NYC Pride 2018

For Pride this year, Scott and I did a little staycation in the city for the weekend. We stayed at the new Hilton Embassy Suites in midtown, just steps from the parade route. Hilton has been a long standing supporter of the LGBT community, making it a optimal place to stay for Pride events.

For the month of June, the whole city was decked out in rainbows, a symbol of diversity in the LGBT community. Heritage of Pride painted the crosswalk outside the historic Stonewall Inn with rainbow colors and Stonewall Inn was decked out in hundreds of roses, in remembrance of the riots which sparked the gay rights movement.

While there are many Pride events scheduled for the weekend, from the Pier Dance to Folsom Street East, undoubtedly the most attended is the NYC Pride March.

The Pride March has happened every year since 1951, when a group of LGBT citizens assembled on Christopher Street to commemorate the first anniversary of the Stonewall riots. It was the first Pride March in U.S. History and is one of NYC’s largest annual parades.

It is always incredibly moving to see not only thousands of queer people in attendance, but so many allies supporting the LGBT community. There were even multiple floats sponsored by local schools where children who were interested could show their support for LGBT equality.

Living in NYC, where it’s largely safe to be openly queer, it’s easy to forget how much people sacrificed so that we’re able to live comfortably today. For any gay traveler, visiting New York for Pride Month is a definite item for your bucket list. Also, next year World Pride is being hosted in New York, so if you’re thinking about travel for 2019, NYC will be the place to be in June.