Major LGBTQ Events in Philadelphia in 2020

Every year, Philadelphia’s calendar is punctuated by a host of exciting LGBTQ events, and 2020 is no exception. This year sees the return of banner annual events: June’s massive PrideDay LGBT Parade and Festival; October’s OutFest, the world’s largest National Coming Out Day bash; and multi-day citywides like the annual film festival qFLIX and Philadelphia Black Pride, a long weekend of parties, symposia and more gatherings that spotlight and uplift the Black LGBTQ community.

There’s plenty to do in the arts world: Fringe Festival, a three-week performing arts fest packed with queer artists and performances. The Fabric Workshop and Museum welcomes Big Wash, an exhibit of works by ascendant Philadelphia artist Jonathan Lyndon Chase. Malvern’s People’s Light brings to light the moving story of an unsung civil rights activist in the musical Bayard Rustin: Inside Ashland.

Here’s a look at what to expect from Philadelphia’s LGBTQ scene in 2020:

Festivals, Parties, Marches & More:

1. GayBINGO – The long-running, larger-than-life game hosted and called by drag queens (Bingo Verifying Divas (BVD) includes campy live performances and loads of laughter — all to benefit AIDS Fund Philly. On May 21, Black-Tie GayBINGO at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel will honor Sandra Thompson with a first-ever Fierce and Fabulous Award for Thompson’s decades of leadership in caring for others, including children and adults with HIV/AIDS; the gala will also honor two BVD volunteers for ten years of service each — and include the wedding of BDV Garrett Olthuis and former Card Boy Sean Green. March 14, April 4, May 2, June 13. Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 N. Broad Street, (215) 731-9255, aidsfundphilly.org

2. Philadelphia Black Pride – This long weekend draws folks from around the country to take part in raging dance parties, informative panels, art shows and more events that spotlight and uplift the African American LGBTQ community. The theme for 2020 is Legally Black; guests should expect an uptick in discussions that tackle legal issues facing the community, including criminal justice reform and increased safety measures for the transgender community. April 23­–26. Various locations, phillyblackpride.org

3. Dining Out for Life – On one delicious day each spring, more than 150 restaurants and bars around the region donate 33% of that night’s haul to local nonprofits (Action Wellness, for example) that provide life-saving services to people nearby living with HIV. The list of participating eateries in 2020 includes Barbuzzo, Buddakan and Le Virtù — all of which fill up quickly on even a regular night, so reservations are highly recommended. April 30. Various locations, (215) 981-3367, diningoutforlife.com/philadelphia

4. New Hope Celebrates PrideFest – This rare, two-state Pride parade kicks off in Lambertville, New Jersey, before crossing a bridge to finish up in New Hope, Pennsylvania. The hometown hoopla features marching bands, drag queens waving from convertibles and dozens of banner-carrying LGBTQ nonprofits. The pièce de résistance, however, is the 100-foot, eight-color rainbow flag that’s carried through the procession. The finale: a rollicking outdoor festival in New Hope, where guest can find food and drink, live entertainment, games and more. May 16.
1 W. Mechanic Street, (215) 431-6674, newhopecelebrates.com

5. Philadelphia Dyke March – One of Philadelphia’s longest-running Pride weekend events, the Gloria Casarez-co-founded Philadelphia Dyke March gathers hundreds of dyke-identified people and their allies for a protest through the streets of Philadelphia. The goal of the event, now in its 22nd year, is to celebrate and raise visibility of the community, both through the march and a subsequent festival that rocks Louis I. Kahn Park with live music, beat poets and burlesque dancers. June 13. 328 S. 11th Street, facebook.com/philadelphiadykemarch

6. PrideDay LGBT Parade and Festival – Philadelphia marks Pride month with one of the East Coast’s largest Pride parades and festivals. The day begins with a 1.5-mile procession that kicks off in the Gayborhood and winds its way through the city with lively floats, marching bands, motorcycle groups and dance troupes. The parade culminates at Penn’s Landing, where guests keep the party going at a daylong riverside festival featuring hundreds of food and vendor booths and a lineup of spirited musical and dance performances. June 14. Parade starting point,
13th & Locust streets; Festival, 101 S. Columbus Boulevard, (215) 875-9288, phillygaypride.org

7. qFLIX – Spread across eight days in 2020, Philadelphia’s annual LGBTQ film festival gives movie fans the chance to take in more than 130 rare and mainstream independent films that highlight the LGBTQ experience. The festival itinerary includes a diverse collection — feature lengths, shorts, documentaries — and the chance to gather with fellow film buffs at networking events and meet-and-greets with actors and directors. March 22­–29. Various locations, qflixphilly.com

8. Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference – The Mazzoni Center hosts the world’s only free conference dedicated to promoting health and wellness in the transgender community. The multi-day affair packs in dozens of vendors, speaking engagements and networking events to spotlight the latest developments on the trans wellness scene, both for those in the transgender community and medical professionals who seek to learn more about how to care for trans patients. July 23–25. 129 N. Broad Street, (215) 563-0652, mazzonicenter.org

9. Philly Trans March – Coinciding with National Coming Out Day weekend (see below), this boisterous march and protest calls for equality, justice and compassion for transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people. Bookending the event are always impassioned speakers and musical and spoken word performances. Location TBA. October 10. facebook.com/phillytransmarch

10. OutFest – Philly celebrates LGBTQ History Month each October with the largest National Coming Out Day festival on the planet. OutFest shuts down 10 city blocks in the Gayborhood to make room for hundreds of vendors, carnival games, a flea market and a stage that plays home to musical, dance and drag performances. October 11. 12th & Locust streets, (215) 875-9288, phillygaypride.org

11. Henri David Presents: Halloween the Ball – The year’s most colorful, most photographed party celebrates a half century of fabulousness on Halloween night at a hotel. Host and Antique Row jeweler Henri David has presided over this glorious bash since its humble start in 1968 — his costume is always the evening’s big reveal — although his guests’ getups certainly offer competition. October 31. Philadelphia 201 Hotel, 201 N. 17th Street, (215) 732-7711

Performing & Visual Arts:

12. Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus (PGMC) – The PGMC goes into their 38th year with concerts that include @QueerZ: Songs for a New Generation, a slate of tunes that explore the experiences of contemporary LGBTQ youth, with Temple a cappella group Pitch, Please (March 28), and Cirque du So Gay: Straight Out of Vegas!, with aerialists, jugglers, acrobats and songs made famous by Las Vegas staples Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Elvis and Frank Sinatra (May 8 & 9). Queerz, Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion, 2110 Chestnut Street; Cirque,
Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad Street, (215) 731-9230, pgmc.org

13. Bayard Rustin: Inside Ashland – Soaring African American spirituals punctuate this world-premiere musical play about Bayard Rustin, an out civil rights activist, chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington and West Chester, Pennsylvania native. Steve H. Broadnax III wrote and directs the People’s Light work about a seminal moment in Rustin’s life, when he led a peaceful protest against prisoner segregation from inside a prison in Ashland, Kentucky.
May 13–June 7. 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, (610) 644-3500, peopleslight.org

14. Fringe Festival – This annual theater arts festival, which takes place in venues across the city, is always jam packed with shows that highlight the LGBTQ experience. Festival regulars include major players in gender-bending cabaret queen John Jarboe and his Bearded Ladies, and the world’s self-proclaimed tallest, hairiest drag queen, Martha Graham Cracker. September 10–October 4. Various locations, including FringeArts, 140 N. Columbus Boulevard, (215) 413-1318, fringearts.com

15. Big Wash – The Fabric Workshop and Museum welcomes an exhibition by Philadelphia painter and illustrator Jonathan Lyndon Chase, whose work primarily focuses on queer Black bodies in everyday environments. The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts grad has been garnering national attention: GQ called him an artist who is “painting Black male homosexuality in all its stark, loving glory.” September 11, 2020–January 15, 2021. 1214 Arch Street, (215) 561-8888, fabricworkshopandmuseum.org

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