Chicago Pride Parade 2019: Here's What You Need To Know

CHICAGO, IL — This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Chicago Pride Parade, the finale of two full weekends of celebrating the city's LGBT community, kicking off with Chicago Pride Fest and culminating in the annual parade on Sunday, June 30. Chicago hosted the nation's first gay pride march on June 27, 1970. Since then, it's grown from a small parade in Boystown to a Chicago tradition that brings more than one million people together from around the world.

The parade’s theme this year is "Stonewall 50: Millions of Moments of Pride." The parade is held the last weekend of June each year to commemorate the Stonewall riots, which occurred outside New York’s landmark Stonewall Inn in 1969 and began the gay rights movement.

The 2019 Chicago Pride Parade kicks off at noon June 30, starting at Montrose Avenue and Broadway in Uptown, and ending at Diversey Parkway and Sheridan Road in Lincoln Park. For the liveliest viewing spots, organizers recommend heading to the Boystown section of North Halsted Street, between Belmont Avenue and Grace Street. If you prefer less of a crowd, look for spots near the beginning of the route along Broadway between Montrose Avenue and Sheridan Road or farther along Broadway between Belmont Avenue and Diversey Parkway.

Transit To Parade:

Using public transportation to get the parade is encouraged. It’s recommended to take the Red Line to the Wilson, Sheridan, Addison or Belmont stations, or the Brown Line to Diversey. The Belmont and Addison station tend to be most crowded.

In anticipation of large crowds for the parade, the Chicago Transit Authority will provide extra services and longer trains, and several buses will be re-routed on parade day. Metra will provide extra trains on the BNSF, UP North, UP Northwest and UP West Lines. Other lines that operate on Sundays will offer extra seating capacity. Check the CTA's website for additional information.

Street Closures:

Some street closures begin as early as 8 a.m. June 30 and parade route closures begin as early as 9:30 a.m., or as the crowd intensifies. The closures include Montrose, Irving Park and Wellington at Broadway and Addison, and Grace and Roscoe at Halsted. Streets are expected to fully reopen by 8 p.m.

Pride Parade Parking:

Street parking is not abundant, so if you choose to drive, be prepared to park outside of the immediate area. Watch for temporary no parking signs. To ease congestion, ChicagoPride.com has teamed up with SpotHero to offer parking passes within walking distance of the parade route. To reserve a parking spot, visit the Pride Parade parking page and book a spot with rates up to 50% off drive-up.

Pride In The Park

The first-ever Pride in the Park is planned Saturday, June 29, in Grant Park. The concert features musical artists including Iggy Azalea, Steve Aoki, Tamar Braxton, Taylor Dayne and more. General admission tickets to Pride in the Park are still available, and can be purchased online. Learn more at Pride in the Park’s website.

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