Chicago Pride
About This Event
Chicago's Pride Parade is a neighbourhood parade on a big-city scale. The first march, in 1970, was a protest, and the parade still runs through Northalsted, the city's long-established gay district, rather than downtown. That gives it a different feel from New York or San Francisco: rainbow bars along the route, apartment balconies full of parties, and hundreds of thousands of people packed into a few miles of Lakeview streets. It's organized by PRIDEChicago, a volunteer-run nonprofit.
The parade steps off at 11am on Broadway and runs south along Halsted Street through Northalsted, then east on Belmont, south on Broadway and east on Diversey to finish near Lincoln Park, roughly two miles in all. Watching is free, and you can see it from anywhere along the route. The bars on Halsted run ticketed or cover-charge parties all day, and many fill to capacity early. Don't confuse it with Chicago Pride Fest, a separate street festival on Halsted run by the local business alliance, usually the weekend before.
The parade is held on the last Sunday of June. Chicago in late June can be hot and humid, and the route has little shade, so bring water and sunscreen. The CTA Red and Brown lines are the way in; driving is hopeless, with parking restricted along the route from early morning. Hotels in Lakeview are few, so most visitors stay downtown or in the Loop and ride the L north.
The 55th parade ran on Sunday, 28 June 2026, under the theme "Free to Be Proud," with hundreds of thousands lining the route and heavier security than usual. PRIDEChicago has announced the 2027 parade for Sunday, 27 June 2027, at 11am, which gives you time to lock in a downtown hotel before prices climb.
Where to stay during Chicago Pride
via Stay22Schedule & Sub-Events
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Proud to Run: Pride Race – presented by Walgreens
Pride run in Chicago for runners and walkers of every pace. Registration via RunSignup.
Videos
2026 Chicago Pride Parade Vlog
