We Northwestern folk may love our food and drink by the small-batch, but we love our love by the heaping ton—and perhaps no occasion is a better emblem of this than the region’s annual Pride Month celebrations. In fact, our corner of the country is renowned for throwing two of the most prominent Pride parties in the West—Seattle bills its PrideFest event as “the largest free Pride festival in America,” and Portland prides itself on hosting “the largest LGBTQ cultural celebration between San Francisco and Seattle.”
As the two major cities gear up to celebrate the LGBTQ community nearly one year after the Supreme Court’s landmark same-sex marriage ruling and in light of recent events, both are setting the stage with opportunities to raise a glass with friends and allies. Read on for a bite-sized overview of the many events, promotions and special-edition sippers to come. When your fancies are inevitably tickled, check out the city-specific links for comprehensive rosters.
Portland | Portland Pride Festival: June 18-19 at Tom McCall Waterfront Park
Events and locations vary; Complete schedule and details at pridenw.org
For the 10th year running, in addition to backing its hometown Pride weekend as an official sponsor, the Rose City’s Hip Chicks Do Wine will be keeping thirsty crowds hydrated with three special edition Pride Wines: Out and Proud White, a 100 percent stainless steel-fermented Pinot Gris; Loud and Proud Red, the label’s 2013 Tempranillo; and Sappho’s Sweet Delight, a sweet blush blend of Pinot Gris, Muscat, Riesling and Zinfandel. As if these weren’t three good enough reasons to lift a stem, the less than 50 cases worth of limited-supply wine is all donated, allowing a portion of the proceeds to help cover festival expenses and any leftover money to be used toward Pride NW scholarship funds. For samples, or to pick up a coveted bottle, look for Hip Chicks Do Wine’s booth at the Waterfront Festival.
June bears double the fruit for the beer-inclined festivalgoer, as Portland Pride overlaps with the finale of Portland Beer Week. Among several beer-soaked Pride events, River Pig Saloon will be serving up special edition PRIDE cans from Montana-based Montucky Cold Snacks at its weekend kickoff party on Thursday, June 16 (also look for the cans in several Seattle outlets for the Emerald City’s festival). Get pumped for the parade with live music, tallboys and a colorful selection of Montucky Pride swag and freebie giveaways all night long. The best part? A dollar from each of the first 500 Cold Snacks sold will be donated to enrich the LGBTQ safe space at Portland’s Q Center.
Saturday and Sunday bring more opportunities to say cheers to a worthy cause, including the Cascade Aids Foundation Fundraiser at Stag PDX. There, keep the rounds of Hop Valley coming until last call, as each pint fuels the festivity while simultaneously benefiting the organization.
Seattle | Seattle PrideFest/Pride Parade: June 26
Events and locations vary; Complete schedule and details at seattlepride.org and seattlepridefest.org
Capitol Hill’s Optimism Brewing is celebrating Pride Month with the recent release of its Pride Saison. The light and fruity brew is now available in the taproom, where Seattleites can enjoy a pint in an inclusive setting featuring gender-neutral bathrooms, a kids play area and a tip-free policy. Each sale also means another dollar donated toward Gay City, a nonprofit whose mission to promote holistic wellness among the LGBTQ community provides free and anonymous HIV testing, support for queer arts and artists, and connects locals to the services they need.
Leading up to the action on the final weekend of June, Fremont Brewing will tap its own Fremont Pride beer. Kickoff the upcoming festivities at the release party on Wednesday, June 22, and get your fill of the special edition kölsch featuring Mosaic hops and Skagit Valley malts and wheats, or opt for either of the brewery’s two Fremont Pride randalls— all in support of the Greater Seattle Business Association Scholarship Fund and Tacoma’s Rainbow Center.
All month long, Seattleites can also take advantage of several drink and dining specials from an extensive list of citywide Dine with Pride partners.
Outside of Seattle and Portland, Boise’s Pride Fest is going on this week until Sunday while Montana’s Big Sky Pride goes down in Great Falls, running July 17-19. In British Columbia, Pride Month takes over July, with parades in Victoria on Sunday, July 10, and in Vancouver on Sunday, July 31.
For updates and information on how locals can receive or demonstrate support following the recent tragedy in Orlando, visit the festivals’ respective Facebook pages at Seattle Pride and Portland Pride.
