Pride season is hard and fast upon us once again, and it is… surprisingly lesbian! Not only is the Dyke March (Sat/28) returning full force, its radical politics intact, with a boisterous all-day rally planned in Dolores Park and evening march through the Mission, but we now have four—count ’em, four—women-centric bars in operation for your dyke cruising enjoyment.
Those would be: brand new womens sports bar Rikki’s, inspired by legendary queer bar owner Rikki Streicher; Mother in the Mission, probably my favorite bar right now at this moment; 63-year-old Bernal Hill neighborhood institution Wild Side West, opened in 1962 by out-and-proud lesbians Pat Ramseyer and Nancy White; and Jolene’s, also in the Mission, which seems to have bounced back from a difficult period with a recent viral Labubu party, complete with a DJ booth sign reading “show me your Laboobies.” I fricking love lesbians so much.
Add to this women-owned/run queer spaces like El Rio, Mothership, Oakland’s White Horse Bar, Casements, and the Stud (and one of my top women-friendly spots Driftwood) and it’s a full-on Lesbianaissance.
This is a long way from 2014, when I broke the news that The Lexington Club was closing, and it seemed the raucous dyke bar scene was vanishing forever. It also seems vastly the opposite of what transphobes/TERFs have been decrying as lesbian erasure as more people live their trans truth. For sure we always need to make more space for lesbians, transwomen, and other queer women in our community. (While men are welcome in these bars, mind your manners and remember your guest status, please).
I am just tickled beyond belief about all this, go support the local Sapphic glow-up, and hit some of the below to celebrate even more. Happy Prid.
PRIDE EVENTS OF NOTE
WEDNESDAY 25
WED/25: KARAO-KIKI PRIDE Drag goddess Dulce de Leche has all the gay hits and obscurities cued up for you to sing to El Rio’s rafters. 9pm-1am, El Rio, SF. More info here.
WED/25: PRIDE IS A LAUGH RIOT Queer comedy showcase Safe Words is always a hoot, and for Pride they’re putting comedy legend Tom Ammiano on stage. 7pm-9pm, SF Eagle. More info here.
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THURSDAY 26
THU/26: THE TUBESTEAK CONNECTION PRIDE DJ Bus Station John’s seminal, *actual* disco celebration and classic cruise-a-thon is back at Aunt Charlie’s for Pride, and I could not be more stoked to dance on that tiny carpet to the music of our people. 9pm-2am, Aunt Charlie’s Lounge, SF. More info here.
THU/26: YVES TUMOR The idiosyncratic indie godx puts in a DJ set alongside Berghain resident Boris for the Throttle x Squish party. 9pm-2am, 1015 Folsom, SF. More info here.
THU/26: GRUNT Calling all the big boys who like to get down. DJs Charles Hawthorne and Honey Bear will pack the Stud dance floor with grunts and grinds. 9pm-2am, The Stud, SF. More info here.
THU/26: LADIES, THEYDIES, AND GENTLETHEM! The first piece of big news about this shindig at rock bar Zeitgeist is that it welcomes all genders to enjoy DJs Sin Dismular and Nardi. The second piece of big news? There will be a mechanical bull onsite. 6pm-10pm, Zeitgeist, SF. More info here.
THU/26: CASEMENTS PRIDE I adore this Mission pub, named after Irish queer rebel/martyr Roger Casements. Hit the patio for some fine whiskey-sipping and the sounds of DJ Dank. 6pm-9pm, Casements, SF. More info here.
FRIDAY 27
FRI/27: CLUB LEISURE PRIDE Britpop, synthpop, post-punk, indie… We love the long-running Leisure party, and who doesn’t need a huge dose of Soft Cell, Suede, Culture Club, The Smiths, Pet Shop Boys, Pulp, Wham! and more queer music heroes right now? 9pm-2am, Cat Club, SF. More info here.
FRI/27: BUSTIN’ OUT: OFFICIAL TRANS MARCH AFTERPARTY AGAINST THE PRISON INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX This annual fundraiser is proof that Pride parties can be radical, transformative, and full of fun dancing. “For 20 years, TGIJP has provided legal services for Transgender and gender variant/non-conforming people in California prisons, jails and detention centers. As we continue to fight the abuses TGI people face inside and outside of prisons, we invite you to join us for a night of celebration and Trans resilience. Can you help us raise $50,000 to support Black Trans abolitionist organizing?” 6pm-2am, El Rio, SF. More info here.
FRI/27: FRENCH PRESS Ready for some rare gay cuts from 1972-1991? DJ Stanley and DJ Sappho provide. 6pm-12am, Underground SF. More info here.
FRI/27: DIRTY BOOTS Howdy, wranglers: Saddle up for this menswear cruising and disco party: western, workwear, and vintage fits encouraged. 10pm-2am, The Stud, SF. More info here.
FRI/27: SQUISH: PRIDE The sweet Squish party crew always taps into global underground talent in extra-squishy ways: DJ Heartstring, Bby Mutha, Juicy Romance, tons more fill up 1015 Folsom. 10pm-2am, 1015 Folsom, SF. More info here.
FRI/27: ELECTROLUXX PRIDE “Electroluxx is celebrating its 11th annual Pride party! We will be taking over the entire Midway featuring music and art in every single room including the upper and lower patio, silent disco stage on the street and a new path around the corner to San Francisco Gallery for a surprise brand new stage and party room. Join us for an over-the-top joyous evening.” 9pm-4am, The Midway, SF. More info here.
FRI/27: STANK PRIDE “The sounds – immaculate. The vibes – (im)proper. The cruise – HEAVY. The MUSK – STRONG.” Leap into the pits of Pride at this aromatic fetish event, while dancing to East Bay Mean Girls, Jumpr, and Fawks. 9pm-2am, Powerhouse, SF. More info here.
SATURDAY 28
SAT/28: POLYGLAMOROUS PINK BLOCK You better believe the queers will rock the block outside Great Northern club (and inside’s afterparty) for this one. LA legend DJ Harvey, UK tricksters Horse Meat Disco, the great Crystal Waters—who killed it at Outside Lands last year—and a ton more fill the air with wild glee. Noon-3am, Great Northern, SF. More info here.
SAT/28: HARD FRENCH ▽S LOS HOMOS XV Looking to dance in the sun to some deliciously darker techno sounds? Hot ‘n fab party Hard French tales over the El Rio party for its annual Pride banger, and DJs Mozhgan, Bezier, and Aetatis Saue (plus lil darling drag activist Lil Miss Hot Mess) have got the goods. 2pm-7pm, El Rio, SF. More info here.
SAT/28: NO PRIDE IN GENOCIDE DJs Mama San, Limoncito, Pinche Que, Freaky Emo, Stoned Fruit, Young Ella Baker come together to “take a stand against SF Pride pinkwashing at this direct mutual aid fundraiser for Palestinian people, bumping dance hits, global club music, house, and pop edits.” 9pm-2am, Mothership, SF. More info here.
SAT/28: FIVE FINGER DISCO SF PRIDE: PARADISE GAY-RAGE! Two of the best house DJs in the Bay, Charles Hawthorne and Nina Sol, pay tribute to legend Larry Levan and his Paradise Garage club on at this hush-hush affair. 9pm-late, Monument, SF. More info here.
SAT/28: LA FEMME Dolls, twinks, and bimbos unite! It’s a high femme affair at the Stud, with DJs Chelsea Starr, Finish Her, and more, plus drag from Britney Smears, Melanie Sparks, Evian, Bettye Jean. 9pm-2am, The Stud. SF. More info here.
SAT/28: FLUX AETERNA: PRIDE Holy shiiite, there is in fact a DJ trio named Cocteautwinks. They’re up from LA with Detroit’s DJ Girl, Hot Goth GF, Jacqk Glam, and a ton more brining “frenetic electro, forward thinking juke, and mind-melting electronic sounds.” Strap in! 9pm-2am, Monarch, SF. More info here.
SAT/28: EW! PRIDE A great party goes gonzo for Pride with special guest Bored Lord on the decks. Expect a packed floor and some cute looks in the wee Underground SF space. 8pm-2am, Underground SF. More info here.
SAT/28: MANGO PRIDE PARTY Never has “mango” taken on such sweetly freighted significance than at this three-decades-old party for women, still one off the hottest and most diverse tickets around. Prepare to get wet on the dance floor. 8pm-2am, El Rio, SF. More info here.
SAT/28: BEARRACUDA PRIDE No shortage of big boy parties for Pride this year! This one’s been going on for almost two decades, and with incredible deep house DJ headliner David Harness, you’ll definitely find yourself in some very hairy situations. 9pm-3am, Public Works, SF. More info here.
SAT/28: BONG-O BINGO PRIDE Our Puff cannabis columnist puts on this high-ly recommended affair (see what I did there) with drag, bingo, music, great prizes, and lots of great vibes. 6pm-9pm, Mission Cannabis Club, SF. More info here.
SAT/28: COMFORT & JOY AFTERGLOW PRIDE “Galactic Gardens: Once Upon a Queer Fairytale” is theme of this all-night, neon-drenched fae-topia with house diva legend Ultra Nate performing in a huge space full of cute queers. 10pm-6am, Space 550, SF. More info here.
SUNDAY 29
SUN/29: JUANITA MORE PRIDE *The* see and be seen party for club kids and fab freaks, on the intimately spacious patio of Jones in the TL, hosted by the drag grande dame of the SF party scene—and benefitting the Transgender Law Center. Noon-7pm, Jones, SF. More info here.
SUN/29: QUEERLY BELOVED PRIDE: PUSSY RIOT Adult film goddess Courtney Trouble’s Queerly Beloved parties are always a riot—this time literally, as she brings in Nadya Tolokonnikova of Russian punk rock artist-dissident sensations Pussy Riot, plus a host of entertainment and DJs to bring your Pride to a climax. 9pm-late, 1015 Folsom, SF. More info here.
SUN/29: ENVY: A PRIDE PARTY WITH NICKI JIZZ AND VIVVY What comes after Pride? This party, of course. Two of the city’s favorite and most shade-transcendent drag queens host an all-day extravaganza of performances and dancing on El Rio’s spacious patio. 3pm-9pm, El Rio, SF. More info here.
SUN/29: STUD PRIDE Shimmy all day and night with a crowd of diverse lovelies on the Stud’s new dance floor. 2pm-2am, The Stud, SF. More info here.
SUN/29: A BLOCK CALLED RHONDA WITH PUPLE DISCO MACHINE German recombinative dance music dynamo Purple Disco Machine will have you feeling nostalgia for a past that sounds like the future, while disco legend Nicky Siano, house diva tornado Cece Peniston, and tons more have you bouncing all day and all night, outside and inside, at Great Northern. Noon-2am, Great Northern, SF. More info here.
SUN/29: DISCO DADDY PRIDE SUNDAY Bus Station John pulls out all the actual disco stops, in a seven-hour marathon of fabulous grooves, glittering aahs and oohs, and plenty of manly moves. A ton of Pride bang for your buck! 7pm-2am, SF Eagle. More info here.
SAT/28: QUICHE I wish this adorable outdoor dance party at SOMArts could happen every night. Special guest Stella Zekris hops on the tables with Matthew Paul, Deezy, and Nick Moss. 8pm-2am, SOMArts, SF. More info here.
SUN/29: OASIS “POOL” PARTY One of my Pride secrets! Take a break from the Pride afternoon hullaballoo and pop up to Club Oasis’ cute deck for cocktails, music, and some primo crowd watching. 2pm-8pm, Oasis, SF. More info here.
SUN/29: PRIDE AT THE CINCH The awesome Cinch bar is a queer Oasis on Polk Street—a last bastion (recently joined by the excellent Zhuzh) of that neighborhood’s big gay past. It almost closed, but was recently saved! Come out Pride Sunday and toast a real tradition. 3pm-8pm, The Cinch, SF. More info here.
SUN/29: HARD RESET Finish up your Pride with a burst of energy at Q Bar in the Castro, with this new weekly fave party, including a two-hour set from Berlin DJ Vertel, playing Euro-style bass and tech house. 9pm-2am, Q Bar, SF. More info here.
