choosechicago.com TOP 6 LGBTQ+ EVENTS Chicago Pride Fest is a two-day celebration of music, live performances, and local food in Northalsted, followed by the lively Chicago Pride Parade the following weekend. chicagopride.gopride.com Grant Park’s Pride in the Park , typically a two-day music fest celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride, never fails to attract a varied, impressive lineup of top national and local music headliners and DJs. prideintheparkchicago.com Lips Chicago For 53 years, Uptown’s The Baton Show Lounge has been wowing guests with its award-winning drag revues. Up the festive atmosphere with boozy frozen drinks and gelato-infused cocktails. Five nights a week, the South Loop’s Lips Chicago offers Vegas-style drag shows paired with contemporary American cuisine and festive cocktails. Sunday Lips Drag Brunch features unlimited beverage specials. A laid-back Uptown neighborhood bar with good vibes to spare, Big Chicks consistently tops Chicago’s best LGBTQ bar lists. Revive the next day at sister spot Tweet , which specializes in hearty breakfast, lunch, and brunch fare. ABEL ARCINIEGA Pub is a beloved LGBTQ+ gathering space in the South Shore neighborhood. leather, kink, fetish, and BDSM history and culture. Founded in 1981, Gerber/ Hart Library and Archives in Rogers Park is the largest circulating library of gay and lesbian titles in the Midwest, with more than 14,000 volumes, 800 periodical titles, and 100 archival collections. Celebrate the life and work of social justice activist Jane Addams at the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum , the settlement house she co-founded in 1889, which still stands today. ATTRACTIONS Along a half-mile stretch of Halsted Street in Northalsted, The Legacy Walk features rainbow landmarks that commemorate notable LGBTQ+ individuals whose achievements have helped shape the world. Located in Rogers Park and founded in 1991, the Leather Archives & Museum offers community archives, a library, and a museum of Northalsted Market Days features live music on multiple stages, unique vendors, food and drink booths, DJs, and nonstop dancing along its half mile-long stretch, making it one of the Midwest’s largest street festivals. northalsted.com/marketdays Chicago’s Reeling Film Festival , the second longest-running film festival of its kind, showcases LGBTQ+ stories from around the world each year with movie screenings in the fall. reelingfilmfestival.org Held in Lakeview, the popular Haunted Halsted Halloween Parade features live musical performances, marching bands, fire twirlers, and a costume contest. northalsted.com/ events/halloween The Disability Pride Parade marches along a two-block area in Chicago’s Loop, with a mission to challenge the way people think about “disability.” disabilityprideparade.org AUTHOR’S TIP Be sure to make time to explore Northalsted, the oldest official LGBTQ+ neighborhood in the country. As one of the country’s longest-running Black-owned gay bars, Jeffery 19
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