Hillcrest Mardi GrasĮvery winter, food, beer, entertainment, and beads galore are part of the festive Hillcrest Mardi Gras. This annual trick-or-treat bash is the traditional starting place for the LGBTQ+ community's Halloween festivities and features a beer garden, food, lots of revelry, and an outrageous costume contest for cash prizes. Nightmare on Normal Streetĭuring Halloween, Hillcrest comes back from the dead during Nightmare on Normal Street. In addition to the annual Pride celebration, San Diego offers a variety of exciting LGBTQ+ community events throughout the year.
Everyone gets in the spirit with music and dancing, drag performances, a huge beer garden, VIP lounges, food trucks, and vendors.Īt San Diego Pride, love wins, and the LGBQT+ community shows family and friends how to celebrate. Another great time is the Pride of Hillcrest Block Party. She Fest kicks off Pride week and is a woman-centered event that celebrates and supports the talents and contributions of women within the LGBTQ+ and larger San Diego communities. Vendors, exhibits, cultural presentations, and tasty food options abound, and more than 40,000 people join as one to celebrate. The official celebration is the two-day festival, where multiple stages carry acts like En Vogue, TLC, and 100+ other performances from bands to DJs to solo artists. Once the parade ends, satellite parties take place all around town. More than 250,000 attendees gather to watch the parade, which features colorful floats, prominent members of the community, activist groups, politicians, military, police and firefighters, the beloved Dykes on Bikes, and much more.
The multi-day event in July boasts a full schedule of events including the Spirit of Stonewall Rally, She Fest, Pride 5k Run, Pride of Hillcrest Block Party, a fabulous mile-long parade through Hillcrest, and a raucous two-day festival in Balboa Park. The clubs, bars and streets hum with revelry flags representing all facets of the community wave feather boas and glitter are the accessories du jour, and everyone is welcome. San Diego Pride is the ultimate celebration-the vibes are upbeat and loving the people are decked out in swaths of color, and there is a palpable sense of harmony and togetherness.