Pride events that took place in many U.S. cities in June presented a mix of the usual community celebrations, along with protest marches opposing President Donald Trump's administration. While the addition of protest marches added a political element to Pride Month events—one that called back to the L.G.B.T.Q. community's roots of speaking out for equality—Pride organizations and sponsors still offered event attendees a variety of ways to celebrate their identities. Here's a look at highlights from last month's Pride events, including marches, festivals, and award shows.
Hanging lanterns at Pier 26 were lit in multiple colors at night for a concert by pop duo Tegan and Sara.
NYC Pride’s inaugural Pride Island, a three-day concert and festival experience, took place June 23 to 25 at Pier 26. The entrance to the pier featured a massive white frame photo op with the event hashtag. Another giant decor piece at the concert area was a cutout of a candelabra. The general design of the event was provided by NYC Pride.
NYC Pride sponsor Reyka Vodka, an Icelandic vodka brand, offered guests a swing that served as a photo op and a spot for attendees to relax.
In the V.I.P. area, the brand showcased a custom bar that was designed to look like a house in Iceland, complete with on-theme artwork. Rekya Vodka’s activations were produced by Momentum Worldwide.
T-Mobile, the presenting sponsor of NYC Pride, had a booth with a variety of interactive stations, including a multicolor floor with individual squares in colors that moved when activated by attendees’ shoes. Experiential marketing company M2W, Inc. produced the brand's activations.Â
T-Mobile showcased its #UnlimitedPride initiative with a giant rainbow photo op, with a pink backdrop of New York. The brand participated in 53 L.G.B.T.Q. events across 29 states this year.Â
An interactive activation for guests at the T-Mobile booth included a mosaic of mini photos created at a Luster photo printing station. Once completed, the mosaic spelled out “Be You.”Â
Delta, Virgin Atlantic, and Coca-Cola showcased an illuminated rainbow GIF booth. Guests were invited to pose for multiple photos and could share their GIFs on social media using the hashtag #LetLoveFlyContest for a chance to win flights and prizes.
Sponsor Bud Light offered guests interactive stations, including rainbow Jenga.
Barefoot Wine, another beverage sponsor, had a branded version of Connect Four.
At the NYC Pride March, which took place June 25 along Fifth Avenue, Skyy Vodka and Amazon Prime’s Transparent float was covered in blue-and-silver pinwheels. The float was designed and built by Swell.
Comedy Central series Broad City had a float that incorporated its colorful title sequence. The float was designed by Bond Parade Floats & Displays.
L.G.B.T.Q.-focused network Logo featured a heavily branded rainbow float with signs relevant to Pride month.
Amfar, the Foundation for AIDS Research, had a float designed by Tyger Productions that featured giant tubes in multiple colors that emitted bubbles. The foundation’s C.E.O. Robert Frost and marchers wore custom shirts that read “I’m Epic."
The Village Voice, the official media sponsor of NYC Pride Week, hosted the inaugural Pride Awards on June 21 at Capitale. The event, which honored local and global L.G.B.T.Q. heroes, was produced by experiential agency Creative State. The ceremony featured a massive rainbow backdrop on the stage and transparent branded centerpieces designed by Surface Grooves.
The event included a wall that invited guests to write what Pride means to them.Â
The entrance to Capitale featured two giant columns with Village Voice branding and 3-D purple squares in a variety of sizes.Â
A step-and-repeat with a similar design to the columns at the entrance included branding from the event sponsors, such as Netflix and TD.
BuzzFeed’s annual Pride party took place June 24 at Villain in Brooklyn. The event featured a variety of colorful pool floats that were used for photo ops.
Barefoot Wine also sponsored the LA Pride Parade and Festival, which took place June 10-11 at West Hollywood Park. The wine company invited attendees to spin a branded rainbow wheel for a chance to win free prizes.
The Capital Pride Parade took place June 10 in Washington. The Points Guy, a travel advice and lifestyle brand, showcased a colorful travel-theme float with the company's branding, a Pride hashtag, and glittery plane decor. Founder and C.E.O. Brian Kelly partied with employees on the float.
Foregoing a typical float, Hilton’s activation featured life-size branded doors that were wheeled by marchers on foot. The doors read “Welcome to Pride."
