San Diego Pride 2024: What You Need to Know

San Diego Pride culminates in a parade and festival, with many events setting the stage in the days ahead of the big July 19 weekend.

Pride hits a big milestone this year, its 50th anniversary, and the theme, “Making History Now,” reflects the mood.

It’s the calm ahead of what could but a chaotic year, with the impending election, wrote interim Co-Executive Directors Jen LaBarbera and Sarafina Scapicchio on the Pride website.

Coming together at events like Pride provides the inspiration to move forward, they wrote: “Queer joy and liberation are connected. We can’t keep fighting for liberation without the buoy of queer joy and the community that sustains us.”

Pride, which celebrates the LGBTQ community and has grown into the region’s biggest civic event, will be busy. Here’s a selection of what’s happening leading up to the parade in Hillcrest and the festival to follow at Balboa Park.

Many events are free, but some have admission fees, including the Pride Festival.

Light Up the Cathedral

St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, 2728 Sixth Ave., 7 p.m. Wednesday, an Interfaith Pride Celebration, with music by the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus, the San Diego Women’s Chorus, and soloist Joey Pearson; followed by lighting of the church in rainbow colors.

Pride Yoga and Dance Party

Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, Embarcadero Marina Park South, 7 p.m. Thursday, FIT Athletic offers an hour-long sunset class led by instructor, Viktoria Talbot, followed by a party with DJ Sassy and DJ Dova.

Pride Block Party/Spirit of Stonewall Rally

The fest, at 5 p.m. Friday at the Hillcrest Pride Flag, includes the rally, where annual honorees are saluted.

They include: Champion of Pride, Paris Quion, a drag entertainer, businesswoman, activist, and advocate; Stonewall Service Award, East County Queer and Trans Coalition, aiming to create safe spaces for LGBTQ+ community in the area, in particular, in schools; Community Service Award, Jordan “Joho” Daniels, a Queer Black and Jewish creative, who tells stories through Fat, Black and Queer lenses, and Inspirational Relationship Award, Teresa Oyos and Rose Ruybal for service, especially to the LGBTQ+ Latino community.

The party follows, with Aliyah’s Interlude set to perform. Also featuring DJs Jinx Mirage and Kinky Loops, a speak-easy and dynamic photo booth. Passes are $30.

Pride Parade (and early 5K)

Early riser? Start things off with the 8 a.m. Saturday Pride 5K.

But the main event, the parade, starts at the Hillcrest Pride Flag at 10 a.m. The 1.5-mile route heads west down University, turning south on Sixth, then left onto Balboa Drive to end in the park north of the Pride Festival. Want to watch? Arrive early and be patient – there will be backups and detours.

The free parade includes military, youth marching band and motorcycle contingents, with the region’s LGBTQ+ and Allied Educators and Library Workers serving as Community Grand Marshals.

For shuttles, park at the Old Naval Hospital at Park Boulevard and President’s Way. They run from 7 a.m. to midnight for the parade and festival. If you choose to set up at the parade kickoff, then move on to the festival, express shuttles from Essex and Richmond streets will head to Sixth and Juniper Street from noon to 4 p.m.

Street closure note: Normal and Harvey Milk streets close starting at 6 a.m. Friday. On Saturday, affected areas, beginning at 5 a.m., include parts of Centre Street, University, Cleveland and Lincoln avenues and Quince and Essex streets, along with the state Route 163 University southbound off-ramp. Streets should re-open by 4 p.m. See the full list here.

Pride Festival

Balboa Park, Sixth and Laurel, 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, features booths, food, art and more than 120 performers on multiple stages.

The headliners are Todrick Hall, Rico Nasty and Sheila E. Special fest areas include a Zen Garden, Children’s Garden, Tran Pride Village, Athlete Alley and the Fusion, Movement and Mundo Latino stages.

Admission – two-day passes cost $38-42. For seniors, tickets are $15. For those high-school aged or younger, tickets are free. Both seniors and youth must go to the box office for reduced admission.

For shuttles, park at the Old Naval Hospital at Park and President’s Way. Shuttles run to Sixth and Juniper Street 8 a.m. to midnight July 20. The next day, they run 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Accessibility services are available for the festival. For special vans, though, organizers warn of long wait times.

Want to bike or take a scooter? There’s a place for them – at the corral at Balboa Drive and El Prado.