What to do, where to be to celebrate Pride Month 2022

The LGBTQ community is finally coming out — of the shadows of COVID.

After two years of virtual celebrations, fully-masked demonstrations, socially-distanced commemorations and full-on cancellations, LGBTQ Pride month is here again.

Parade participants celebrate New York City Pride on June 27, 2021, in New York City.

While the pandemic is far from over, a combination of vaccinations, booster shots and CDC-approved antiviral drugs all point to a Pride month, where your biggest fear is what you are missing out on.

So, fear not. Here’s a little guide to get you started.

Wednesday, June 1

VIP Launch Party and Legacy of Pride, Harlem, New York City

The Legacy of Pride awards celebrate and honor the efforts of LGBTQ people, allies and organizations who make extraordinary contributions to the LGBTQ and SGL (same-gender-loving) communities in Harlem. “Join us this year as we raise money while honoring some of our community’s champions, our LGBTQ-owned venues, and enjoy live entertainment, food and fun!” organizers said. ($50, from 7 to 10 p.m. at Lambda Lounge Harlem)

Fundraiser for Queer Ukrainians, Kansas City, Mo.

This cocktail party benefitting the Outright LGBTIQ Ukraine Emergency fund will kick off Pride month in Downtown Kansas City, Mo. Hosted by Palace Parties KC, the event will feature poetry, a violinist performing the Ukrainian national anthem, as well as raffles donated by local businesses. “We wanted to start off with a fund-raiser because that’s a big part of what Pride is all about. It’s about celebrating the struggles we’ve overcome, those lost along the way and those still struggling,” organizers said. (Free, from 6 to 10 p.m. at Nido Clubhouse)

Thursday, June 2

NewFest Pride, NYC and virtual

NewFest, New York’s leading LGBTQ film and media organization, is back with its second annual NewFest Pride event, a summer film series featuring five new feature films, three screenings of celebrated LGBTQ series, as well as a shorts documentary program focused on LGBTQ+ activists, community leaders and outspoken LGBTQ+ celebrities. The festival kicks off with the much-anticipated and oh-so-gay take on Jane Austen’s classic “Pride and Prejudice,” featuring comedian and writer Joel Kim Booster and “Saturday Night Live” star Bowen Yang. (passes start at $30, SVA Theatre in NYC and virtually throughout the U.S.)

Friday, June 3

Queer Me Out: The Impact of Queer Trailblazers, Philadelphia

This groundbreaking panel moderated by the writer Anne Ishii, executive director of Asian Arts Initiative, aims to amplify queer voices, raising the volume on issues of equality, acceptance and impact. Panelists include Alyssa Al-Dookhi, an Arab-American comedian, educator and activist; Icon Ebony-Fierce, a drag performer curator and community organizer; Conrad Benner, a public art and public space advocate; and Jacen Bowman, a makeup artist and a member of the House of Progidy of HBO’s “Legendary.” Ticket proceeds will be split between two organizations selected by the panelists: Morris Home, a residential recovery program serving the transgender community, and Philadelphia Black Gay Pride. (Suggested donations from $1 to $30, 7-8 p.m., at the W Philadelphia)

Saturday, June 4

Pride in the Park, Seattle, Wash.

Seattle kicks off its month-long Pride celebration with a full day of fun and food — “all in the name of inclusion,” according to organizers of the city’s official Pride festivities. The 11th annual edition of the Pride in the Park, formerly known as the Volunteer Parke Pride Festival, will offer a chance to members of the local LGBTQ community to socialize with others, make new friends and warm up their queer engines for the month ahead. Festivities will culminate with the city’s 48th Pride parade at the end of the month when 500,000 people are expected to participate. All ages are welcome for the day-long celebration of queer arts, music, performance and culture featuring musical guests, book giveaways with The Friends of the Seattle Public Library, and a Drag Queen Storytime with Cookie Couture (Free, 12-7 p.m., Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill)

Sunday, June 5

Key West Pride Parade, Key West, Fla.

“Saying gay is okay!” is the theme for this year’s LGBTQ Pride week in the southernmost point in the continental U.S. The island famous for stunning beaches, historic sites and lively nightlife ends its five-day Pride celebrations with a Pride Parade, followed by tea dances, drag shows at different bars, and a post-pride wind-down. The parade, the week’s main event, features LGBTQ people and their friends carrying a 100-foot Sea to Sea Diversity Flag along Duval St., a beloved island tradition. (Free, 5-7 p.m., Duval St.)

GayRidge Pride, Brooklyn, NY

Bay Ridge is getting ready to celebrate its first-ever Pride. Organized by GayRidge, a group whose mission is to connect the area’s LGBTQ community with their allies to support each other, GayRidge Pride will be a free afternoon with events for all ages, including a picnic, drag queen storytime, live music, an art show, a queer pet march and even a frozen T-shirt contest, where contestants will compete to free a GayRidge T-shirt from a block of ice. “As our neighborhood’s first official Pride event, this will be one part party and one part history,” Councilman Justin Brannan (D-Bay Ridge) told the Daily News. (Free, 12 - 5 p.m., Owl’s Head Park)

This list will be updated weekly.