Seattle Pride Month: Your ultimate guide

Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe named Pride Parade grand mashals

Sports legends Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe were named the 2024 Seattle Pride Parade grand marshals.

SEATTLE - Pride Month kicks off on June 1, and this year, Seattle is celebrating a special milestone: 50 years of Pride parades in the Emerald City.

In 1974, a march of fewer than 200 people happened in Seattle. The city didn't officially recognize the march as a Pride march. Three years later, about 2,000 people gathered to march, and then-Mayor Wes Ulman declared the first "Gay Pride Week." Now, 50 years later, the event is recognized as one of the largest Pride Parades in the country, with hundreds of thousands of attendees every year.

You can see Seattle Pride's timeline of LGBTQIA+ history in Seattle here.

If you're looking for ways to celebrate Pride Month this year, keep reading our guide to the major Pride events happening in Seattle this year.

Taking Pride in Capitol Hill

Kick your Pride Month festivities off this year at this annual event to benefit the community.

Taking Pride in Capitol Hill is an all-volunteer event designed to clean the streets and sidewalks of Capitol Hill, and to prepare the community for all the events to come.

From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., join community members at the Plaza at Connection on Broadway (Broadway and Denny on the NW corner of Cal Anderson Park). Cleaning supplies will be provided, and the first volunteers will also receive breakfast and a T-shirt.

Capitol Hill Queer Pride Festival

The annual event runs from Friday, June 28 to Sunday, June 30 between 11th Ave. between E. Pike Street and Pine Street in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. The event is 21+.

The festival features popular LGBTQ+ singers, DJs, burlesque dancers and drag queens. Among the performers are Santigold, Tegan & Sara, Alaska Thunderf---, Rico Nasty, and more.

Seattle Pride in the Park

After cleaning up the streets of Capitol Hill, head over to Volunteer Park to enjoy the annual Pride in the Park event. This free event will take place from noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 1, and will feature LGBTQIA+ performances, a dance stage, drag queen storytime, food trucks, queer vendors and an alcohol garden for those 21 and older.

Visit the Seattle Pride website to learn more and to see this year's entertainment schedule.

Seattle PrideFest

Mark your calendars for PrideFest Capitol Hill which returns on Saturday, June 29, starting at noon. Spanning six blocks of Broadway and Cal Anderson Park, this event will feature local businesses, beer gardens, family and youth programming and three stages of entertainment until 8 p.m.

Rainbow flags, a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and queer pride and LGBT social movements are seen along a parade route. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

Seattle Pride Parade 2024

Seattle’s 50th annual Pride Month celebration will culminate with the annual Seattle Pride Parade on Sunday, June 30.

The parade starts at Westlake Park and continues down 4th Avenue, until it reaches Denny Way. The pre-show kicks off at 10 a.m. at Westlake Park, followed by the parade at 11 a.m. Note: many roads will be closed starting as early as 7 a.m., so plan accordingly.

The following Seattle streets will be closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m:

3rd Avenue from Denny Way to South Washington Street
4th Avenue from Denny Way to South Washington Street
5th Avenue from Denny Way to South Washington Street

There are three stages along the parade route with ADA seating at all stages. Visit the Seattle Pride Parade website to learn more.

PrideFest Seattle Center

Follow the parade to the Seattle Center to experience one of the nation’s biggest Pride festivals. Festivalgoers can expect to find hundreds of vendors, food and drink options, entertainment on four stages and a new family area. The best part? It's free to attend.

Who are the grand marshals of the Pride parade?

Seattle Pride announced in May that Seattle sports legends and power couple Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe will serve as grand marshals for the annual parade.

"We’re honored to be named grand marshals for the Seattle Pride Parade and look forward to seeing everyone on parade day," the star duo shared in a joint statement. "It’s humbling to be recognized in our city that we love, and as part of a community with such a rich LGBTQIA+ history. It’s going to be an incredible celebration of love and acceptance."

Both Rapinoe and Bird have been outspoken activists for Black Lives Matter, equality and expanding opportunities for girls and all marginalized people.

Joining Bird and Rapinoe as grand marshals is an Intergenerational contingent of LGBTQIA+ leaders – including elders who have worked tirelessly to advance LGBTQIA+ rights and visibility, and youth who continue the march forward.

Pride Month Drag Brunches

Seattle Pride has compiled a list of several restaurants hosting drag brunch during Pride Month. This is not a full list of all local establishments hosting drag brunches-- check their websites, social media accounts or give the restaurant a call if you want to inquire about their drag brunches.