Brooklyn Pride weekend is upon us: Here are 13 ways to celebrate

Fire up Grindr, HER, Scruff, Growlr and 3nder, because it’s Brooklyn Pride weekend! Manhattan may be the center of the movement that started it all, but our borough boasts a bevy of ways to celebrate, starting tonight. Whether you’re into parades, festivals, comedy, live music or dominating the dance floor, there’s a place for you to party. Come out for comedy shows featuring all-stars like Kevin Allison and Julio Torres, an open vodka bar, a gay-for-days singalong and plenty of booty-bouncing beats from Gowanus to Bushwick.

Put your face on and show your pride, Brooklyn, because we’re all hashtag blessed to live in a city where there are almost no rules about where any and everyone can pee. #sorryhaters

Slay from Thursday – Sunday with our curated events list:

Thursday, June 9

Brooklyn Pride Comedy Show
Branded Saloon, 603 Vanderbilt Ave., 7pm
FREE

To kick off the weekend, Lois Thompson hosts an evening of laughs at Prospect Heights’ favorite gay saloon! Order a cowboy-themed cocktail (and a burger, if you want) and head to the back room at Branded to hang with comedians Chewy May, Elsa Waithe, Emma William, Sal Caprizzi and more. 

Friday, June 10

Out of the Closet Open House
Out of the Closet, 475 Atlantic Ave., 6:30pm – 9:30pm
FREE

Stop in to Out of the Closet Thrift Shop — a funky secondhand store whose proceeds benefit the Aids Health Foundation — for refreshments, music, drinks and shopping. The store also offers free HIV testing and counseling in a private section — and don’t worry if you can’t make it out on Friday, the service is available every day of the week. 

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Kweendom: LGBT Comedy and Storytelling
Union Hall, 702 Union St., 10pm (doors 9:30pm)
$8 Adv, $10 Day of Show

Kweendom, a recurring NYC comedy show with all-LGBT lineup, is hitting Union Hall for one night only in honor of Brooklyn Pride. Host Bobby Hankinson of Awkward Sex and the City has assembled a stacked lineup of can’t-miss kweens, including Kevin Allison, Julio Torres, Isaac Oliver, Bowen Yang and more. After the show, stick around for a free after-party with DJ Manila Ice! Net proceeds from the show will be donated to Streetwise & Safe, a local organization that works with LGBTQ youth of color.

iBomba Brooklyn Pride edition
C’mon Everybody, 325 Franklin Ave., 11pm
$5 w/Facebook RSVP, $8 door

Get your booty shorts on to get down at iBomba, a dance party where you can move yr ass in every direction to a digital cumbia and future dancehall beat. This recurring party regularly features diverse talent, and this weekend you can join DJs Beto and Ushka with special guest Papi Juice. Get in for just $5 if you click “attending” on the Facebook invite.

Saturday, June 11

Brooklyn Pride: Multicultural Festival and Stage Entertainment
5th Ave from 3rd to 9th Streets, 11am-5pm
FREE

Spend Saturday afternoon dancing in the streets at the all-day Brooklyn Pride festival, supported by a cross-section of Brooklyn business, community and city-wide organizations. The event spans six blocks and is bookended by two stages of entertainment. Check out the full list of performers here!

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Brooklyn Pride Parade
Starts at Lincoln Pl. and 5th Ave. at 7:30pm, ends at 9th St. and 5th Ave.
FREE

The Brooklyn Pride Parade is fabulous for so many reasons: it celebrates Brooklyn’s LGBTQ community, it’s not in the morning, it’s not in Manhattan and it’s not bound by a tacky American flag motif. It’s also one of the only twilight parades on the East Coast! Head to Park Slope to shout your pride out and take in the majesty of sequins sparkling as the sun sets. Keep in mind: the bars on nearby blocks fill up fast once the parade ends, so be sure to lock down your after-party plans.

Hot Rabbit // Bad Habit, Official Brooklyn Pride After-party
Lot45, 411 Troutman St., 10am
$10

Legendary queer party-throwers Hot Rabbit treat us to an extra-special edition of Bad Habit, their recurring Brooklyn bash in Bushwick.

Unity: A Brooklyn Pride Celebration
Brooklyn Wineyard, 1114 Fulton St., 7pm-4am
$10

Stop by early, drop in late or party all night at Unity, nine hours of food, drinks, music, women and fun in Bed-Stuy.

Ode to Babel Celebrates Brooklyn Pride
Ode to Babel, 772 Dean St., 7pm
🚨🚨🚨 $15 entry includes open vodka bar 8-9:30pm 🚨🚨🚨

Ode to Babel is a charming hybrid between a coffee shop and cocktail bar in Prospect Heights, and they’re offering dangerously cheap vodka to help get the Pride party started. Stop by after the parade or on your way out for the night!

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Be Cute
Littlefield, 622 DeGraw St., 10:30pm – 4am
$10 online / $10 before midnight / $15 after midnight

Everyone is welcome at Be Cute, a “booty-bounce queer party for aliens that love to shake it to the ground.” Come through for DJs, performance artists, drag queens and more, including a show by Aja, the newly-crowned 2016 Brooklyn Queen of the Year.

PICTURE THIS!
Union Hall, 702 Union St., 10pm (doors 9:30pm)
$8 adv. / $10 door

PICTURE THIS! is a different kind of comedy show, pairing stand-up comedians with artists to create unique illustrations, drawn on the spot. The lineup features more than five pairs of comics (including Cole Escola, Josh Sharp and Claudia Cogan) and illustrators (like Dan Pinto and Tristian Goik) for what’s sure to be a weird, fun time. Buy tickets here.

Laid Queer Dance Party + SET IT OFF
The Bell House, 149 7th St., 8:30pm
$10

Party royalty ascends on the Bell House to host a high-energy night complete with five DJs, special guests and all proceeds benefitting the Ellie Conant Fund, which supports LGBTQ individuals in Korea.

Sunday, June 12

Bey & Jay’s Big Gay Day (And Singalong)
Littlefield, 622 DeGraw St., 8pm (doors 7:30pm)
$10

Bey and Jay are finally getting gay-married, and you’re invited! Join comedians Naomi Ekperigin, Liza Treyger and many more as they celebrate love in a post-Lemonade world via stand-up, song and sketch. After the ceremony, party like celebrity at the reception and sing-a-long, where you can lip sync for your life along with a live band.

Did we miss any great pride parties in BK? Tip us off to more at tips[at]brokelyn.com! 

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