Here's 3 Alternative Pride Marches Taking Place This Weekend

WEST VILLAGE, NY — Has Pride gotten too "mainstream" for you?

Looking for something newer, edgier or more representative of your community?

Or maybe you just want to celebrate pride in a smaller scene?

Then maybe one of these three alternative Pride marches — set to also take place this weekend — will be just what you're looking for.

See our list below for three alternatives to the official NYC Pride March taking place this Sunday (which you can also read more about here.)

Friday

The NYC Drag March (7 p.m., Tompkins Square Park to Stonewall Inn)

The NYC Drag March started in 1994 as a protest when the official Pride March effectively kicked out drag queens from the march because of fears that they could spook corporate sponsors.

The march is known for its edgy politics and adventurous costumes.

Founded by Brian Griffin, who performs as Harmonie Moore, and Gilbert Baker, one of the designers of the iconic and ubiquitous rainbow flag, the march is still a true protest and remains unsponsored and unsanctioned, according to Gothamist.

The march begins at 7 p.m. in Tompkins Square Park and ends at 8 p.m. outside of the Stonewall Inn.

Saturday

New York City Dyke March (5 p.m., Bryant Park to Washington Square Park)

The 31st annual Dyke March will take place on Saturday evening starting at Bryant Park and proceed down Fifth Avenue to Washington Square Park.

The theme for this year's march is “Not Your F***ing Body, Not Your F***ing Business,” a response to the rising tide of anti-LGBTQ legislation and hate crimes around the country.

Similar to the Drag March, the Dyke March is also unsanctioned and unsponsored.

According to their website, "any person who identifies as a dyke is welcome to march."

Sunday

Queer Liberation March (2 p.m. rally in Foley Square, 3:30 p.m. march to Washington Square Park)

The fifth annual Queer Liberation March takes place at the same time as the main and official NYC Pride March just a few blocks north.

That's no coincidence —this march was organized by grassroots group Reclaim Pride Coalition explicitly as a alternative to the mainstream festivities.

This year's theme is "Trans and Queer, Forever Here," a response to attacks on queer communities that Reclaim Pride Coalition co-founder, Jay W. Walker, called a "christo-fascist patriarchy" crusade to make the country into a "replica of Margaret Atwood's Gilead."

The Reclaim Pride March has attracted up to 50,000 marchers every year since it was founded in 2019 and has a markedly more political and protest-rooted vibe than official Pride parades.