The Lesbian’s Guide to San Francisco Pride

Simply put, San Francisco Pride is an event that any and every gay person must experience at least once in their life. I repeat: go to San Francisco Pride. Not only is this the world’s largest Pride event, but it’s notorious for its weekend of festivities of absolutely epic proportions. I was lucky enough to attend San Francisco Pride last weekend and I am still crazed, to say the least.

The weekend’s activities began on Saturday with an all day festival in Dolores Park in honor of the city’s lesbian community. The event featured excellent DJ’s, food trucks, and vibrant people watching. It culminated with a rally of speakers and a march from the Park to the Castro. This Dyke March was a way for the lesbian community to have their moment to shine during the predominantly gay male oriented pride weekend.

Once the Dyke March arrived in the Castro, the Pink Party kicked off in full swing. The entire Castro district was blocked off for the Party which was essentially an all-night public rave. Stages with DJ’s, music blaring, and insanely intoxicated party goers dancing off their behinds kept things hopping well into the night.

The next morning, we made our way back into the city for the official Pride Parade. All of Market Street was blocked off from the Embarcadero to City Hall, with crowds five people thick along the entire route. The parade lasted close to four hours and featured a variety of floats, business, political candidates, and celebrities- Sarah Silverman and Dot-Marie Jones were my personal favorites! With free stickers and memorabilia in hand, we then followed the crowds to City Hall where the city was at a stand still and the party kept on rolling!

The entire plaza in front of City Hall was filled with people, and there was as much nudity as there were rainbows. Various stages left music pumping through everyone’s bones no matter what part of the festival you were taking in at any given moment. There were more food trucks than I could count, as well as vendors selling merchandise and spreading their own pride love. Hours of people watching, dancing, and strolling about the festival gathering left me exhausted but satisfied with my San Francisco Pride experience. The best part about the weekend was knowing that it wouldn’t be my last! Will I see you there next year?

Tell us about YOUR San Francisco Pride experiences-- lets compare notes!