the downtown Pride Parade. Three stages, three beverage gardens, over one hundred artists, over a hundred exhibitors including festival food vendors….and as always: FREE!

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Find full daily schedules here.

 

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Find full daily schedules here.

📍 11th Ave, Seattle, between E. Pike St and Pine St
🕰️ Friday, June 23rd – Sunday, June 25th 

Queer/Pride has become one of Seattle’s biggest Pride festivals. Located outside Queer/Bar’s Capitol Hill location, weekend passes start around $180 and get you access to headliners like masked singer Orville Peck, Drag Race star Trixie Mattel, and rowdy electroclash act Peaches. 

More from the venue: 

Running June 23-25, 2023, in the heart of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, Queer/Pride Festival (QPF), features national and hyper-local artists, musicians, drag queens, and burlesque dancers. The standalone three-day festival sells out each summer due to its top-tier talent acts. Headliners this year include:

Orville Peck | Currently on tour with Bronco album, scout + judge on the new Apple TV+ music competition series, “My Kind of Country.”
Trixie Mattel | Returning to Seattle after sold-out shows at the Paramount (2022), starring in discovery+ reality renovation show Trixie Motel.
Pabllo Vittar | Grammy-nominated megastar coming off her recent historic set at Coachella, 12M+ Instagram followers.
Peaches | Feminist icon pop provocateur, returning to Seattle after sold-out “The Teaches of Peaches Anniversary Tour 2022” show at The Showbox.
Charo | Legacy performance by the pop culture icon.

Other performances include Seattle’s hometown heroine and Queer/Bar stage star Bosco (cast member from RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 14) and Season 15 Drag Race megastars and queens Sasha Colby, Luxx Noir London, and Mistress Isabelle Brooks. 

 

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📍 1021 E Pike St, Seattle
🕰️ Friday, June 23rd – Sunday, June 25th 

The Capitol Hill lesbian and sapphic bar Wildrose has celebrated Pride for decades, and it keeps on innovating. In recent years, the bar has partnered with powerhouse local radio station KEXP to provide “GAYEXP,”  a live broadcast and party outside the bar. This year’s no different, with the station joining a stacked line-up.

More from the venue:

Seattle’s Lesbian destination venue for close to half a century, The Wildrose Bar, is excited to announce Wildrose Pride 2023! Our annual Pride Weekend Party has been a staple amongst Capitol Hill’s bustling Pride festivities. We have a robust and dynamic line up of TALENT!  Dance the night away and be prepared to be entertained!

 

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📍 1809 Minor Ave #10, Seattle
🕰️ Thursday, June 22nd – Sunday, June 25th 

The Kremwerk Complex is another spot to hunker down at during Pride weekend. The Denny Triangle complex contains multiple venues in one (Kremwerk, Cherry, and Timbre Room, with a fourth venue opening soon)—and every Pride, the spots come together to curate stacked nights of DJs and drag performances for the gays and girlies. This year’s no different, with Friday night being a standout. 

In the basement at Kremwerk is Girth, a new queer underwear dance party at the complex. The party’s Pride edition features DJs Baby, Suss Out, and YourMom. (There’s also a free clothes check.) Upstairs in Timbre Room is Body 2 Body’s party, driven by the sounds of Jersey and Baltimore club and UK funky. And—the biggie—over in Cherry, headliner Doss is stepping up the decks. The in-demand NYC-based selector and producer specializes in trance, breakbeat, electro house, EDM, and 2000s-era club bangers, formulating her addictive blend of dance-pop music. Joining Doss on the Cherry stage are Pacific Northwest-based DJs August V.M. and emma ecstasy. 

Weekend passes start around $56. Show up early and get ready to sweat.  🖊️ JAS KEIMIG

 

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📍 912 12th Ave, Seattle
🕰️ Saturday, June 24th + Sunday, June 25th 

It may be a block or two away from the action on Capitol Hill but don’t sleep on Rhein Haus‘ Pride party they throw at their bierhalle by Seattle University. The loved local spot has a nice spacious patio and a wild lineup with queens and DJs to keep you thoroughly entertained over the weekend. Two-day passes start around $60.

On Saturday afternoon, June 24th, come through for Drag Bingo Brunch hosted by Sable Jones St. James from 11 am to 3 pm. It will feature performances from the one-and-only RuPaul’s Drag Race season 14 winner Willow Pill, plus local queens Rowan Ruthless, Stacey Starstruck, and more. Or come through for their main Pride event later that evening from 8 pm to 11 pm. Get dazzled by RuPaul Drag Race contestant Nicky Doll, American Idol and Queen of the Universe‘s Ada Vox, and popstar Madison Rose. 

ORRRR if maple syrup and Canadian raising are your thing, Rhein Haus is hosting a Canada’s Drag Race Showcase on Sunday, June 25th, from 6 to 9 pm with queens Kendall Gender, Synthia Kiss, and Juice Boxx. Racers, start your engines! And may the lit-est Pride begin! 🖊️ JAS KEIMIG

 

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📍 4864 Beacon Ave S, Seattle
🕰️ Saturday, June 24th • Doors @ 9 pm | Show @ 9:30 pm

There are so many ways to enjoy Pride in Seattle—but if you don’t end up with shaky legs and covered in glitter at your nearest Dick’s, did you even try? It’s a month for celebration, and that means dancing. Of all the dance parties this June, one of the best is happening at Beacon Hill’s Clock-Out Lounge on June 24th: a special Pride edition of Betty Wetter’s recurring PEEKABOO queer dance party. The music will flow til bar close with DJ sets by dark wiley and MDOC America. The vibe is a mix of hip-hop, house, and energetic disco pop, with some iconic queer throwbacks added in to get you feeling yourself.

As regulars know, it wouldn’t be PEEKABOO without a glam and titillating performance by the night’s host, Seattle treasure/drag queen Betty Wetter. Fans of TUSH, Betty’s bi-monthly (often sold out) drag show, know she brings it. (Last month, she showed up with a whole cheer squad.) And this Pride installment of PEEKABOO will include the self-professed “hottest post-modern nightlife performance duo” Drama Tops. Watch as these two lovely performers use their bodies to make ya laugh, teary-eyed and full of pride. 

Tickets will likely sell out. Reserve your spot before that happens! 🖊️ SANDRA WOOLF

 

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📍 1401 Alaskan Wy, Seattle
🕰️ Friday, June 23rd • 4 pm – 8 pm

The Indigiqueer Festival, now in its second year, celebrates and showcases Two-Spirit, Indigiqueer, and other Indigenous queer folks, with a mix of both local staples and traveling acts. It’s co-presented by the Paths (Re)Membered project and yəhaw̓; the latter just secured 1.5 acres of land for Indigenous arts and culture in Rainier Beach, so there’s a lot to celebrate.

The festival features “drag cryptid performer” Gila Spectrum—honestly, do you really need more than that?—Albuquerque drag queen Tomahawk Martini, Two-Spirit drum group Gathered In This Place, Cowlitz dancer Aiyana Reid, and Guma’ Gela’, a local art collective of Chamoru people, indigenous to the Mariana Islands. Local Quileute queen Hailey Tayathy, who hosted last year’s event, returns. 

The easygoing Friday afternoon schedule—and breezy backdrop at Waterfront Park on Pier 62—makes this a great one for kicking off your Pride festivities, especially if you’re avoiding corporate-sponsored events. Just remember, as one organizer pointed out last year, that late June also commemorates the defeat of noted genocider George Custer. 🖊️ SARAH ANNE LLOYD

 

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📍 115 Bell St, Seattle
🕰️ Friday, June 23rd

Kick off your Pride weekend shenanigans with Somos Seattle for their Queer Latinx Party. At Belltown’s Block 41, the organization dedicated to LGBTQ Latinx community has assembled a killer lineup of drag, DJs, art, food, drinks, and dancing. 

Top billing for the night goes to RuPaul’s Drag Race diva Salina EsTitties, a fan favorite from Season 15 who will be boots-ing the house down for guests. Joining her onstage are local queens Beyonce St. James, Pupusa, Queen Andrew Scott, Alyana Amore, as well as Seattle LGBTQ Mexican/Latino dance troupe Danza Monarcas. 

Come through and eat delicious Mexican food from La Malquerida Catering and dance the night away. The main event goes from 6 pm-10 pm, but from 10 pm – 2 am is Somos’ official after-party, which features a late-night taco truck. After-party tickets start at $15. 🖊️ JAS KEIMIG

 

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📍 1932 2nd Ave, Seattle
🕰️ Monday, June 19th • 8 pm – 10 pm

Nubia is a galaxy filled with the cosmic bodies of Drag Herstory. And the six queens who rule this solar system will introduce you to “A Brave New World” which radiates Black opulence with each awe-inspiring drag performance. Plus, this collection of constellations shines as an all-ages event to honor Juneteenth! Created by RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 1 Winner BeBe Zahara Benet, the event initially included a nationwide tour but will now be a one-night-only Seattle show. Drag Race all-stars Shea Couleé, LaLa Ri, Rajah O’Hara, Yvie Oddly, and Monique Heart are part of the all-Black cast bringing you out-of-this-world entertainment and extraterrestrial extravaganza. And this event is BY US, FOR EVERYONE. Based on the Black experience, but for anyone to acknowledge Nubian Majesty! 

Pro Tip: Hit up Belltown’s Black-owned Jerk Shack for cocktails and food before the show. The deep-fried crab sandwich used Caribbean fry bread as the buns. And a rum punch is the perfect way to celebrate Pride, Juneteenth, and summer on their back patio. 🖊️ PATHERESA WELLS

 

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📍 Seattle: Alley Entrance, 2505 1st Ave, Seattle
🕰️ Friday, June 16th • 8 pm

📍 Tacoma: Annex Building, 8402 S Hosmer St, Tacoma
🕰️ Sunday, June 18th • 1 pm

These queens slay… dragons. Here’s a Pride month event that’s not like the other girls. If you like Dungeons and Dragons and drag queens, then this nerdy-queer-centric show will be a real treat. Dungeons and Dragons (DnD) is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game focused on collaborative storytelling. The “dungeon master” is the narrator and omnipotent presence, leading the story and throwing challenges at the players. For this live show, the DM and host is the funny local comedian Paul Curry, whose wit and charisma are always a natural 20.

But the show’s real stars are the queens, and Pride performers include  TinaShea Monet, Kylie Mooncakes, and Issa Man. The queens range from total DnD newbies to seasoned players. This dynamic makes the show fresh, meaning no two shows are alike. Accompanying the dungeon master and queens is Carson Grubb, a one-man band who produces improvisational and often hilarious musical accompaniment for the show.

And if you need more laughs after the Seattle Here-After show (which would be surprising), lucky you! On Sunday the 18th, the queens will be in Tacoma @ Nate Jackson’s Super Funny Comedy Club performing a brunch show. Choose your adventure/vibe, late-night bevs in the heart of Seattle OR midday mimosas in the City of Destiny.

And if you want to see more dice-rolling exploits, you can watch Dungeons and Drag Queens online, Youtube and TikTok. 🖊️ SANDRA WOOLF

 

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📍 409 7th Ave S, Seattle
🕰️ Second Sundays • Doors @ 6:30 pm | Show @ 7 pm 

Since 2014, there’s been a Sunday gathering of celebration and worship, but it’s not your regular, fuddy-duddy liturgy. (At least in my experience; maybe your church rules, I don’t know.) I’m talking about the Sunday Night Shuga Shaq, which associate producer Sin de la Rosa refers to as “The Church of Tits ‘n’ Ass.” Now running monthly upstairs at Theatre Off Jackson in the CID, the Shuga Shaq is the longest-running all performer-of-color burlesque revue in the entire Pacific Northwest.

“Going to Shuga Shaq is like going to the loudest, rowdiest, most raucous church service you’ve ever attended,” said de la Rosa in an interview with The Ticket. “Instead of eternal salvation, your tithes go to decidedly earthly delights. But trust us, it’s the closest you’ll ever get to seeing (or maybe even touching) God(dess).” 

A regular Shaq Sunday is a sight to behold, a truly interactive experience and a never-ending torrent of flung dollar bills in a city that desperately needs this kind of energy. “Seattle has a reputation for being a little buttoned-up, a little distant, and more than a little White,” de la Rosa explained. “Shuga Shaq strives to create a monthly space to be a haven from that.”

No two shows are alike, and de la Rosa (along with founder Briq House, who calls the monthly “str!ppa activism”) wouldn’t have it any other way. “I love that Shuga Shaq lets performers bring whatever they want and gives them a platform to express themselves in whatever form most calls to them. It makes for a show with lots of variety and a more intimate connection to each performer. We believe that POC artists deserve the avenues by which to speak their truths in all their complexities and nuances. That’s what Shuga Shaq’s all about.” 🖊️ MARCUS GORMAN

 

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