Pride Day? Pride Week? Pride Month? However you want to look at it, Chicago's got a lot of that p-stuff going around lately. This weekend's Pride Parade marks the culmination of a month's worth of LGBT-friendly events in the city, and there's lots going on in the run up to—pun very much intended—Sunday's big day out. A whole big list of events past and present is available for your perusal right here, but we've located a few good bets heading into the weekend. Have fun out there, everybody!
THURSDAY
The WNBA's Chicago Sky will host a Pride Night at the Allstate Arena. For $25, you can catch the somewhat apocalyptic-sounding matchup of Chicago Sky vs. Connecticut Sun and take home a t-shirt. Tickets available here.
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
Pride Fest kicks off at 4:00 p.m. Friday at Waveland and Halsted, runs through 10:00 p.m. that night, and picks back up right where it started the next morning at 11:00 a.m.. With a killer live music lineup (Mya! Deborah Cox! Crystal freakin' Waters!) and a hilarious-sounding pet pride parade, Pride Fest looks to be more than worthy of its name.
Also going down Friday and Saturday is "30 Queer Plays in 60 Straight Seconds," a pair of Pride-themed performances of popular whiplash-inducing play series Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind. If you're feeling lucky, show up at the Neo-Futurarium around 11:00 p.m. either night to roll the dice on tickets.
FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
The 8th annual Backlot Bash comes to the parking lot behind the Cheetah Gym at 5248 N. Clark. The so-called "ultimate women's concert" brings together dozens of female artists from all over the musical spectrum. The Bash runs from 5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. Friday, 3:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. Saturday, and 2:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. Sunday, with admission running from $10-$15 depending on when you show up. Advanced tickets are available here.
SUNDAY
This, of course, is the biggie. The Pride Parade itself kicks off at noon at the corner of Halsted and Belmont. The route runs north on Halstead to Broadway, south on Broadway to Diversey, and then east on Diversey to Cannon Drive. It's kind of a must-see: the energy in the air's infectious, the cause (y'know, equality) couldn't be better, and it's bar none the finest people watching this city has to offer. And when you're done strutting, head on over to the Lakeview Union Church at 835 W. Addison for a post-parade block party from 4:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
