Celebrate the LGBTQ+ Community in Philadelphia

Celebrate the LGBTQ+ Community in Philadelphia

Philadelphia is one of the country’s most LGBTQ+-friendly cities with a long history of activism and pride.

Today, the City of Philadelphia is a place committed to serving the LGBTQ+ community through advocacy and inclusion. Feel right at home while participating in these inclusive LGBTQ+ activities in Philadelphia.

Celebrate Pride in Philadelphia

Each year, Philadelphia’s LGBTQ+ community comes together for a series of celebrations, parades, and demonstrations.  Celebrations include the Philadelphia Black Pride Celebration in April and Philly Pride 365 events throughout the year.

Philadelphia Pride Parade and Festival (2016). Photo by J. Fusco for Visit Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Pride March and Festival in June is an annual festival featuring live musical performances and a Pride Walk. The event starts with a march to Philadelphia’s Gayborhood, where festivities await. Various vendors are stationed throughout, selling art, jewelry, and gifts. The all-day block party also features live performances, LGBTQ+ community resources, and a beer garden.

Look out for special events, menus, and more from restaurants, bars, clubs, and attractions around Philadelphia during Pride Month.

Pride celebrations in Philadelphia aren’t limited to June. OURfest – dedicated and inspired by National Coming Out Day – takes place during the first weekend in October. The weekend-long celebration includes the OURfest National Coming Out Parade, which features a 200-foot rainbow flag, floats, displays, and live entertainment.

Following the parade, the OURfest National Coming Out Block Party and Festival take over Philadelphia’s Gayborhood. The event includes hundreds of vendors, artists, restaurants, food trucks, and community organizations.

Visit Philadelphia’s Gayborhood

The LGBTQ+ community in Philadelphia is a highly visible and important part of the city. Spanning several blocks just east of Broad Street in downtown Philadelphia, the Gayborhood is the center of Philadelphia’s LGBTQ+ community.

Gayborhood, Philadelphia. Photo credit: Raw But Meaningful LLC

In 2007, the City of Philadelphia dedicated three dozen street signs in an area of Washington Square West that is now known as the Gayborhood. The signs are adorned with the rainbow flag to show solidarity with the community and symbolize the city’s commitment to diversity.

This section of Center City is home to numerous LGBTQ+ owned shops, restaurants, bars, and clubs. Along with a charming community feel and those rainbow street signs, you’ll find rainbow crosswalks throughout the Gayborhood.

A great way to learn more about the neighborhood and Philadelphia’s history is to take a Philly Gayborhood and LGBTQ+ History Walking Tour. Along the way, snap a photo of one of the city’s LGBTQ+ murals, including Mural Arts Philadelphia’s Pride and Progress by Ann Northrup, located at 1315 Spruce Street

Support LGBTQ+ Businesses

When visiting the Gayborhood, make dinner reservations at one of the eateries operated by restaurateurs Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran. The married duo is the heart and soul behind restaurants like Barbuzzo, a Mediterranean spot offering wood-fired pizza and house-made pasta.

Philadelphia is also home to many other LGBTQ+-owned restaurants. Mission Taqueria has a Mexican-inspired menu, while neighboring Oyster House serves up and shucks out some of the best seafood in Philadelphia.

Indulge your sweet tooth with a pastry from Cake Life Bake Shop, a trans-owned bakery in the heart of Fishtown. Or grab a coffee from One Shot Cafe, known for serving artfully crafted caffeinated drinks in Northern Liberties.

Philadelphia also boasts an impressive array of LGBTQ+ owned storefronts, boutiques, and other businesses. Along 13th Street in the Gayborhood, shop for quirky Philadelphia-themed gifts at Open House. Or head across the street to browse home goods, apparel, and jewelry at Verde.

In Northern Liberties, stop by Trunc, a gay-owned, female-owned, Black-owned, and Veteran-owned boutique and gift shop.

Giovanni’s Room. Photo by K. Huff for PHLCVB.

The Gayborhood is home to numerous culturally significant sites, including Philly AIDS Thrift @ Giovanni’s Room, the country’s first LGBT-focused bookstore. Philly AIDS Thrift, which now owns Giovanni’s Room, has another location that sells used clothing and home goods, with proceeds benefiting local HIV/AIDS organizations.

Learn about Philadelphia’s LGBTQ+ History

Before the historic Stonewall Riots energized the modern gay rights movement worldwide, a significant event unfolded in Philadelphia. On July 4, 1965, a group of protesters initiated a pride march in front of Independence Hall. This demonstration was the beginning of a series of protests known as the “Annual Reminders,” which raised awareness that the LGBTQ+ community still did not have basic civil rights. This is often considered the flashpoint of the modern gay civil rights movement.

Photo by J. Fusco for Visit Philadelphia.

Today, this early display of LGBTQ+ activism is commemorated with a historical marker at the corner of 5th and Chestnut Streets.

Other LGBTQ+ historical markers can be found in the city. There’s one for Alain Locke, known as the “Father of the Harlem Renaissance” for promoting African American artists, writers, and musicians. Another one is for Gloria Casarez, Latina lesbian civil rights leader and Philadelphia’s first director of LGBT Affairs. And one for Philadelphia Gay News (PGN), one of the most awarded weekly newspapers in the U.S.

Learn more about Philadelphia’s LGBTQ+ community and its history at the William Way LGBT Community Center, which was created to support and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. Today, they offer literary programs, art exhibitions, and over 14,000 books in the center’s library.

Visiting Philadelphia for one of the events above and looking for places to stay or how to get around? Check out our Plan Your Trip page for more information.