This June, a gorgeous spectrum of light will bring the streets to life in honor of Pride Month. “Miles of Pride” will span Third Street Promenade and Santa Monica Place, with an extension of the theme carried through other landmarks like the City Hall, Santa Monica Pier, and the Main Street Santa Monica Travel and Tourism visitors center.
LGBTQIA+ Pride Month, or SaMo PRIDE, as presented by the City of Santa Monica, aims to enhance community connection through art, culture and conversations while paying tribute to the diversity of love. The month-long celebration will commence with a family storytime on June 1 at noon at Cayton Children’s Museum, and the vivid display will be turned on at 5 p.m. on the first, marking the start of a calendar filled with exciting events.
Browse the Made with Pride Marketplace every Friday, Saturday and Sunday throughout June, featuring over 15 inspiring LGBTQIA+ makers and artisans. This will include Amanda Wallace’s artwork and workshops sprinkled throughout the month. What sets this marketplace apart is that all business owners get free space and retain 100% of their profits generated.
On June 3 and 10, you can catch another fun and fabulous Drag Queen Story Hour at 12 p.m. at the Cayton Children’s Museum, where bold role models put on an interactive show full of positivity and imagination. Later, as the sun sinks into the horizon, you and your pup can head to the beachside at Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel for a Pride Pawty. There’ll be DJs, temporary tattoos and complimentary puptails on the go.
Every weekend, live DJs will be spinning tunes beneath the glowing “Lanterns of Love” art installation across Center Plaza with the Angel City Market, Pride Bar Crawl and the iconic Pride Prom happening on Saturday, June 18.
Bringing the month to a close is the City Council Pride ProclamationCity Hall, when Council will officially recognize June as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month in Santa Monica with a proclamation written and performed by Phran.
For the complete list of events and activities happening, you can visit the official SaMo Pride website here.