What's Happening in San Francisco |
For ideas for your next trip, please see our full LGBT event calendar.
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2009 will mark the 39th anniversary of the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration and Parade. This year's theme, "In Order to Form a More Perfect Union...," was drawn from the Preamble to the Constitution. Member Jokie Wilson, who submitted this year's theme, explained his submission:
“We LGBTQQIs are no longer an outsider people asking for tolerance. We are Americans. And we are not merely denizens of this earth, but citizens of the universe in a perpetual effort to form a more perfect union with all of its members. The theme was originally inspired by my reading of the 2008 California Supreme Court decision on marriage and the preamble to the US Constitution."
The event will be held over the weekend of June 27 and 28, 2009 in the Civic Center of downtown San Francisco.
With over 200 parade contingents, 300 exhibitors, and 19 stages and venues, the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration and Parade is the largest LGBT gathering in the nation.
The San Francisco Pride Celebration is packed with a wide variety of exhibitors, artists, music of all kinds, performers, dance stages and venues, and fun. There really is something here for everyone.
The Celebration at Civic Center is host to the Main Stage where in 2008, attendees saw Cyndi Lauper, Margaret Cho, Kat DeLuna, Inaya Day, Crystal Waters, speakers from the marriage equality movement, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, and others.
Important Information: SF Pride Celebration at the Civic Center takes place on Saturday noon - 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon - 7 p.m. The festival parade kicks off on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. at Market St. & Beale and ends at Market & 8th St.
The full schedule of activities will be posted as announced at www.sfpride.org/.
Tickets for grandstand seating are available.
To help visitors plan their Pride pilgrimages, the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau (SFCVB) recently launched a new trip-planning portal for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender traveler on its Web site, www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com.
The "Gay Travel"; micro-site www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com/gaytravel is designed to become the LGBT community's one-stop shop for planning a personalized San Francisco vacation. Visitors can research the best in gay-friendly hotels, restaurants, tours and attractions; find out about special promotions from SFCVB members specifically for the LGBT community; sign-up for an LGBT visitor email newsletter; read-up on LGBT events in the City; and book flights, hotels, rental cars, activities and dining. Twenty-six SFCVB member companies have signed on as program sponsors, and major campaign sponsors include Kimpton Hotels, Hotel Nikko San Francisco, Renoir Hotel San Francisco, Le Meridien San Francisco, Parc Fifty Five Hotel, The Heritage House (Little River, CA) and Amtrak.
Although the last weekend in June is traditionally the date for San Francisco's LGBT Pride Celebration, the days leading up to and following the celebration are also filled with a number of notable LGBT events. Among them are:
The National Queer Arts Festival kicks off a month-long series of art shows, readings, performances and panels from June 1 to 30. The festival, now in its twelfth year, is based at the Queer Cultural Center with performances held at more than a dozen venues. For a festival catalog, contact www.queerculturalcenter.org
Frameline, the world's premier showcase for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender cinema, takes place June 18 to 28 with more than 250 feature and short films at the historic Castro Theater and other venues. Documentaries will once again be front and center at the 32nd annual event. For the list of films, show times and ticket information, visit www.frameline.org.
The Dyke March will mark its 17th anniversary on Saturday, June 27. Starting at 3 p.m. from 18th and Dolores streets, the rally is followed by the 7 p.m. march and motorcycle ride. Details are available at thedykemarch.org/. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are the organizers of the traditional Pink Party, a.k.a. Pink Saturday, following this event on Saturday evening; information is available at www.thesisters.org.
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The San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau continues its LGBT tourism efforts in concert with the Golden Gate Business Association (GGBA), the country's first LGBT Chamber of Commerce.
Travel packages (including hotel stays) for summer activities can be booked through the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau at www.onlyInsanfrancisco.com or by calling 800-637-5196. A link from the home page takes visitors to the gay travel section. |
