CLEVELAND (May 31, 2022) – Summer is right around the corner, and the calendar is filling up to include both new and annual events. With several Pride Month and Juneteenth activities planned, the start of the new season offers ample opportunity for residents to reflect on and celebrate the history and impact of some of the city’s diverse communities and cultures.
HEALTH & SAFETY ALERT: Safety protocols vary by venue and, in some cases, by event at venues. Residents are encouraged to review both venue and event-specific protocols before arriving at an event.
PRIDE IN THE LAND
The Cleveland community is gearing up for the largest local Pride celebration to date. In a city where people are encouraged to come as they are, celebrating the area’s LGBTQ culture extends far beyond a one-day march and festival.
Pride in the CLE
Pride in the CLE, the premiere event of Pride Month, returns to an in-person format for the first time since 2019 over the first weekend in June. This year’s activities begin with Flat Out Pride on Friday, June 3 in the Flats East Bank. The next day, Clevelanders and visitors alike can celebrate the city’s vibrant LBGTQ community with a march and the Pride in the CLE festival on Malls B &C, which will include vendors, food and drink and live entertainment. The weekend wraps up with night two of Flat Out Pride, featuring live performances and festive food and drink specials.
- Flat Out Pride: Friday, June 3 from 7 p.m. - midnight & Saturday, June 4 from 6 - 10:30 p.m.;
Flats East Bank
- Pride in the CLE festival: Saturday, June 4, noon - 6 p.m.; Malls B & C (300 St. Clair Ave. NE)
- More information and full schedule of events available online
Platform Pride Martian 5K
Runners will rock their best rainbow attire for Platform Beer Co.’s inaugural
Pride Martian 5K. The race, which benefits the
LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland, starts and finishes in front of Platform’s Ohio City taproom. Race participants are encouraged to rock their most colorful ensembles, with prizes being handed out for the best costume as well as top race finishers. Platform will also donate $5 of each case of Pride Martian sold throughout the state to LGBTQ causes.
- Saturday, June 11, race begins at 9 a.m.
- Platform Beer Co.: 4125 Lorain Ave., Cleveland
- Registration ($25) available online
Pride Crawl Cleveland
Billed as “the proudest bar crawl of the year,”
Pride Crawl Cleveland includes stops at several of the city’s top LGBTQ nightlife hotspots. Participants will enjoy festive drink specials at stops including Velvet Dog, Vibe Bar & Patio, Cocktails Cleveland, Symposium Nightclub and The Hawk. A portion of the event’s proceeds will be donated to The Trevor Project, the world’s largest crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ young people.
- Saturday, June 18, 4 p.m. - midnight
- Details and tickets ($15-$20) available online
Guardians’ Pride Night
Celebrate Pride at Progressive Field during the 2022 Cleveland Guardians Pride Night. A special
ticket package gets attendees seats to the game along with a limited-edition Guardians pride t-shirt. A portion of the proceeds from each ticket package will benefit the Plexus Education Fund.
- Saturday, June 25 at 6:10 p.m.
- Progressive Field, 2401 Ontario St., Cleveland
- Purchase ticket package online using code PRIDE
Stonewall National Tournament & Summit
The celebration of Cleveland’s LGBTQ community and history continues into July as the city plays host to the
Stonewall National Tournament & Summit, presented by KeyBank. The event will bring thousands of athletes and supporters from across the country for competition in sports including kickball, beach volleyball, bocce and more. The weekend will also feature a summit, bringing together tournament participants and spectators to discuss how to better serve queer and trans athletes. Clevelanders can watch the competitions and even join in the post-tournament social parties by becoming a
Friend of Stonewall.
- Friday, July 8 - Sunday, July 10
- Various locations; full schedule available online
Pride Ride
The
Cleveland Pride Ride will take over the streets on the near west side in October, extending the spirit of Pride beyond the traditional June celebration. Riders will decorate cars, bikes and themselves to celebrate LGBTQ History Month. Those hoping to join the ride on two wheels or on foot can get some practice (and exercise) in, thanks to Destination Cleveland’s new
Trailheads + Parks Passport, presented by Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District. The passport highlights 26 local trails for bikers, hikers and walkers, along with special deals and discounts at local businesses near each trail.
Find more ways to celebrate the LGBTQ community in Cleveland during Pride Month and year-round by visiting ThisisCleveland.com/LGBTQCulture.
COMMEMORATING BLACK FREEDOM & CONTRIBUTIONS
Several returning events, along with a few new experiences, will give residents the opportunity to reflect and expand their knowledge about Juneteenth, the city’s Black culture and Cleveland’s role in the fight to bring slaves to freedom.
Cleveland Juneteenth Freedom Fest
After the success of 2021’s inaugural event, the
MetroHealth Cleveland Juneteenth Freedom Fest will return to Mall C on June 18 to highlight the history and culture of Cleveland’s Black community. The family-friendly celebration will feature a mainstage performance by
Karamu House, the oldest producing African-American theater in the nation, along with other community programming, a vendor village of Black-owned businesses, interactive art demonstrations, food trucks, spoken-word performances and more. It all wraps up with fireworks over Downtown Cleveland.
- Saturday, June 18, noon - 10 p.m.
- Mall C: 300 St. Clair Ave. NE, Cleveland
Juneteenth Celebration in Coventry Village
The Juneteenth celebration in Coventry Village, now in its third year, aims to honor the freedom and contributions of the Black community in Cleveland Heights and beyond. Attendees can support more than 50 Black-owned businesses at the vendor fair and enjoy live performances, poets, speakers and live art from Black artists. Face painting, craft stations, field day activities and a free showing of Pixar’s SOUL make the event fun for the whole family.
- Sunday, June 19, 1 - 9 p.m.
- Coventry Village: Coventry Rd., Cleveland Heights
Juneteenth at Dunham Tavern
MidTown Cleveland will host a free
Juneteenth Celebration at the historic Dunham Tavern Museum. The community-driven event will promote unity through music, dancing, spoken word poetry and other performances. Attendees will also enjoy free food, vendors, crafts and more.
- Saturday, June 18, noon - 3 p.m.
- Dunham Tavern Museum: 6709 Euclid Ave., Cleveland
From Kwanzaa to Juneteenth
The Juneteenth holiday falls just about six months from Kwanzaa, and Cleveland History Center will celebrate both at its
“From Kwanzaa to Juneteenth” event. The cultural program commemorating Black freedom will include music, crafts, storytelling, games and refreshments. The program is free with museum admission.
- Thursday, June 16, 5 - 7 p.m.
- Cleveland History Center: 10825 East Blvd., Cleveland
- Advance ticket reservations suggested; available online
Rid-All Green Partnership: Guess Who's Cooking Juneteenth Celebration Dinner
Foodies looking for a unique – and delicious – way to observe Juneteenth should grab their tickets for Rid-All Green Partnership’s five-course
Juneteenth dinner. Chef Eric Wells will serve traditional southern fare including fresh tilapia raised on the urban farm located in Cleveland’s Kinsman neighborhood. All proceeds benefit the
Rid-All Green Partnership, which provides fresh produce to neighborhood institutions and residents.
- Saturday, June 18; two seatings: 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
- Tickets ($100) available online
Commemorating Black Freedom Year-Round
Clevelanders can reflect on African Americans’ fight for freedom beyond just Juneteenth by visiting local landmarks that were noteworthy in the emancipation movement. The
Cozad-Bates House, which is the only surviving pre-Civil War structure in University Circle, houses an interpretive center focusing on the neighborhood’s history during the abolitionist movement. Residents can visit the center or walk the grounds, where art and educational signage highlight the local people and places of the Underground Railroad.
St. John’s Episcopal Church in Ohio City was at the center of the fight against slavery as part of the Underground Railroad. Known to many as “Station Hope,” the bell tower served as a hideout for runaway slaves who would use it to watch for the signal from boats on Lake Erie that would take them to freedom.
For a closer look at Black culture in Cleveland and ways to celebrate the history and contributions of Black Clevelanders, visit ThisisCleveland.com/blackculture.
DON’T FORGET: Destination Cleveland’s Concierge Team is available to help residents and their visiting family and friends explore the region. Contact the team via email (
[email protected]), live chat at
thisiscleveland.com, or stop at the Cleveland Visitors Center (334 Euclid Ave., Cleveland) Tues. - Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. for planning assistance.
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ABOUT DESTINATION CLEVELAND: Destination Cleveland is Cleveland’s destination marketing and management organization. This private, non-profit organization’s mission is to drive economic impact and stimulate community vitality for Greater Cleveland through leisure and business travel. In 2020, the COVID-19 global pandemic reduced visitation by 30 percent, with 13.8 million visits occurring. Prior to the pandemic, Cleveland hosted 19.6 million visits annually, with the County experiencing annual visitation increases that surpassed the domestic travel growth rate for nine consecutive years. For more information, visit www.thisiscleveland.com.