Lindsay Heit, center, stands with Brynn Goldstein, left, and Sydney Goldstein, during New Jersey’s 31st Annual LGBTQ+ Pride Parade in Asbury Park on Sunday, June 4. Photo courtesy of NJ Advance Media
Pride Month may hit differently this year than others, but queer joy is all but necessary. Find your queer community in New Jersey at the events listed below.
Atlantic County
Atlantic City Pride Festival 2023: June 17, Tennessee Avenue, 1 to 7 p.m. Vendors, entertainment, food, drinks, games and more!
Mahwah Pride
Bergen County
Pride At The Zoo, July 8, Bergen County Zoo, 216 Forest Ave., Paramus, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Family-friendly day of music, food trucks, and activities.
Cape May County
Pride March & After Party: June 22, Cove Beach to Convention Hall, Cape May. Starts 5:45 p.m.
2022 Montclair Pride Festival, above and right.
Essex County
“Montclair has so much to be proud of, including the outstanding, steadfast sponsors, volunteers, supporters and attendees who are coming together in extraordinary ways once again to celebrate and honor LGBTQIA+ people and our allies at Montclair Pride. While other towns waver from drag art and performance, we are showcasing it in multiple events and artists. While national brands buckle to a handful of extremists triggered by a rainbow T-shirt, our small businesses and regional powerhouses recognize that Pride means allyship, walking the talk and staying true to the values of inclusion and belonging. We are profoundly grateful, and proud, that Montclair is again leading the way in what it means to be a place where all LGBTQIA+ people, especially and including our transgender and nonbinary family, as well as our allies and friends, are welcome to ‘Be You. Be Heard.’ We embrace you, elevate and celebrate you for 10 straight days of Pride, and always. Join us! Happy Pride!”
Out Montclair Executive Director Peter Yacobellis
2022 Newark Pride Festival
Newark Pride in the Park Festival: July 16, NJPAC Chambers Plaza, noon to 6 p.m. “This year, we will celebrate the diversity that defines us, while honoring the humanity that binds us. We are #HumanFirst.”
Pitman Pride
Hudson County
Jersey City LGBTQ+ Pride Festival: Aug. 26, Grove Street PATH Plaza, Jersey City, 1 to 9 p.m. A month of events leads up to the festival. “The footprint of the festival will be one of the largest in Jersey City Pride history.”
Mercer County
Princeton Pride Parade 2023: June 17, Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice, 12 Stockton St., Princeton, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Parade and after party.
Boonton Pride
Morris County“I think it is essential for the community to be so OUT and so PROUD for one whole month. But why? It’s because we do it for the ones who are still finding themselves or the ones who are not in safe spaces to express their true authentic selves. We HAVE to support one another in our journeys and celebrating pride is just that.”
– Joey Fisher, Boonton Pride
Boonton Rainbow Pride 2023: June 17, Grace Lord Park, 121 West Main St., Boonton, noon to 5 p.m. Musical performances, art activities, resource walk.
Morris County Pride Festival: June 24, CCM, 214 Center Grove Road, Randolph, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Performances, vendors, activities and live entertainment.
Passaic PrideSomerset County
Pride Night in Downtown Somerville: June 29, Division St., Downtown Somerville, 6 to 9 p.m. Family-friendly event featuring discounts throughout downtown Somerville.
Union County
Kenilworth Pride Celebration: June 24, Two Ton Brewing, 730 Federal Ave., 5 to 9 p.m. Live music, free giveaways, information resources, a rainbow flight. Proceeds go to Garden State Equality.
Warren County
Pride Day: June 24, Veteran’s Park, 44 E. Washington Ave., Washington, 2 to 5 p.m.
