An annual Pride celebration for LGBTQ+ people of color…
Visitors come from far and wide for Philly Black Pride, an annual four-day Pride event that emphasizes the strength and resilience of Philly’s community of LGBTQ+ people of color.
Held each year during the week of the historic Penn Relays, Philly Black Pride brings together between 3,000 and 5,000 people for a long weekend of celebrations and community building.
A host of citywide events center on the idea of “partying with a purpose,” uplifting the community while highlighting available services, including physical- and mental-health resources.
This year’s Philly Black Pride theme is “Black, Joy, Healing” with festivities and partner events taking place from April 27 to 30, 2023.
2023 Highlights
The Canopy by Hilton Philadelphia Center City in Midtown Village is the official hotel for Philly Black Pride 2023, with events taking place in surrounding neighborhoods and throughout the city.
A sampling of events during the 24th anniversary year of Philly Black Pride is below:
- Thursday, April 27, 2023: The party gets started with a wild night of ballad-belting fun during Late Night Karaoke at Level Up Bar and Lounge with music by DJ KIDROC and food and drink specials all night long (Level Up Bar and Lounge, 1330 Walnut Street).
- Friday, April 28, 2023: Break out the beepers and parachute pants. Throwback ’fits are encouraged during The Skate Jam ’90s & Throwback Party at Rolling Thunder Skating Center, and the best-dressed wins two tickets to Sunday’s Finale Dance Party at Roar (Rolling Thunder Skating Center, 7017 Roosevelt Boulevard).
- Saturday, April 29, 2023: Radical Social Justice group GALAEI hosts a day celebrating Black and Brown excellence during the B.A.B.E. Expo, featuring workshops led by Black and Brown artists, tables from local vendors and community-based organizations, and a variety show starring drag performers of color (William Way Community Center, 1315 Spruce Street).
- Saturday, April 29, 2023: It’s an exclusive and elusive celebration of Black sexuality and sex-positivity during HUSH: The Secret Party, a ticketed event with a dress code of underwear, lingerie and sexy pajamas (location TBA).
- Sunday, April 30, 2023: Leave it all on the dance floor during The Finale Mega Dance Party at Roar, the official wrap party for Philly Black Pride. The indoor-outdoor party goes until 1 a.m. (Roar, 939 N. Delaware Avenue).
Events are open to the public, though some require individual tickets or cover charges.
Stay tuned to the Philly Black Pride’s official website calendar and Instagram account for more info and still-to-be-announced events, including a live podcast, as well as an opening reception and mixer at the Canopy by Hilton Philadelphia honoring the late Michael Hinton, co-founder of Philly Black Pride and a longtime AIDs and housing activist.
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