Showing Pride in Lincoln Square

Sparked by the Stonewall riots in 1969, June has been a special time to celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) pride ever since. This year is certainly no exception, with events, promotions, and art all honoring the significant contributions of the LGBTQIA+ community. Why not add a little color to your month with one of these upcoming Pride events and promotions?

Several of Lincoln Square’s restaurants will be showing their pride this month. Lincoln Ristorante (142 West 65th Street between Amsterdam Ave and Broadway) is partnering with 21Seeds Tequila to mix up two featured cocktails, the Mr. Margarita and Proud Paloma. A donation will be made to the Translatinx Network Organization in order to support the LGBTQIA+ community. Rosa Mexicano (61 Columbus Avenue between W 62nd and W 63rd Street) will feature a special cocktail for the month, a Pride Margarita (a portion of proceeds will be donated to local universities and their LGBTQIA+ centers). Not to be outdone, Nougatine by Jean-George (1 Central Park West) will also serve a special cocktail; for every cocktail sold, $1 will be donated to the Ali Forney Center, an LGBT Youth Shelter and services provider. At the Mandarin Oriental, New York’s MO Lounge (80 Columbus Circle), enjoy an afternoon tea in collaboration with Moulin Rouge! The Musical, knowing that a portion of proceeds will benefit the National Queer Theater. The show’s cast members will perform Lady Marmalade on the first four Sundays of June at 1:00pm. Learn more here. 

Other businesses have also found creative ways to support the LGBTQIA+ community this month. All month long, you can visit Shakespeare & Co. (2020 Broadway between W 69th and W 70th Street) to check out their Pride Month book display. Color Me Mine (177 Amsterdam Ave at W 68th Street), the neighborhood’s local pottery studio, is hosting its Pride Picnic on June 27 from 6:00pm until 9:00pm. Williams Sonoma (10 Columbus Circle) donates 25% of the purchase price on all items from its Pride collection to The Trevor Project.

Lincoln Center is hosting an array of free Pride Month events, starting with Soundcake: Aural Confections by Sapphira Cristál & Monét X Change at 7:30pm on June 12 at Damrosch Park (Amsterdam Ave & West 62nd Street). This highly anticipated event combines opera and drag, featuring Pretty Lamé and former contestants of RuPaul's Drag Race (Thorgy Thor on violin and classically trained singers Monét X Change and Sapphira Cristál). Kumbia Queers Live will showcase Kumbia Queers, a non-binary and lesbian quintet, performing cumbia villera and guitar rock music on June 15 at 6:00pm on Lincoln Center’s The Dance Floor (Josie Robertson Plaza on Columbus Ave between W 63rd and W 64th Street).

Lincoln Center continues its diverse programming of LGBTQIA+ artists in the second half of the month. Charles Turner: It’s Giving Pride provides a program that centers on aspects of queer life in NYC on June 17 (7:00pm and 9:00pm) at Dizzy’s Club (The Shops at Columbus Circle). Mykal Kilgore, the first openly gay artist to receive a Grammy nomination in the “Best Traditional R&B Performance” category, performs at noon on June 22 at Hearst Plaza (located in front of Lincoln Center Theater). The next evening at 8:00pm, the influential artists of nightlife Papi Juice will share a blend of genres via a silent disco on The Dance Floor.

At 8:00pm on June 26, Comedy Underground: Celebrating PRIDE will highlight LGBTQIA+ comedians and their experiences in a comedy show at The Underground at Jaffe Drive (Columbus Ave between W 63rd and W 64th Street). Comedians will include Nico Carney, Alex English, Jenny Hagel (headliner), Murray Hill (host), and Ali Kolbert. That same evening at 9:00pm, join the American Ballet Theatre for the ABT Silent Disco on The Dance Floor. DJ Remeice and former American Ballet Theatre dancer Connor Holloway will host the party.

Just outside the district, visit the Museum of Arts and Design’s (2 Columbus Circle) ongoing exhibition, OUT of the Jewelry Box. The collection highlights jewelry constructed by queer artists and discusses the relationship between jewelry and queer histories. The 56 pieces on view were collected by Ron Porter and Joe Price, whose relationship spanned 41 years, 9 of which they were legally married.

Just south of Lincoln Square, our neighbors at Nordstrom (225 W 57th Street at Broadway) are hosting even more Pride activities. Visit Bistro Verde (located on Nordstrom’s 5th floor) for a night of Drag Bingo on June 6 from 6:00pm until 8:00pm. Reserve a table for a night of fun and prizes hosted by Linda Simpson. On June 11 from 5:30pm until 8:30pm, celebrate Pride by shopping for a cause at Nordstrom Men’s Store, where 20% of sales from the evening (up to $20,000) will be donated to Hetrick-Martin Institute, a NYC-based nonprofit that seeks to foster a healthy youth environment for LGTBQIA+ youth and their families. The Pride party will also include giveaways, gifts with purchase, music provided by DJ Lina Bradford, and more!

You can also celebrate Pride outdoors this month. Central Park Conservancy is hosting Queer Central Park Tours on June 8, 23, and June 28 at 11:00am to reflect upon the influence and contributions of the LGBTQIA+ community, which can still be seen in Central Park today. Meanwhile, City Park Foundation is also throwing events in Central Park, beginning with a Pride Disco with DJ Trixie Mattel, Amanda Lepore, and Jess King on June 29 from 5:30pm until 10:00pm and continuing the next day with queer art and music at Dreamland: Pride in Central Park with John Summit from 3:00pm through 10:00pm.

Finally, wrap up the month’s celebrations by tuning into ABC7 on June 30 for coverage of the NYC Pride March or going in person to celebrate the power of the LGBTQIA+ community and their resilience. We hope you take advantage of all the beautiful Pride festivities that Lincoln Square has to offer. Happy Pride Month!

Photo: Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) Installation view of OUT of the Jewelry Box by Jenna Bascom