by Paul Heney
Last updated: 10:00 PM ET, Thu July 26, 2018
While June is most cities' traditional Pride month, there are still many options for getting your glitter and rainbows on throughout August!
Here's a rundown of five events that are worth traveling to:
Vancouver
Vancouver Pride runs over the course of 20 days, and the fun actually started back on Sunday, July 22nd. This west coast gem of a city has a fantastic LGBTQ community and the Pride celebration is serious business here. Far from being a simple parade, Pride encompasses gay history tours, a comedy workshop, a program of coming out stories, cocktail parties, a Shabbat Dinner, a Pride Ball, Fetish Balls, movies, live performances, breakfasts, brunches, boat cruises, a beach festival…and, of course, a parade.
That parade, on Sunday, August 5th, runs from Noon to 3 p.m. However, unlike many other cities Pride celebrations, the parade doesn't mean it's the closing day. Events continue into August, with many more celebrations on August 6, 9, 10, 14 and 28. Stay for the whole month!
Prague
Jumping over to Europe, Prague'sPride festivities run from August 6-12, and include an opening concert, films, concerts, and events supporting marriage equality in the Czech Republic-where pro-equality legislation is moving through the legislature and is backed by the current government.
Pride in Prague features some creative programming, too. There's a zoo tour that focuses on queer animals, debates on sexual violence and becoming a queer parent, and workshops for mothers who harbor resentment toward their queer kids.
Reykjavík
Iceland is hot…the small, quirky country that some travelers are visiting on the way to continental Europe has seen an explosion of visitors in recent years. This year, in the month of June alone, almost 93,000 U.S. airline passengers passed through Reykjavík's Keflavik Airport.
Reykjavík's Pride events are being held from August 7-12 this year, and visitors can do everything from volunteering to paint rainbows in the city to get make-up tips from a famed local drag queen. Queer attendees will have plenty of fun with a variety of parties, panel discussions, workshops, a pub crawl, cruises, a brunch, outdoor concerts and a parade and party on Saturday, August 11.
Rochester, N.Y
Our family visited Rochester a couple of years ago for their Pride festival, and we were blown away! The city is great, full of attractions and great restaurants, and open and friendly to our community. The city also hosts a Black Pride festival, which is scheduled for August 8-12 this year.
Events scheduled for the festivities include an opening reception, film premiere, day party, workshops, trans brunch, old school party, vogue performance, adult prom, pride festival, and cookout.
Montréal
This French-Canadian city celebrates Pride with events throughout the month of August, from an AIDS poster exhibit to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts' "From Africa to the Americas: Face-to-Face Picasso, Past and Present" show, detailing perceptions of identity, aesthetics and culture and how they've changed.
The heart of Pride will take place from August 9-19. The Festival itself features Grand Marshals and special guests Jacq Brasseur, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, Gus Kenworthy, Dominique Lavergne, Julie Lemieux, Kennedy Olango, and Dany Turcotte.
The city will be alive with numerous parties focusing on bears, glam/rock, country dancing, drag, and more. A community day on August 18th will focus on the many local organizations that cater to the LGBTQ community, and the Pride parade will take place on August 19th.
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