Presenting: The Official Barstool Sports Guide To NYC Pride

By now I’m sure you know that June is Gay Pride Month. I’ve been hammering it into your heads via the blog for the past three weeks. This weekend is the NYC Pride Parade, which is expected to attract over two MILLION people from all over the world. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to attend or make a video as I’ll be at a friend’s wedding in Boston. I asked him to reschedule, but apparently weddings are “expensive” so he couldn’t change it. I’m sure that if he had explained my situation to his fiancé she could’ve swapped dates, but I didn’t want to push it.  Anyway, I wanted to provide all my gay (and straight) Stoolies with a brief “guide to pride.” I’m by no means an expert, but I have been going for the past few years and I wish someone had told me what to expect when I first started attending.

I’ll keep this brief. First and foremost, and this is the most important rule of all: BE YOURSELF. It’s the one time of year (unless you live in Chelsea)  where you’ll be surrounded by hundreds of thousands of LGBT people from all around the world. Let your guard down. Don’t self-edit. Nothing you do will be “too gay.” You’re going to see the most extreme version of every type of person imaginable. If you want to dance, dance. If you want to sing, sing. If you want to walk around dressed like Dennis Rodman on his wedding day, go for it.

Or if you’re feeling more flamboyant, you can mimic his late nineties club-wear look.

The bottom line is don’t think, just be.  No one’s going to judge you. And you shouldn’t judge them. Believe me, it’s tough. But if you point and stare you’ll look like an asshole. If you feel your mind starting to make fun, remember that for a lot of people this is the only time of year when they can let their hair down. Embrace it.

Hydrate. It’s going to be hot. You’re going to want to combat that heat by removing your shirt and drinking alcohol, of which there will be plenty. Obviously, match each drink with one glass of water like you always do but don’t be afraid to knock ‘em back. Just don’t start too early because parties tend go from early morning well into the night. That and it’s impossible to pee while you’re there. The streets are barricaded and the restaurants that do allow people to use their restrooms have incredibly long lines. If you do end up using the bathroom, make sure you talk to people in line. In fact, talk to as many people as you can. The crazy thing about Pride is that everyone’s in a good mood. Which is incredibly rare in New York and something that should be taken advantage of. So strike up a conversation. You never know, you could meet your future husband/wife/whatever. And saying you met at pride is a much better story than saying you met on Grindr.

In terms of location I’d recommend anywhere along the parade route in the West Village. Every establishment and every person in the neighborhood is decked out in full pride gear. It’s insane. The energy in that neighborhood is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It’s essentially the gay Super Bowl. Last year Asa and I stood outside Stonewall for five hours and only left because the cameras ran out of battery. If you want a more subdue experience go further uptown. It’s less crowed and you get a better view of the actual parade.

That’s pretty much it. Have fun, be yourself, and take it all in. I could go on for another thousand words but I promised I was going to keep this brief so that’s what I’m doing. Here’s a list of events and FAQ’s about this weekend. Happy Pride, people!