Members of the Righteously Outrageous Twirling Corps perform during the San Francisco Pride Parade on June 26, 2022. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)
San Francisco Pride — one of the biggest LGBTQ+ events in the world — is happening Saturday and Sunday, June 29–30. Whether it’s your first Pride or your 30th, stay up to date with our guide on all the details about the parade and celebrations happening at Civic Center.
Besides the official festivities, there will also be fabulous parties happening all weekend throughout the Bay Area. Regardless of how you plan to celebrate or who you hope to meet, this guide offers some important tips on how to reduce STI and overdose risks.
“It’s Pride — we’re all going to these events to have a good time,” said Samuel Cuadra, associate director of community engagement at the San Francisco Community Health Center, which provides medical services to lower-income residents, primarily communities of color, as well as LGBTQ+ and unhoused individuals.
“Having a plan in place ensures you have a good time, you’re safe, you hang out with your friends and make memories at Pride that are good and not regretful,” he said.
When is the Pride parade? And what’s the parade route?
During Pride weekend, there will be two completely free events in downtown San Francisco. One of them is a two-day celebration in the city’s Civic Center that includes several block parties and musical performances. And then, of course, on Sunday is the legendary Pride Parade. The parade is one of the nation’s oldest Pride traditions, with hundreds of different floats and thousands of people marching, representing the wide variety of LGBTQ+ experiences.
The parade on Sunday starts at 10:30 a.m. at Market and Beale streets, goes down Market Street and ends at Market and 8th streets, where the rest of the celebration will take place.
The parade takes up most of downtown San Francisco on Sunday, so save this map to your phone’s camera roll to keep track of what’s happening where.
San Francisco Pride Parade route. (Courtesy of SF Pride)
The area between City Hall and the Civic Center BART station (highlighted in pink in the previous map) is where many of the bigger dance parties will take place on both Saturday and Sunday, including hip hop and Asian & Pacific Islander stages on Saturday and a Trans Futures and Latin music stages on Sunday, each featuring live performances.
On both days, Civic Center fills up with tens of thousands of people, so it’s possible you may have limited cell phone service. Save the map below that shows the different stages, along with the different locations of restrooms, food spots and medical tents.
SF Pride festival grounds at Civic Center. (Courtesy of SF Pride)
Thinking of driving to Pride on Sunday?
If you plan to park near Market Street on Sunday, you may want to rethink that strategy. Finding a public parking spot in downtown San Francisco is already difficult on any other day of the year and nearly impossible during Pride. That said, there are private parking lots downtown, but they can be pricey, usually charging at least $30–$40 per car — and likely more during big events. You may need to drive to pretty far-off neighborhoods to find a spot, or you can reserve a parking spot ahead of time using SpotHero.
Another option is to drive to a BART station outside the city, park there, and take BART to any of the downtown San Francisco stations on Market Street (Civic Center, Powell, Montgomery and Embarcadero). That way, you’ll avoid the weekend traffic coming into the city on the Bay Bridge or Highway 101.
Are there things I can’t bring to San Francisco Pride?
There will be security checkpoints to get into both the Pride parade and celebrations taking place at the Civic Center.
Event organizers strongly discourage people from bringing “bags of any kind into the celebration.” But there are still some bags that will be allowed into the event, including:
Totally clear plastic bags that do not exceed 12” x 6” x 12”
Small clutch bags, smaller than 4.5” x 6.5” in size, with or without a handle
Fanny packs/crossbody bags that are smaller than 12” x 6” x 4”
Organizers have also published a list of prohibited items at the parade and celebrations. The list includes:
Water bottles with any liquid in them (even if they are sealed). Empty water bottles, however, are allowed, and refilling stations are available in the Civic Center celebration space.
Weapons, regardless of permit
Umbrellas
Cans, thermoses and glass bottles
Outside food products and containers
Alcoholic beverages
Chairs of any kind
Brooms, poles and sticks (including selfie sticks)
What’s the weather like in San Francisco during Pride weekend?
Believe it or not, downtown San Francisco is expected to have clear, sunny weather this weekend. The National Weather Service forecast shows mostly sunny skies on Saturday with highs in the mid-60s. Sunday looks to be a tad warmer, with the expected high near 70 degrees.
But remember that this is San Francisco and the weather can change very quickly. Even on a sunny day, it’s normal for the weather to still feel chilly, thanks to the strong winds pushing in from the bay.
No matter the weather, remember to drink water, especially if you’re planning on drinking alcohol or taking any drugs. Cuadra, from SFCHC, said some mistakenly think that drinking water will prevent you from feeling the effects of alcohol or drugs.
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“But it really doesn’t — it will just help your body regulate itself,” he said. “So if you’re drinking alcohol, having a cup of water between each [drink] isn’t going to stop you from getting drunk … but you will feel much less hungover the next day.”
If you plan to bring water bottles to either the parade or the celebration at the Civic Center, don’t forget that they have to be empty plastic bottles that you can refill at each event.
What to know about accessibility at Pride
Sunday’s Pride parade has a free accessible viewing area, which organizers say provides an “unobstructed view” of the parade for each person who needs it, plus one guest. This area at the parade grandstands also has accessible restroom facilities. In order to request a spot, you will need to complete an online form.
SF Pride also offers American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation and a special seating platform at the main stage on both days for people with hearing difficulties. To access this service, you will need to pick up a wristband at the SF Pride information booth at Fulton and Larkin streets.
If you are taking BART to Pride: All BART stations have accessible elevators, but being prepared for issues with those elevators is a good idea. You can sign up for BART alerts to be notified of an issue with the elevator at the station you plan to use or check the status of elevator operations at any station by calling 510-834-LIFT.
A group of samba dancers and drummers participate in the Pride Parade on Market Street in San Francisco on June 26, 2022. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)
My friends and I are thinking of doing drugs during Pride weekend. How do we keep each other safe?
Taking party drugs (molly, cocaine, ketamine, 2C-B or “tusi”) has become more dangerous in recent years as these drugs are now being laced with fentanyl more frequently. And while we’re certainly not encouraging folks to do drugs at Pride, we do hope this information can help reduce the risk of a bad trip or an accidental overdose.
Before going out …
First off, Cuadra said, check in with yourself now, before the weekend starts, about what type of experience you want to have. “If you’re being realistic with yourself and you would like to do some drugs this weekend,” he said, “that’s probably something you want to prepare for ahead of time.”
Making a decision now about what you want to do can keep you from making risky decisions later on, Cuadra said.
“You run a risk whenever you take any drugs, but I think the risk is heightened if you’re at a club and looking for drugs right there and then,” he said. “Maybe you don’t know the person that’s selling it to you at the club. You just might be a little bit more desperate for whatever you can get your hands on.”
Even if you were told by someone else that none of your drugs have fentanyl, it’s still a good idea to test them for yourself, Cuadra said.
“People who do drugs that are not opioids sometimes think, ‘Well, I’m not doing opioids, so why should I be testing for fentanyl?’” he said. “Unfortunately, more opioid overdoses happen with people who are not used to those drugs because your body hasn’t built up a tolerance.”
Wherever you end up on Pride weekend, go with a group of friends. Even if you end up meeting someone else, Cuadra said, having your friends nearby can make the night less anxiety-inducing, especially if you’re having a bad trip.
“Even if you’re taking a drug regularly, it might not have the desired effect that day,” he said. “It might just mean you’re in a different space, and it’s just nice to check in with someone and take whatever steps you need to get into a better headspace or a safer environment.”
Something else to consider bringing with you when going out: Narcan. Narcan is the brand name for a naloxone nasal spray that is administered to someone when they are experiencing an opioid overdose (including from fentanyl).
Anyone can buy Narcan at a pharmacy without needing a prescription, and you can also get it free of charge at the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s Community Behavioral Health Services pharmacy at 1380 Howard St. The pharmacy is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Hooking up with somebody new? Protect each other’s sexual health
For decades, Pride in San Francisco has been a time when LGBTQ+ people have come together to advocate for the health needs of their community. Part of celebrating Pride is honoring that legacy and protecting our own sexual health and that of our partners.
“One of the most important things one can do before initiating a new sexual relationship is to get screened for HIV and STIs (sexually transmitted infections) and to know your status,” said Dr. Stephanie Cohen, director of HIV and STI prevention at the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH).
If you have insurance, call your healthcare provider and share that you need to know your status ahead of this weekend. And if you are uninsured, multiple clinics around the Bay Area offer free or low-cost STI testing. Here’s just a handful of them:
“We have more ways than ever to stay healthy and protect ourselves from HIV and STIs,” Cohen said, adding that people can talk to their providers about HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis — or HIV PrEP — which comes either as a pill or injection and can help protect people from HIV infection.
“HIV PrEP starts working quickly,” she said. “If somebody is not on HIV PrEP but anticipates that they may be having new partners during Pride, they can start and will be protected by [Pride] weekend.”
Drag queens Nicki Jizz, Heaven on Earth and Snaxx dance on the Oasis SF float during the San Francisco Pride Parade on June 26, 2022. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)
Cohen also points out that doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis — or DoxyPEP — an antibiotic taken after sex, can help prevent infections from other STIs, like chlamydia and syphilis. “We’ve shown through research that that strategy is very effective at preventing bacterial STIs,” she said.
Cohen said that although talking to your physician about STI prevention is critical, the conversations you have with your partner before having sex are equally important.
“We never want to leave out talking to your partner,” she said. She acknowledges these talks can sometimes be a bit awkward, especially if you are just getting to know the person. “Some people prefer to have those conversations via chat, especially if they’re meeting someone on an app,” she said. “That’s perhaps a little lower stress than a face-to-face conversation.”
And remember, these conversations don’t have to be a thorough examination of each other’s dating history. They can be pretty straightforward.
“Make sure to ask your partner if they’ve been tested, what prevention strategies they use and decide if condoms or something that you or your partner also want to use as an additional layer of protection,” Cohen said. “We always want to think about all these different options together.”
This guide includes reporting from KQED’s Carly Severn.
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