LGBTQ+ Travel Tips for World Pride in NYC

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This June marks 50 years since the Stonewall Uprising in Greenwich Village, NYC. To celebrate this historic LGBTQ+ anniversary, World Pride is coming to New York City for the very first time! New York Pride is already one of the largest pride celebrations around the world, and with a whole month of events happening in and around New York City (and Brooklyn!), this year’s celebration is destined to be the biggest ever.

Because of the historic occasion, there are a number of great activities and events happening to celebrate World Pride in NYC throughout the month of June – when nearly 4 million LGBTQ + travellers are expected to visit.

LGBTQ+ Travel Tips for World Pride in NYC
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### 1. Visit the Stonewall Inn

On June 28, 1969, riots broke out in response to a police raid at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village. The bar is still open today and hosts a number of events every week, but the most important attraction is the national monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ rights just outside the bar in Christopher Park.

The Stonewall National Monument is the first of its kind in the USA and features sculptures by American artist George Segal titled “Gay Liberation. The sculptures feature two separate couples of gay men and lesbian women.

### 2. See the Love & Resistance exhibit at the New York Public Library

Celebrating 50 years since Stonewall, the New York Public Library’s central branch in Bryant Park is hosting an exhibition titled Love & Resistance: Stonewall 50through July 14.The collection includes photographs from pioneering journalists Tobin Lahusen and Diana Davies from the ’60s and ’70salongside the library’s vast archives of LGBTQ+ history.

### 3. Discover queer art at NYC’s best museums and galleries

Besides the historical exhibitions on display at various places across the city (check out this full list from the NYC website), many of New York’s best museums are featuring special exhibitions by queer artists. At the Guggenheim, a retrospective of Robert Mapplethorpe’s collages and photographs is on display through 2020 in an exhibition titled Implicit Tensions: Mapplethorpe Now. His black-and-white photography

And at the Leslie-Lohman Museum & LGBTQ center, there’s an exhibition titled Art After Stonewall, 1969-1989. It’s the first major exhibition to highlight the impact of the LGBTQ civil rights movement on the art world, featuring works by Mapplethorpe as well as other queer artists including Nan Goldin and Andy Warhol.

Through December, the Brooklyn Museum is also featuring an exhibit titled Nobody Promised You Tomorrow: Art 50 Years After Stonewall. Borrowing its title from the rallying words of transgender artist and activist Marsha P. Johnson (who is largely credited with the Stonewall riots), the focuses on the impact of the Stonewall Uprising through works by contemporary artists

And on at the Metropolitan Museum for this spring’s Costume Institute exhibit, Camp: Notes on Fashion features nearly 200 fashion objects from the 17^thcentury to the present related to the camp aesthetic. The exhibition which opened with the annual Met Gala (co-hosted by none other than Lady Gaga), is partly inspired by the 1964 essay “notes on Camp.”

### 4. Join the World Pride March

On June 30, the annual pride parade will march through the streets of Manhattan. Starting at noon and expected to last up to 8+ hours, over 150,000 participants will be waving flags and glitter to celebrate. Countless brands and sponsors will be there to promote LGBTQ+ rights and advocacy and with the millions of spectators, it’s expected to be the largest LGBTQ+ pride event in the world.

For those interested in a pride march with less brand advertising and more progressive advocacy, the Reclaim Pride Coalition is also hosting a pride march through NYC on June 30.

### 5. Take an LGBTQ+ historical tour

In-between all the events and activities during Pride Month, make sure to set aside some time to discover NYC’s unique LGBTQ+ history. Urban Adventures runs a fun pub crawl through Greenwich Village which features a lot of unexpected LGBTQ+ historical markers, in addition to the big historical highlights.

Where to Stay for World Pride
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Countless NYC hotels are hosting LGBTQ+ events and special deals-from rainbow-themed cocktails, to special romantic hotel rates, and many different art exhibits.

– W Hotel Times Square– Located in the heart of Manhattan, this luxury hotel has a great lobby bar where they’ll be hosting an open-to-the-public LGBTQ+ panel event discussion, called “Queer Me Out,” focused on niche topics related to LGBTQ+ life. In addition to being an LGBTQ-friendly hotel (and walking distance to the gay neighborhood of Hells Kitchen), you can even book a special rate to be able to join the hotel on their float during the NYC Pride march.The James NoMad–In addition to its excellent central location (convenient to the World Pride march), The James Nomad hotel will host a queer art exhibit during the month of June. Prints in the exhibit will feature two subjects, a place and a face capturing the power of NYC’s LGBTQ community in a range of topics from nightlife and art to activism and fashion.
– Arlo Hotel– With one of Soho’s best rooftop bars, a hip lobby bar & café, and an excellent on-site restaurant called Harolds, the Arlo Hotel is one of the best places to stay during pride week. Rooms are small but very comfortable. Arlo SoHo is also putting up a mural across one of their building’s walls to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising and a half-century of LGBTQIA+ liberation.
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– The Redbury– In Manhattan’s NoMad district, The Redbury has a beautifully boutique design with musical design touches throughout (a nod to the nearby historic Tin Pan Alley). Special pride rates apply to the hotel including welcome drinks from the on-site Roman-style aperitivi bar, Vini e Fritti.
– Aliz Hotel– One of the newest hotels in NYC’s Times Square, the Aliz Hotel is also home to Dear Irving-the highest open-air hotel bar in all of Manhattan on the 40^thand 41^stfloors (and with excellent cocktails, too!). Views from the rooms are great (south-facing rooms have views of the Empire State Building) and despite the relative small size of the hotel, rooms are comfortable sized with great amenities. A useful pride guide exists on the hotel website detailing special LGBTQ+ pride deals.

World Pride NYC is set to be an amazing experience, but even outside of Pride Month, NYC is a great destination for LGBTQ+ travelers year-round. There are no shortage of LGBTQ+ things to do in NYC!”