From Provincetown To Boston, Here Are 12 Events To Celebrate Pride Month In Massachusetts

MASSACHUSETTS — Pride flags are set to rise in cities and towns across Massachusetts as Pride month begins this week.

Pride month begins in earnest across the country starting on Thursday, and Massachusetts will play a big part by hosting events and ceremonies in one of the country's biggest cities, and in one of its most important in LGBTQ+ life.

In Boston, Pride For The People are set to host a now annual festival and parade on June 10, which comes one week after Provincetown kicks off the opening weekend of pride in one of America's most important havens for the LGBTQ+ community.

Even in communities where parades and bigger events aren't scheduled, there will be flag-raising ceremonies across the Commonwealth, including in Salem.

In Provincetown, pride celebrations look different than in the smaller towns across the state. Parties, art shows and panels discussing the current effects of our nation's politics on LGBTQ+ life across the country stretch across the weekend.

But there are plenty of events, parties and ceremonies happening across Massachusetts. Below, Patch has compiled a list of 10 events happening throughout the month. For more information on each, click the individual link:

• Provincetown Pride, June 2-4
• Tewksbury Pride Lights, June 2
• Watertown Pride Extravaganza, June 3
• Newburyport Pride Parade, June 3
• Waltham Pride Festival, June 3
• Quincy Pride Festival, June 4
• Framingham Pride Ceremony, June 4
• Boston Dyke March, June 9
• Boston Pride For The People Festival and Parade, June 10
• Provincetown Frolic – Men of Color Weekend, June 15-19
• North Shore Pride Festival, June 24
• Revere Beach Pride, June 25

Pride Month occurs during June in deference to the Stonewall Uprising, a tipping point in the struggle for equality among people who identify as LGBTQ. New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969. Such raids were common, but patrons fought back, resulting in days of violent clashes across Greenwich village.

The observance started as Gay Pride Day on the last Sunday in June, but soon grew to the point that June calendars are packed with pride parades, parties, workshops, symposiums and concerts across the nation and around the world.