Where to Celebrate Pride 2025 in Lower Manhattan

June is a strong contender for greatest month of the year in New York City. Graduations are popping, the weather is delightful, baseball is in full swing and, on top of all that, it’s Pride, the biggest month-long celebration (and party!) of the whole year. Here are a few downtown Pride events to start June out strong:
Pride concerts at Brookfield Place
Brookfield Place’s Pride celebrations are coming out; outside that is, to the waterfront bars and restaurants on the banks of the Hudson. You can buy an exclusive Pride cocktail at the Tartinery Shack, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the NEW Pride Agenda.
The live music schedule kicks off on June 4 with a lunchtime DJ set from P41DZ running from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Music returns that evening from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. with a live performance from STEFA* and a DJ set from Oscar Nñ.
There’s more music on June 25, with another lunchtime DJ set from Anito Soul, and an evening live performance from J. Hoard, followed by A D A I R. All performances are free and open to the public.
Youth Pride at the Seaport
It’s a block-party style celebration of queer youth at the Seaport’s Youth Pride on June 28. Resources for trans- and queer-affirming support and services will be on hand, along with carnival games and attractions, musical performances, free food and more.
Get lit (up) at the Oculus
The Oculus is turning its light show over the rainbow during Pride month. Celebrate with the shopping hub’s special lighting and Pride flags from June 26 through 29. The celebration gets groovy on June 26 with a Pride on the Plaza silent disco starting at 8 p.m. RSVP and more details here.
Catch the comic masterpiece “The Birdcage”
You’ve got two chances to see the classic ’90s gay panic farce “The Birdcage” this month. First, the movie will be shown as part of the Oculus’s outdoor film series on June 13.
If you miss that (or want to catch a second viewing) the Robin Williams/Nathan Lane classic is also showing at Lower Manhattan’s Alamo Drafthouse on June 15 (technically for Father’s Day, but this film covers your bases for both of these celebrations).
Revisit pre-Stonewall New York
Join the Downtown Alliance at Alamo Drafthouse on June 11 for a special screening of “P.S. Burn This Letter Please” followed by a talkback with co-director Jennifer Tiexiera and executive producers Craig Olsen and Richard Konigsberg. The film has been praised as “a revelatory portrait of pre-Stonewall drag culture” by the Hollywood Reporter for its journey through a hidden chapter of LGBTQ+ history in the city. Get your tickets here.
Go all out with Lower Manhattan’s best drag brunch
You don’t go to Toro Loco on a Sunday just for the food — you also go for its hour-long drag show. The queens leave it all on the dance floor all year long as they lip sync for their lives and, of course, encourage you to get nice and tipsy throughout the show. Be sure to bring your dancing shoes and expect to whoop it up, lose your voice and release your inhibitions.
Nab Pride merch and booze for a cause from Simply Wine
Simply Wine (55 Liberty St.) has launched its annual Pride collection, and the 2025 offerings do not disappoint! This year, you can grab tees, totes and super-cute wine glasses, with proceeds benefitting the Trans Lifeline, along with Gay Water vodka soda cans for folks who love to drink for a good cause. The shop will also be hosting an annual Pride Party tasting on June 13 where you can sample wines from queer winemakers, with those proceeds added to the donation total. The tasting runs from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. — don’t miss it this opportunity to get a little tipsy and give back to the queer community.