FAQ

Pride Frequently Asked Questions

What is Pride?
How did San Francisco Pride begin?
When is Pride 2008?
When is Pride 2009?
When/Where is the Dyke March?
Where can I find parking?
Do I need a ticket to get into Pride?
Is there an age limit for entry into SF Pride?
Is the event accessible to people of differing physical abilities?
Are pets allowed at your event?
What are Parade Grand Stand Seats and where can I buy them?
Where does the money from the Grand Stand tickets go?
I’ve never been to San Francisco before. What is the night life like?
Where can I stay near the event?
Do you recycle at your event?
What can a non-profit organization participate in Pride?
How can I promote my event through Pride?
How can I advertise with SF Pride?
Who will be performing at Pride?
How can I perform on the Main Stage at Pride?
How do I volunteer for SF Pride?
How can I become a sponsor of SF Pride?
Who are the Grand Marshals for this year?
How can I nominate someone for Grand Marshal?
Where can I get a copy of the Pride Magazine, Pride Guide, or Pocket Pride?
What additional security precautions can I take?

How did San Francisco Pride begin?
The annual Pride Celebration commemorates the rebellion of LGBT patrons of the Stonewall Inn in New York City’s Greenwich Village in response to a routine police raid on June 27, 1969. The following year, a “Gay-In” that took place on June 27, 1970 that was the early progenitor of the current Pride Celebration. Since 1972, the event has been held every year, though under various names: “Christopher Street West” in 1972, “Gay Freedom Day” from 1973 to 1980, then “International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day Parade” from 1981 to 1994, and finally, its present appellation, San Francisco Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Pride Celebration.

Since its modest beginnings, San Francisco Pride has ballooned into one of the largest and most well-known Pride events in the world. Pride events everywhere have come to symbolize several things: the long history of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer resistance to the gender and sex binaries and the hegemony of heterosexist institutions, the freedom of all people to meaningfully and proudly express their sexual and gender identities, and the commitment of LGBT people to combating oppression. From this history of rebellion grew the mission of San Francisco LGBT Pride: to educate the World, celebrate our culture, commemorate our heritage, and liberate our people.

When is Pride 2008?
San Francisco Pride holds a two-day Celebration and Parade that historically takes place the last full weekend in June. The 2008 Celebration begins at Noon on Saturday, June 28, in Civic Center Plaza, and runs until 6:00 p.m. On Sunday, June 29, the Celebration begins at Noon and runs until 7:00 p.m. The Parade will be held on Sunday, June 29, starting at 10:30 a.m., traveling west along Market Street from Davis to Hyde.  For a map, see the Parade section of the website.

When is Pride 2009?
The San Francisco Pride two-day Celebration and Parade historically takes place the final weekend in June of each year. The 2009 event is set to take place June 27 and 28.

When/Where is the Dyke March?
The Dyke March, while concurrent with SF Pride, is a separate event run by a different organization. The following information can be used to reach them:
E-mail: info@dykemarch.org
Web address: http://www.dykemarch.org/

Where can I find parking?
More than likely, parking will be found in places far too distant from the Parade and Celebration to make driving worthwhile, which is to say nothing of the horrendous traffic. You will save yourself a great deal of time and spare the environment the toxins if you take public transportation. Apart from Pride, San Francisco is also known for its world-class public transportation system, so please consider familiarizing yourself with the MUNI bus system (for transportation within San Francisco city limits) and with BART (for transportation to and from San Francisco from East Bay and other parts of the Bay Area). To find routes from anywhere in the Bay Area to the Celebration at Civic Center or to the Parade along Market Street, please visit 511 Transit for more information.

Do I need a ticket to get into Pride?
There is no fee to attend the Celebration or watch the Parade (except in the case of Grand Stand Seating along the Parade route). We do request a voluntary $5.00 donation at the entry gates to the Celebration area. This donation goes directly toward Pride’s Community Partners Program that is awarded back to community non-profits. Grand Stand Seating for the Parade at U.N. Plaza is available on a first-come, first-served basis for a fee of $30.00 in advance or for $35.00 at the gate. For those with specific accessibility needs including wheelchair access and American Sign Language interpretation, we also have available Accessibility Tickets for spaces and seating on the Grand Stand, which can be purchased on a sliding scale.

Is there an age limit for entry into SF Pride?
The Pride Celebration and Parade are open to people of all ages. On Sunday, there is a Family Garden area which is focused on providing a safe and less-crowded area for children/youth and their parents or guardians.

Is the event accessible to people of differing physical abilities?
We have free childcare facilities available and a range of services for people with disabilities. From an accessible area to view the Parade in our Grand Stand seating area, to sign language interpretation at all performance stages, our aim is to make the event accessible for all. For full details about accessibility, click here.

Are pets allowed at your event?
Yes, pets are allowed at the event; however, we strongly recommend leaving pets at home since both the Parade and Celebration are noisy, crowded, and hot. We have found that pets can sometimes be very startled by the crowds and sounds of Pride. In busy areas, it may be difficult to navigate with pets who will be walking on the ground given the high number of stomping feet moving through the crowd.

What are Parade Grand Stand Seats and where can I buy them?
Grand Stand seats are bleacher style seating set up specifically for the Parade on Sunday morning. Click here for more information on Grand Stand Seating and how to purchase tickets.

Where does the money from the Grand Stand tickets go?
Money from Grand Stand ticket sales goes toward paying for the bleachers themselves as well as toward the Pride Community Partners Program.

I’ve never been to San Francisco before. What is the night life like?
Pride puts together a month of Official Events meant to honor LGBT Pride in the month of June. Check out our Official Events page for everything from art exhibits, to white water rafting outings, to parties and club events.

The following are online resources listing other events in the Bay Area: Queer Things to Do, Betty’s List, LGBT Bars and Clubs in San Francisco

Where can I stay near the event?
An estimated 500,000 people from outside the Bay Area will visit San Francisco Pride this year. Check out our Travel & City Guide for information on our travel partners that include local hotels and our official airline.

Do you recycle at your event?
An event like Pride has the potential to produce a good deal of trash. Our goal is to be environmentally responsible and reduce the amount of waste to the greatest extent possible. Large recycling dumpsters and bins are made available throughout the Celebration area at Civic Center. Please read the signage and place your trash in the appropriate containers.
Of particular note: paper items such as magazines with glossy contents or covers are not recyclable as the plastic coating stuck to the paper renders the product unrecyclable.

I am a local non-profit and want to participate in the Pride Celebration. What is the best way I can go about doing that?
We have a multitude of ways for local non-profits to participate with Pride. First and foremost, we have a grant-giving program called Community Partners in which your organization can receive a grant from Pride in exchange for the number of volunteer hours that your organization supplies for the Celebration and Parade.  We also have community-level sponsorships through our Partners in Pride Program. Lastly, you can get non-profit rates on Parade entries and for booths at the Celebration. Parade and Booth applications can be found here.

I have an event happening in June that I would like to promote through Pride. How can I do this?
Each year, we compile a list of Official Events. In order to become an Official Pride Event, the Pride Office must receive all event listings prior to March 10, 2008. The Pride logo will be posted on all promotional materials related to the Official Events. In return, Pride publishes community events in our annual Pride Guide (50,000 distribution throughout the Bay Area), post it in our newsletter (going out to over 12,000 subscribers) and post it on our website. Contact us by email for more information.

How can I advertise with SF Pride?
SF Pride has three yearly publications that each offer unique advertising opportunities. We have a glossy 300+ Official Pride Magazine that comes out in late May, we have a 72+ magazine size Pride Guide that comes out in early June and we have a Pocket Pride that comes out the day of the event. If you are interested in advertising with Pride, please contact us at info@sfpride.org and we would be more than happy to supply further information specific to your needs.

Who will be performing at Pride?
Each year we have a headlining performer on the Main Stage and some of our past performers have included En Vogue, Third Eye Blind, Chaka Khan, Jennifer Holliday, the Pointer Sisters and Joan Baez as well as celebrity guest hosts and appearances by Alec Mapa, Margaret Cho, Alan Cuming, and Graham Norton. Our final schedules are finalized by the end of May. Check back under our Celebration Page to find out the most up-to-date information on performers.

How can I perform on the Main Stage at Pride?
Press packets for artists wishing to perform on the Main Stage must be submitted prior to the March deadline.  Submissions for 2007 are closed, but for those interested in performing at the 2008 Celebration, please be sure to turn in your press packets prior to March 1, 2008 in order to ensure receipt prior to the deadline. For more information on performing at SF Pride click here or contact us by email.

How do I volunteer for SF Pride?
The Pride Celebration and Parade could not take place with the more than 1,000 volunteers who lend their talent and time during Pride weekend. There are five main types of volunteers: Office, Safety, Medical, Parade, and Celebration. There are volunteer opportunities for people of almost all skills, backgrounds, and ability levels. Interested persons must submit an application to become a volunteer. For more information on volunteering for SF Pride, contact our volunteer coordinator at volunteers@sfpride.org.

How can I become a sponsor of SF Pride?
We welcome organizations who are interested in sponsoring our event and have a variety of custom sponsorship packages to fit your organization’s needs.  For more information on becoming an official SF Pride Sponsor please email our Development Department here.

Who are the Grand Marshals for this year?
Grand Marshals are people or organizations within the LGBT community who have strived to create change and usually are local heroes who have fought for LGBT rights over the years. To view the most up to date information on Grand Marshals click here.

Each year in the month of February we take nominations for two categories of Grand Marshals: Community and Organization. Community Grand Marshals are local leaders who have fought on behalf of LGBT rights and liberation. Organization Grand Marshals are non-profit organizations that have made a notable contribution to the LGBT community.

How can I nominate someone for Grand Marshal?
Throughout the month of March, Pride conducts public polling for Grand Marshals via our website (through a form that can be printed out), local publications and public polling sites in the Bay Area. We also have a Celebrity Grand Marshal and Lifetime Achievement Grand Marshal which are chosen by the SF Pride Board of Directors. As always, suggestions for any of our Grand Marshal categories are always welcome. You can submit these suggestions by emailing info@sfpride.org.

Where can I get a copy of the Pride Magazine, Pride Guide, or Pocket Pride?
Pride Magazines are available at a number of locations around the city during the month of June (including the SF LGBT Community Center lobby at 1800 Market St). If you would like a copy of the magazine sent to you, you must submit a check or money order in the amount of $10.00 to

ATTN: Pride Magazine Order
1800 Market St, PMB # 5
San Francisco, CA 94102.

Pride Guides (Inside Pride) are also available at many of the same locations as the Pride Magazine during the month of June. Pocket Pride is available on the day of the event at any one of the Information Booths.

What additional security precautions can I take to make Pride safe and enjoyable for all?
Pride is a large-scale public event. Please make sure that your valuables and effects are secure. Please do not leave bags or personal items unattended. These can be a security risk and encourage crime.

Please be careful. Don't venture around unaccompanied, especially at night. Carry a whistle and use it if you find yourself in any danger.  Report anything suspicious to the nearest member of the SAFETY TEAM. And be sure to always employ safer sex practices, should you find yourself engaging in sexual activity.  Make sure your friends know where and with whom you are playing.