Celebrate Pride Month with BARTable

Oakland will host pride celebrations at small businesses throughout the city. Photo courtesy of Visit Oakland.

Every June since 1970, on the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, the LGBTQ+ community has gathered and marched to demand rights, honor those who have passed and celebrate love with colorful parades, lively performances, creativity, joy and much more. We support our LGBTQ+ community and plan to join in on the festivities to cheer for diversity, equality and love — and there’s no better place to do it than the Bay Area. Hop on BART and join us at one (or more) of the many BARTable destinations celebrating Pride Month!

Use BART's Trip Planner for detailed routes and transit options.

San Francisco

Take BART SF Pride to the largest Pride celebration on the West Coast. Photo courtesy of SF Travel.

San Francisco Pride is one of the largest LGBTQ+ celebrations in the country. This year’s theme is “Beacon of Love,” and the event calendar is packed with opportunities to partake. The festivities kick off on June 1 with a block party at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center’s iconic purple building. The first-ever event celebrates history and culture with live entertainment from local LGBTQ+ creators and tasty eats from BIPOC-owned food trucks. Tickets are free, but reserve your space as soon as possible. Long after the Pride kickoff party is over, the center remains an invaluable resource for learning, connection and support. 

The Bay Area’s biggest Pride gathering, conveniently located near BART, is the San Francisco Pride Parade on June 30. The iconic event starts on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. near Embarcadero (Market St. at Beale St.) and ends at City Hall (Market St. and 9th St.). Click here for tips to riding BART to the San Francisco Pride Parade. Equally exciting, the two-day San Francisco Pride Civic Center Celebration on June 29 and June 30 promises plenty of live concerts, cabaret acts, comedy, food, local vendors and even a family garden area. Both the celebration and parade are free, but donations are encouraged. 

For sports fans, why not celebrate Pride and the LGBTQ+ community on June 15^th at the ballpark? The afternoon matchup features the San Francisco Giants against the Los Angeles Angels. If you arrive early, you can join pregame festivities at Willie Mays Plaza, O’Doul Plaza and on the field. Plus, the first 20,000 fans to enter Oracle Park will get a free Pride-themed long sleeved hooded shirt. 

Visit the San Francisco Pride website for more San Francisco Pride happenings.

Support the LGBTQ+ community year-round in the Castro District. Photo courtesy of SF Gate. 

Keep in mind, though, that while there are plenty of Pride events to attend this June, the city has ample opportunities year-round to immerse yourself in the LGBTQ+ community. A fun example is the Castro District, known as one of the country’s first gay neighborhoods. In this lively and colorful nook of the city, lucky visitors can choose between dozens of fantastic restaurants, catch a movie at the Castro Theater, appreciate the rainbow-colored crosswalks, peruse boutique shops, spin at SoulCycle and dance the night away at one of the neighborhood’s many popular clubs. 

Guests in the Castro can also learn more about LGBTQ+ history, culture and art by visiting the GLBT Historical Society Museum. They can explore the 4,000-square-foot Pink Triangle Park, a memorial to gay people persecuted by Nazis in World War II, and witness the many bronze sidewalk plaques, part of the neighborhood's Rainbow Honor Walk. The Castro Community Benefit District is a great resource for learning more about the iconic neighborhood. Click here to see their list of places in and near the Castro worth visiting. 

Another opportunity to learn more about LGBTQ+ history is in the Tenderloin. The Transgender District, home to the world’s largest population of trans people, is also home to San Francisco’s first openly gay bar and the site of the Compton Cafeteria Riots in 1966. The riots led by trans and queer resistance inspired the production of “The Compton’s Cafeteria Riot,” an upcoming immersive theater experience. On June 7, the Tenderloin Museum is hosting a Pride party honoring this historic event where patrons can meet the creative team behind the project and view special exhibitions.

No matter where you are in the city this Pride Month, look up and spot the iconic pink triangle atop Twin Peaks — a lovely nightly display of love, resiliency and hope. 

East Bay

Visit Queer in Oakland's website to find Queer events and businesses in the Bay Area. Photo courtesy of Queer in Oakland.

While Oakland Pride and Pridefest Oakland return this year on September 8, the city still has a host of happenings to celebrate Pride Month this June. Visit the nation’s oldest continuously operating gay bar, White Horse Bar, or turn one drink into a couple on an LGBTQ+ bar crawl in downtown Oakland. On June 14, hop on BART and head to BIPOC-owned Kinfolx near 19^th St/Oakland where Queer in Oakland will host COMMUNITY: a QTBIPOC Queer Dance Party. Partygoers get the treat of music by DJ KILO wav and Love Ley, and plenty of QTBIPOC vendors. 

In addition, from June 20-23, the Black Pride Festival is back for its 4^th year with a new theme: Love. Expect favorite fun activities, like the Queer Expo, the Queer Pub Crawl and the Kickball Tournament. Keep an eye on this space as the full schedule is yet to be announced!

To learn more about the LGBTQ+ community in Oakland, visit the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center. It serves as the heart of the community, offering educational opportunities, community building activities, programs, services and support. 

Another fantastic organization in the East Bay offering support and social opportunities to the LGBTQIA+ community is the Rainbow Community Center near Concord BART. It builds community, provides necessary services and programs and has a few fun events this June, like A Night of Jazz for older adults every other Sunday starting June 2. 

The city of Richmond will host Richmond Rainbow Pride this month. Photo courtesy of Reimagine Richmond on Instagram. 

Similarly, Richmond Rainbow Pride works together for the collective benefit of the LGBTQIA+ community in Richmond. On June 2, hop on BART to Richmond to attend the organization’s main event: 2024 Rainbow Pride. A walking parade from Nicholl Park to the Civic Center takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

In Fremont, the City of Fremont Human Relations Commission and the Fremont Main Library are hosting their first-ever Fremont Pride Fair. This joyful event, which celebrates and supports our LGBTQIA+ community, includes live entertainment, games, activities, food, and drinks, as well as an opportunity to engage with local organizations and learn about available resources and services.

Also, in addition to raising Pride flags in parks where poles are present, the East Bay Regional Park District has a plethora of Pride events this June. Whether you join a Pride hike or snap a photo in front of a rainbow flag, enjoy celebrating Pride in nature.  

How are you celebrating Pride Month?

Tell us about your weekend activities! Show us on social media at @SFBARTable and #SFBARTable! Keep up with us on Instagram, Tik Tok and Facebook to see all of the best BARTable events, places to eat and where to have fun around the Bay.