Celebrate your Pride in Charleston, South Carolina! Southern hospitality shines through every aspect of the area in this inclusive and welcoming community, including many LGBTQI + friendly events, businesses, and people to celebrate your 2024 with.
Charleston celebrates pride year-round, with significant events in the Summer and Fall. For Pride Month, join the celebration of the Charleston Pride Parade. Walk in the parade, ride along in a vehicle, or be a part of one of the many unique themed floats as the community and local organizations show their support through the heart of downtown on King Street. For those looking to celebrate in the Fall, the Charleston Pride Festival takes place every September. This annual LGBTQI+ pride event in Charleston is full of fun and joy, with activities for all ages, including local vendors, speakers, drag performers, food, and more. It’s an excellent opportunity to have a good time and connect with others who share your pride.
Park Circle is a developing neighborhood in the North Charleston region that has become very popular among the LGBTQI+ community. With a strong emphasis on creatives and artists, locally owned businesses and restaurants, and year-round events, it is home to inclusive spaces to enjoy no matter what time of year you find yourself in Charleston. During Pride month, this community goes “all out” with the annual Park Circle Pride Festival, which is returning for its fourth year in 2024. This week-long celebration of the LGBTQI+ community features one of the South's largest and most diverse pride schedules. The lineup includes an eclectic mix of events such as drag brunches, trivia, dancing, workshops, an art walk, a poetry stage, restaurant specials, panels, karaoke, trivia, a vendor market, a youth fest, a cabaret show, bingo, dance parties, drag storytime, a pride service and more. You will have fun and celebrate a great cause as the event benefits local LGBTQI+ support organizations Alliance for Full Acceptance(AFFA) and We Are Family. All are welcome to celebrate Park Circle Pride from June 5-9, 2024.
For some year-round entertainment, you will find a variety of drag performances from local Charleston establishments:
● Tin Roof in West Ashley regularly hosts a “Spicy Saturday Drag Show” once every month.
● Point Break Coffee & Drive-Thru is a local neighborhood coffee shop in the James Island area that holds Drag Bingo once a month hosted by local Queen Ava Clear.
● Well Hung Vineyard is home to fun and fabulous “themed” drag shows, with upcoming themes including Carnival, Star Wars, and Disney Villains.
● The Diva Royale Drag Queen Show and Illusions The Drag Queen Show have regular Charleston shows! They feature dinner and brunch shows, spectacular burlesque style, comedy performances, and female celebrity impersonation. Both shows occur at Aura Latin Club and occur most Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
● Dudley’s on Ann is the dedicated gay bar located downtown and features a regular schedule of drag shows and a friendly, open crowd.
Charleston is also home to many great activities and events everyone is invited to enjoy. For book lovers and curious minds, check out the Charleston Literary Festival. Founded in 2017, this premier boutique literary festival with roots in the Charleston House in the UK is regarded for presenting exceptional speakers, including Pulitzer, Booker, and Nobel prize winners, in intimate venues in the UK. Enjoy a diverse program of events curated based on literary and artistic excellence, originality, and critical acclaim. Join in on these perspective-altering conversations across ten days from November 1-10, 2024. If you prefer music, performance, and theater, the Spoleto Festival is the perfect opportunity to visit Charleston. This longstanding festival started in 1977, is entering its 48th season, and has been filling Charleston, South Carolina’s historic theaters, churches, and outdoor spaces with performances by renowned artists as well as emerging performers in opera, theater, dance, and chamber, symphonic, choral, and jazz music. Enjoy various programming across 17 days and nights this spring from May 24 – June 9, 2024.
Learn even more about the LGBTQI+ history of the area by checking out The Real Rainbow Row tour and book, and to stay up to date on all things Charleston, visit ExploreCharleston.com.