The main event is Sunday’s parade, which begins at the intersection of Market and Beale Streets and ends near the Civic Center. Keep your eyes open for celebrities-the celebration has become a real see-and-be-seen opportunity. Taking place in front of City Hall at Civic Center Plaza-a location steeped in LGBTQ history– the festivities include live music and comedy on the main stage, plus cabaret, a Country-Western Dance Corral, a Leather Alley carnival and, pretty much everywhere you look, elaborately costumed performers. Find out more about the remarkable role the city played and is playing in the gay movement at the GLBT History Museum, or on a guided 'Cruisin’ the Castro' historical walking tour.Įvery June is Pride Month, which culminates on the last weekend when up to a million visitors flock to the city for the annual (and outrageous) San Francisco Pride celebration. There are more than 60 gay bars and clubs, and although the Castro serves as the epicentre of LGBTQ culture and nightlife, gay-friendly businesses are sprinkled throughout the city-frankly, it’s the norm here.
In the Castro, a rainbow flag flaps in the wind above colourfully painted pedestrian crossings, making one big statement: San Francisco welcomes the LGBTQ community with open arms. The City by the Bay, known for its liberal, alternative lifestyles, is one of the best-known areas in the world for LGBTQ.
