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District of Columbia

Organizers expect nearly half a million people for D.C. Pride

March for Our Lives rally coincides with resumption of in-person parade, festival

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4 years ago

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D.C.’s only Pride fireworks show takes place Saturday, June 11 at 9 p.m. at the Wharf. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Organizers of D.C.’s Capital Pride Parade and Festival, the two largest events of the city’s annual Pride celebration in June, say they are expecting a record turnout for the two events, which will resume this year after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID pandemic.

The parade, which is scheduled for Saturday, June 11, and the festival, scheduled for Sunday, June 12, have attracted hundreds of thousands of participants and spectators in past years, many of whom travel to D.C. from up and down the mid-Atlantic region as well as other parts of the country.

Capital Pride Alliance, the group that organizes D.C.’s Pride events, announced earlier this year that it had changed the parade route so that it will begin where it had ended in past years but will retain mostly the same route. The group says the parade was scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. at 14th and T streets, N.W., and travel south on 14th Street to Rhode Island Avenue, where it will turn right and travel to Massachusetts Avenue.

From there it will turn onto the section of 17th Street where LGBTQ-friendly restaurants, bars, and other businesses are located. An all-day Capital Pride Block Party will be held that same day on a two-block section of 17th Street next to the section of 17th Street where the parade will travel.

After traveling just two blocks on 17th Street the parade will turn left on P Street and travel to Dupont Circle, where it will proceed  halfway around the circle and continue on P Street, where it will end at 22nd and P streets.

Like past years, organizers expect thousands of people to line the streets along the parade route observing the dozens of parade contingents, which will include floats from organizations and LGBTQ supportive businesses as well as individual LGBTQ people and their supporters marching in the parade.

Ryan Bos, the Capital Pride executive director, said among those organizing parade contingents this year will be candidates running for public office in the city’s June 21 primary election, including D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser (D) and her lead primary opponent, D.C. Council member Robert White (D-At-Large).

“Be prepared to experience one of the largest Pride Parades to ever take place in the United States Capital,” a statement released by Capital Pride says. “In 2022, a modified route will honor our history and acknowledge the evolution of the LGBTQ+ neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., while respecting the origins and importance of taking to the streets in our fight for equality,” the statement says.

Bos said Capital Pride organizers have also learned that LGBTQ people and their allies expected to come to D.C. on June 11 for the March for Our Lives protest against gun violence, which is scheduled to take place on the grounds of the Washington Monument from 12-2 p.m., were planning to join or turn out as observers of the Capital Pride parade.

March for Our Lives is an organization founded by student survivors of the 2018 high school shooting incident in Parkland, Fla., that took the lives of 14 students and three staff members. Hundreds of thousands participated in the group’s first protest in D.C. later that year. As of early this week, organizers stated on the group’s website that the event would be limited to the Washington Monument rally.  

Also scheduled to take place on Saturday, June 11 from 2-9 p.m. is the 3rd Annual Pride on the Pier event at the Wharf, the city’s bustling Southwest waterfront entertainment district. The event, organized by the Washington Blade in partnership with LURe DC and The Wharf, will include entertainment, DJs, dancing and the Pride on the Pier Fireworks Show at 9 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public, with VIP tickets available for purchase. Local DJs Eletrox, Jai Syncere and Sean Morris will perform throughout the event, with the entertainment and dancing taking place on the District Pier. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older. Further details, including information about the VIP area and tickets can be viewed at PrideOnThePierDC.com.

On Sunday, June 12, the day following the parade and Pride On The Pier, the Capital Pride Festival and Concert will return to a four-block section of Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., with the U.S. Capitol as a backdrop for the first time since 2019. Capital Pride officials say they expect one of the largest turnouts ever for the festival as it returns after the two-year break due to COVID restrictions.

On its website providing details of the festival and concert, which is held at the site of the festival, Capital Pride predicts “nearly a half million people” were expected to attend the festival, which begins at noon and lasts until 10 p.m. It will take place on Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. between 3rd Street and 7th Street as well as on sections 4th Street and 6th Street and Constitution Avenue that intersect with Pennsylvania Avenue. 

“Join the LGBTQ+ community on America’s Mainstreet, historic Pennsylvania Avenue, for the return of the Capital Pride Festival,” the group says on its website. “Enjoy a full day of entertainment on three stages, food, drink, and advocacy with over 300 exhibitors,” a statement on the website says. “The Festival is the largest annual event in the national capital region and continues to be free to the public,” it says.

According to the statement, more than 300 exhibitors that will be located in covered booths along both sides of the street will include service organizations, social groups, businesses, amateur sports leagues, faith-based groups, educational institutions, government agencies, artists, consultants, potential employers and “much more.”

The concert part of the festival will take place on three stages and continue until 10 p.m., information on the Capital Pride website says. The headline entertainers, scheduled to perform on the main Capital Stage, will include the nationally acclaimed U.S. dance-rock band called DNCE consisting of its lead singer Joe Jonas, drummer Jack Lawless, and guitarist JinJoo Lee.

“Joining DNCE will be this year’s winner of Rupaul’s Drag Race, Willow Pill, and season 13 winner, Symone,” a statement on the Capital Pride website says. The statement says other entertainers performing on the other two stages will include some of the “best local and regional LGBTQ+ talent.”

After the exhibitor booths shut down at 7 p.m. and when the concert ends at 8 p.m. a Sunset Dance Party with music played by DJs will take place in front of the main stage between 8-10 p.m., Capital Pride organizers have announced.

In addition to the parade and festival along with the Pride on the Pier events, many additional Pride events were scheduled that began Friday, June 3, with the Capital Pride Honors party at the Penn Social nightclub in downtown D.C. OUTspoken: A Night of Queer Expression took place Monday night, June 6, at the Busboys and Poets restaurant in the city’s Brookland neighborhood.

A Pride related Drag Underground show sponsored jointly by the Blade and the Dupont Underground, the entertainment space located in the former trolly station underneath Dupont Circle, was scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 10. Also sponsored by the Blade and Dupont Underground at that space is an exhibition consisting of works of 35 local artists called “The Gender Within: The Art of Identity,” which is open and free to the public each weekend in June. 

The Capital Pride Official Opening Party was scheduled for Friday, June 10, at 9 p.m. at Echostage nightclub; a Trans Pride Pool Party was scheduled for Saturday, June 11 at 7 p.m. at the VIDA Penthouse Pool & Lounge on U Street, N.W.; and Capital Pride’s Official Saturday Party was set to take place from 9 p.m.-3:30 a.m. at the City Winery. 

Further details of these and other events set to take place over the Pride weekend can be accessed at capitalpride.org and prideonthepierdc.com.

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District of Columbia

D.C. Pride flag raising ceremony set for June 1

Mayor, council members to participate

Published

2 days ago

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May 28, 2026

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D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser at the flag-raising of the Progress Pride flag at the Wilson Building in D.C. on June 1, 2023. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs is inviting the LGBTQ community and friends to attend the city’s annual Pride flag raising ceremony scheduled for 4 p.m. Monday, June 1, outside the John Wilson Building that serves as the D.C. City Hall.

Like in prior years, members of the D.C. Council and officials with the Office of LGBTQ Affairs were expected to join Bowser in delivering remarks on the front entrance steps at the Wilson Building before raising the Pride flag atop one of the tall flagpoles next to the building’s entrance.

Gaby Vincent, a spokesperson for the LGBTQ Affairs Office, said attendees of the flag raising ceremony will be invited to attend a reception immediately following the ceremony in the main lobby of the Wilson Building, which is located on Pennsylvania Avenue at 14th Street, N.W.

She said the reception will feature a DJ, dancing, and refreshments provided by the D.C. LGBTQ bar and café Spark Social House.  

Vincent said the flag raising event will also mark the 20th anniversary of the opening of the D.C. Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs.

In its official announcement of the flag raising event the LGBTQ Affairs Office also announced it is hosting the 7th annual District of Pride Showcase event to be held Friday, June 17, at 7 p.m. at the Lincoln Theater.

The announcement says LGBTQ community members, families, and allies are also invited to walk with Bowser in the Capital Pride Parade scheduled for Saturday, June 20. It says the mayor’s parade contingent will assemble at 2 p.m. at the parade’s starting location at 14th and U Streets, N.W.

“As we also celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, we invite residents, community members, families and allies to join us throughout June for moments of pride, connection, visibility, and joy,” the announcement says.  

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District of Columbia

‘Queer Love’ campaign launched to address domestic violence

D.C. event set for LGBTQ+ Domestic Violence Awareness Day on May 28

Published

3 days ago

on

May 27, 2026

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‘Domestic and family violence in LGBTQ+ communities is real and too often invisible,’ said Cesar Toledo, the Alston Foundation’s executive director. (Photo courtesy of Toledo)

The D.C.-based Wanda Alston Foundation, which provides housing and support services for homeless LGBTQ youth, announced earlier this month that it has joined partner organizations to launch a Queer Love Shouldn’t Hurt campaign aimed at addressing domestic violence within the LGBTQ community.

 In a May 18 statement, the Alston Foundation said the campaign involves a public awareness initiative leading up to LGBTQ+ Domestic Violence Awareness Day scheduled for May 28. 

“Domestic and family violence in LGBTQ+ communities is real and too often invisible,” Cesar Toledo, the Alston Foundation’s executive director, said in the statement. “As a community, we do not talk about it enough, and that silence can leave survivors feeling isolated and alone,” he said. “We must break that silence.”

He added that culturally competent care for those impacted by domestic violence is available through a newly launched website, queerlove.org, “where people can safely access vital resources, educational toolkits, and support networks they need on their healing journey.”

The website announces one of the project’s first events, a Queer Love Community Social, was scheduled for Thursday, May 28,  from 6-8 p.m. at the D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center at 1827 Wiltberger St., N.W.

“Join us this LGBT+ Domestic Violence Awareness Day for a community social dedicated to visibility and survivor resilience,” the website statement says. “Let’s gather to strengthen our bonds, honor the path to healing, and share free resources,” it says of the May 28 event. 

The website also announces a June 1 workshop called Empowering Survivors of LGBTQ+ Intimate Partner Violence, which it says will be presented by Jesse Wedell, an official with the D.C. LGBT+ Counseling Collaborative. The website provides an online form to register for the workshop upon which its location would be disclosed.        

It identifies the partner organizations working with the Alston Foundation on the Queer Love Public Awareness Campaign as the LGBT+ Counseling Collaborative, Whitman-Walker Health, the D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center, and Equality Chamber.

 The resources and information provided by the project can be accessed at www.queerlove.org.

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District of Columbia

Man accused of threatening to shoot D.C. bar employee after making anti-gay slurs

May 24 incident took place near Black Pride events on U Street

Published

4 days ago

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May 26, 2026

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(Bigstock photo)

D.C. police on Sunday, May 24, at around 4:20 p.m. arrested a Maryland man for allegedly threatening to shoot an employee while using anti-gay slurs at Ben’s Next Door restaurant and bar at 1211 U St., N.W.

According to a statement released by police and a police incident report, the arrested man, identified as Delonte Fraley, 32, of Accokeek, Md., made the threats after the employee told a bartender not to serve the man alcohol.

“The suspect overheard the employee and threatened to shoot the employee and used homophobic slurs against the employee,” the police statement says. “When the employee left the restaurant for the day, the suspect was standing near the employee’s vehicle,” it says.

“The employee returned to the restaurant and called the police,” the statement continues. “The suspect was apprehended by responding officers,” it says.

The police statement says the arresting officers charged Fraley with Felony Threats (Hate/Bias).

D.C. Superior Court records show prosecutors with the Office of the U.S. Attorney for D.C., which prosecutes D.C. criminal cases, escalated the charge to Threatening to Injure or Kidnap a Person (Bias-Related Hate Crime).

The incident occurred during Memorial Day weekend when thousands of visitors and D.C. area LGBTQ advocates and supporters were attending D.C. Black Pride events held in locations across the city, including Black Pride parties hosted by LGBTQ bars in the U Street entertainment area near Ben’s Next Door.

Among the nearby LGBTQ bars hosting D.C. Black Pride events were Nellie’s Sports Bar and Thurst Lounge. Ben’s Next Door is located next to the popular longtime U Street eatery Ben’s Chili Bowl.

Court records show that Judge Robert R. Rigsby at a May 25 presentment hearing released Fraley on personal recognizance with a stay-away order — the details of which were not publicly disclosed pending a June 4 preliminary hearing.   

A more detailed arrest affidavit filed in court by D.C. police says Fraley allegedly confronted the employee at Ben’s Next Door with anti-gay slurs on the day prior to his arrest.

“The complainant told the defendant that because he used homophobic slurs towards himself previously on May 23, 2026, and his hostess, as well as making threats to the complainant and calling him a faggot, he was unable to stay in the establishment,” the affidavit states.

It adds, “The defendant became irate stating, ‘I know where your Tesla is at. See me outside faggot, I will slap your ass’ and ‘I will shoot your ass.’” The affidavit says the complainant confirmed to police the Tesla referred to by Fraley was his vehicle. It says as the victim walked toward his car after getting off work, he saw Fraley standing directly in front of the car.

“The complainant stated he felt unsafe while the defendant was standing in front of his vehicle because he felt the defendant was capable of carrying out those threats,” says the affidavit. It says the victim then decided to return to the restaurant and call police without the defendant having seen him.  

“The defendant was placed under arrest for Felony Threats Hate/Bias and was transported to the Third District Station for processing,” the affidavit concludes.

It couldn’t immediately be determined whether the victim identifies as LGBTQ or whether any of the Ben’s Next Door patrons had been involved with D.C. Black Pride.

“Established in 2008, Ben’s Next Door is a family-owned and operated restaurant and bar on U Street, Northwest in Washington, D.C.,” a statement on its website says. “As a Black-owned establishment, it’s our goal to deliver a warm, welcoming, familiar, and communal vibe to all guests,” the statement says.    

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