Beyond the Bar: 9 Alternative Ways To Celebrate Pride
There are ways to have fun this June without nightlife or booze!
With Pride Month here and proudly queer it’s important to remember that not everyone wants their Pride drenched in sweat, strobe lights, and overpriced drinks. For many queer folks—especially those who are sober, introverted, neurodivergent, or just not into the club scene—the standard nightlife-centric Pride agenda can feel more alienating than affirming. The good news? Pride is about radical self-love and community celebration, and there are infinite ways to honor it that don’t involve staying out until 2 am. Here are 9 alternative ways to celebrate Pride Month that are cozy, creative, and rooted in connection.
1. Host a Backyard Queer Film Festival
Set up a projector, string up some fairy lights, and invite your crew over for a queer movie marathon. Screen classics like But I’m a Cheerleader, Bound, Moonlight, or Tangerine, and make it interactive with themed snacks, comfy blankets, and discussion breaks.
If you’re in a smaller apartment (NYC friends, I’m looking at you), move some furniture around in your living room or bedroom, or both if you have to, and throw down some cushions on the floor.
2. Attend a Smaller Pride Celebration
Seek out community-centered or BIPOC-led events that aren’t about big corporate floats. Smaller celebrations often have a warmer, more familial vibe, and they’re usually easier on the nervous system.
3. Digital Game Night, COVID-Style
Hop on Zoom with your chosen fam and play phone games like Jackbox, Codenames, or queer-themed trivia. Bonus points for bringing your best looks to the webcam and creating a custom Pride playlist.
4. Go Queer Camping
Nature is healing. Round up your queer coven, grab a tent (or rent a cabin), and escape the city noise for a night or two. Stargazing, tarot cards, s’mores, and storytelling around the fire? Hard yes!
5. Create Something Beautiful
Paint, collage, write poetry, sew a patch onto your favorite denim, or celebrate with a Pride-themed manicure (press-ons for the win). Let your queer joy take shape through your hands.
6. Volunteer or Donate
Pride is protest, and giving back is one of the most meaningful ways to honor that legacy. Support queer mutual aid funds, trans-led organizations, or local LGBTQ+ centers with your time, money, or skills.
7. Host a Queer Skill Share or Zine-Making Circle
Throw a mini gathering where each person shares something they love: tarot, herbalism, pole tricks, consent practices, kink 101… the sky’s the limit. Or spend an afternoon making zines and art with your besties.
8. Plan a Queer Photoshoot
Celebrate your fabulousness with a boudoir shoot, family portraits, or solo shots that feel like a magazine cover model. Get dolled up, get weird, get soft…just do what you need to in order to feel like a gem.
9. Beach Day or Nature Walk
Sometimes the most affirming thing is being outside with other queer babes, soaking up the sun in your shortest shorts or coziest flannel. Take a hike, pack a picnic, or lie in the grass and cloud-watch together.
Pride doesn’t have to be loud to be powerful. Whether you’re surrounded by trees or trading memes on Zoom, what matters is that you’re celebrating your truth, in whatever way feels safest and most delicious to you. Happy Pride Month!
