Inside The Best New York City Pride Parties of 2025
The queer rights movement began at a New York City bar, and if the LGBTQ+ community isn’t going all out in the city on the final weekend of June, something must have gone seriously wrong. The ruling party may be pushing unfriendly policies, and several brands may have reassigned their community advocacy outreach budgets, but the New York City Pride party circuit endures. This year’s crop mixes old school camp, culture, fashion, activism, and, of course, a few surprise diva performances. Here, your pictorial ticket inside NYC’s hottest pride parties.
Tanner Fletcher Pride Variety Show
Should a conversation lag between any two gay men who’ve just met, the question, “So do you watch Real Housewives or RuPaul’s Drag Race?” is an almost guaranteed way to start it back up. Tanner Fletcher said, “Why not both?”
The young American brand teamed up with Cash App to throw a pride variety show at So and So’s at the Romer Hotel on Wednesday night that ran the gamut of queer interest from Housewives to Drag Race to Broadway musical to sanctified pop divas.
The participation of Bosco, currently competing on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 10, was no surprise. She mingled about the room in a slinky red dress, which naturally got stripped off during her burlesque-inspired number.
Tanner Richie and Fletcher Kasell, the Midwestern-bred partners both in the label and life, acted as the evening’s emcees. They kept the introduction of a supposedly iconic performer “vague,” before none other than the Countess Luann de Lesseps burst through the venue’s backdoor to launch into renditions of “Chic C’est La Vie” and “Money Can’t Buy You Class.” Naturally, she wore a custom Tanner Fletcher dress. Though we assume the fedora should be credited as “Housewife’s own.”
Broadway star Nichelle Lewis was introduced as the first woman Tanner Fletcher ever dressed for The Met Gala (she attended the 2024 edition alongside her co-stars from The Wiz), and the crowd should consider itself lucky for that. With a show-stopping voice, she sang two songs, including a spirited rendition of Aretha Franklin’s classic “Respect.”
And for that perfect dose of unexpected camp, the same celebrity impersonator both opened and closed the show, first as Dolly Parton and then as Liza Minnelli. It ended with an impassioned sing-along to “New York, New York.” If we can make it here, perhaps we can make it anywhere, as the song goes, but it’s nights like these that make us grateful we don’t live anywhere else.
BOOM Pride at The Standard
It’s never a true party week in New York without an all-out rager at BOOM at The Standard High Line. The nightlife staple kicked off Pride with a star-studded affair 18 floors up with a DJ set by Kaytranada and a bar top performance by Justin Skye.
In a sea of mesh tops, Diesel logo hardware, and artfully cut tank tops, Andy Cohen (seen here with Bruce Bozzi, CT Hedden, and Jaycie O'Day) held court in a vintage Madonna tour t-shirt.
Spotting Drag Race winner Aquaria with New York City Councilman Chi Ossé? That’s the future liberals want.
