There’s plenty of Pride in New Jersey.
After the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic changed the way members of the LGBTQ community and their allies marked Pride Month in June 2020, in-person gatherings are scheduled to return this summer.
Here are some of the events and destinations to visit.
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At the ballpark
Minor League Baseball team the Jersey Shore BlueClaws will host the return of Pride Night on June 4 with a free cap giveaway for the first 1,500 fans at FirstEnergy Park, 2 Stadium Way in Lakewood, presented by Coca-Cola. Visit milb.com/jersey-shore for tickets and more information.
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Raise your glass
Forgotten Boardwalk Brewing will host a weekend of Pride festivities June 4 to 6 at the brewery, 1940 Olney Ave. in Cherry Hill.
The brewery will release a Pride-themed four-pack of Frequency Modulation, a dry-hopped hefeweizen. Each can in the set features an illustration of a different couple: two men, two women, a man and a woman, and two cats.
The four-pack of cans ($15) and a limited set of four glasses featuring the same artwork ($40) will be available at the brewery and at the Asbury Fresh Market in Asbury Park’s Kennedy Park on Cookman Avenue during the weekend of the brewery’s Pride celebration. A portion of those proceeds will benefit Garden State Equality, an Asbury Park-based education and advocacy organization.
Visit forgottenboardwalk.com for more information and to reserve your spot at the brewery.
Lauren Bodhi Events’ Pride Month Cruise departs at noon on Sunday, June 6, from Atlantic Highlands and offers vendors and dancing. For tickets and more information, visit laurenbodhievents.com.
Montclair Brewery has partnered with running shop Fleet Feet and shoe company Diadora for the third annual Pride Stride, a 5K run and walk to support Out Montclair’s work for the local LGBTQIA+ population.
Kicking off 6 p.m. Thursday, June 17, the event starts and ends at Monclair Brewery, 101 Walnut St., and your $15 registration also covers your first post-race drink. To register and learn more, visit runsignup.com/Race/NJ/Montclair/PrideRun2021.
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Going live
The Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice in Princeton will host the second annual Virtual Pride installment of its Social Justice Power Hour series on Facebook Live at 7 p.m. June 12; visit facebook.com/RustinCenter.
In the streets
Garden State Equality’s 12th annual Equality Walk has options for folks who want to walk in North or South Jersey: the walk starts and ends noon Saturday, June 12, at the Ocean Casino Resort, 500 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, and also will be held at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, June 13, starting and ending at First Congregational Church of Montclair, 40 S. Fullerton Avenue. To register for the walk and for more information, visit gardenstateequality.org.
Exit 82 Theatre Company and the Toms River Pride Committee will present Toms River Pride, Ocean County’s third annual lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual/ally, two spirit and plus festival from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 13 on Washington Street in downtown Toms River.
COVID-compliant activities at the festival will include live entertainment, food vendors and community resources; visit exit82theatre.com.
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Live performances
Pride in Union begins with a Pride flag raising in front of town hall at 1976 Morris Ave. at 4:30 p.m., followed by a Pride Party starting a 6 p.m. at Russo Park on Morris Avenue hosted by Harmonica Sunbeam with entertainment by Janetza Miranda, Lady Celestina and DJ J Estelle. For more information, visit uniontownship.com/1007/Pride-Month.
The third annual Ramsey LGBTQ Pride Ceremony, kicks off at 6 p.m. Monday, June 7, in the outdoor space at Pietro’s Italian Restaurant, 46 W. Main St., and continues at 7:30 p.m. across the street under the tent at Brady’s at the Station, 5 W. Main Street.
Singer/songwriter Anne Steele, cover band Dad to the Bone, Ramsey High School a cappella group the Ram Jams and singer Jeffrey Castellano of Ramsey will be at Pietro’s, and Mary’s Basement keeps the party going at Brady’s. There also will be speakers, and food, drink and Pride merchandise will be available for purchase. Follow facebook.com/RamseyLGBTQPride for more information.
Harmonica Sunbeam is also among the performers set for the Big Queer Block Party, 6 p.m. Friday, June 18, in Maplewood Village at Maplewood Avenue and Highland Place in Maplewood. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted for SOMA Justice, the Newark LGBTQ Community Center, North Jersey Pride and SOMA Action. For more information, visit somajustice.org/Pride2021.
Morris County Pride brings live performances and vendors to the Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Road in Morristown, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 26. Stay tuned to morriscountypride.org for tickets and more information.
Pride Days
The Long Branch Pride Flag Raising is 6 p.m. Friday, June 4 at West End Park, Brighton Avenue.
The first Garfield Pride Celebration happens 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 5, at 20th Century Field, 75 Elizabeth St. The event will feature food and other vendors, as well as music from DJ PMC. For more information, visit garfieldnj.org.
Ariel Versace, a New Jersey star from the 11th season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” will be part of the Pride Parade at Haddon Township Pride, 6 p.m. Thursday, June 10, on Haddon Avenue from Strawbridge Avenue to Crystal Lake Avenue. Haddon Township’s first Pride celebration, the long weekend also will include SoHa Pride Fest at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 12, at the SoHa Arts Building, 1001 White Horse Pike. For more information, visit htpride.com.
Pride in the Park is 1 p.m. Saturday, June 12, at Red Bank’s Riverside Gardens Park, West Front Street. Visit redbanknj.org for more information.
North Jersey Pride’s Pride Picnic is 3 p.m. Sunday, June 13 at Memorial Park, 580 Valley St., Maplewood. Stay tuned to northjerseypride.org/the-picnic for all the latest information.
Southern New Jersey LGBTQA Pride hosts its Pride Day, with the theme of #YouAreIncluded, from noon to 6 p.m. Sept. 12 at Cooper River Park in Cherry Hill; visit jerseygaypride.com.
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Asbury Park happenings
Georgie’s Bar, Fifth Avenue and Memorial Drive, has a whole weekend of festivities planned to help kick off Pride month. George’s Pride Weekend starts with the Hotties and Oddities Drag Revue with Tastie, Morrigan and DJ Uncle’s Nephew at 9 p.m. Thursday, June 3. DJ Mikey Mo and DJ Tallspeedy will be there at 9 p.m. Friday, June 4, followed by karaoke with DJ Ted on 9 p.m. Saturday, June 5, and drag brunch with Divinity Banks and DJ Mick Hale at noon on Sunday, June 5.
Presented by #QueensForACause, the #REALBoozyBrunch happening at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday, June 5, at Cross and Orange, 508 Cookman Ave., includes live drag performances by Miss Savannah Georgia, Divinity Banks, Demi Gawdess, Ivanna Peessa, Kimmi Hall-Dat and Kotton! It is hosted by Victoria Courtez and Anita Sigg.
The brunch has bottomless mimosas and a prix fixe menu, with 20% of the proceeds supporting the Asbury Park-based Project REAL and its work helping LGBTQ youth. For tickets ($75) and more information, email event co-presenter the Asbury Park Kiwanis Club at info@asburyparkkiwanis.org.
The fifth annual Pulse Memorial and Project REAL Benefit, marking the anniversary of the 2016 Orlando nightclub shootings and supporting Project REAL’s work, happens at noon Sunday, June 13, in the park across the street from Georgie’s at Fifth and Main Street. Cover is a $10 minimum donation, and the day will feature live music by Chill Smith, Heather Hills, Des and the Swagmatics, David Ross Lawn and Blaise, the Black Flamingos, and the Shady Street Show Band.
The benefit will include drag performances by Pissi Myles, Rhedd Rhumm, Lady Celestina, Kinsey Spectrum, Janelle Galliano and more, with DJ Jay Insult keeping the music going between sets.
Looking ahead, the New Jersey LGBTQ Pride Parade, Rally and Festival, an Asbury Park fixture since 1992 historically held on the first Sunday in June, is scheduled to take place Oct. 10; visit jerseypride.org.
‘Accepted and welcomed’
Joe Cole, general manager of Asbury Park hotspot Georgie’s, understands the importance of LGBTQ-friendly bars and other destinations to the community.
“I know a lot of people deal with health issues and mental issues, anxiety, depression,” Cole told the Asbury Park Press in 2020. “But especially for the LGBT community, a lot of people were disowned by their family. They don’t have a good home life, sometimes work doesn’t accept them.”
Cole said Georgie’s is “a place where a gay person or trans (people), anyone, can go without being judged, and they always feel welcome and they always feel like they can be safe here.”
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Like Georgie’s, which opened in 1999, many of these safe spaces have been around for decades. In 1998, music producer Shep Pettibone bought the then-vacant Empress Hotel in Asbury Park; he opened the nightclub Paradise on the premises in 1999, and reopened the hotel in 2005.
“We were here and were always a place of home for those people to go when they felt they had nowhere else to go and couldn’t be comfortable in their own skin — and here they could just be who they are, not be judged and be accepted and welcomed,” Kelly J. Martin, event coordinator for Paradise, told The Press last year.
If you go
New Jersey’s LGBTQ-friendly destinations include:
Headroom Lounge: 150 Bay St., Jersey City; 201-614-4046, headroomlounge.com.
Club Feathers: 77 Kinderkamack Road, River Edge; 201-342-6410, clubfeathers.com.
Georgie’s Bar: 812 Fifth Ave., Asbury Park; 732-988-1220, georgiesbarap.com.
Paradise: 101 Asbury Ave., Asbury Park; 732-988-6663, paradisenj.com.
Vera Bar and Grill: 2310 Marlton Pike West, Cherry Hill; 856-486-1001, verabarandgrill.com.
Alex Biese has been writing about art, entertainment, culture and news on a local and national level for more than 15 years.
