Wed. June 19, 2024
Happy Birthday, Grindr, celebrating 15 years with millions of users worldwide, particularly in Chicago, a city with strong ties to the popular gay hook-up app.
The Grindr Rides America Tour has been cruising, pun intended, across America, including the ride of a lifetime on the Grindr Bus. The Chicago stop coincides with the annual Chicago Pride Fest and it’s the only stop on the tour that’s two days.
“We’re spending more time in Chicago than any other city in America,” said Tristan Pineiro, vice president brand marketing and communications at Grindr.
The tour kicked off May 29 in San Francisco and has stopped in West Hollywood, Phoenix, New Orleans, Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale and Columbus. After Chicago, the final stops are in Pittsburgh and New York City.
“It’s been a blast,” Pineiro said of the tour, which has had many highlights, such as:
- Big Freedia performing their New Orleans headlining Pride set right outside the Grindr bus.
- In West Hollywood. popular streamer Hasan Piker stopped by the bus and included content featuring Grindr Rides America for around 20 minutes of his Twitch stream and even spanked another streamer.
“Queues for the Grindr bus (wrap) around the block at every stop,” Pineiro said. “It’s been an amazing experience to meet so many Grindr users in all their beautiful diversity. Hearing their stories has been such a treat and reminds us of the importance of Pride.”
Grindr users can improve their profile pic at Tour stops, using two full-service portrait photography studios on board the tour bus.
The Chicago stop will include local queens Olaysia, Allura, Sasha Love and Alexandria Diamond, plus highway hunks, free swag and Grindr Unlimited giveaways.
The Q-Care Plus team will also be onsite to discuss their holistic approach to healthcare, including HIV and STI prevention and more.
Pineiro said Chicago is truly a top destination for Grindr, no pun intended. Out of 10 cities surveyed, Chicago is the chattiest, with “Chat” rated No. 1 among ‘Looking For’ rankings. Chicagoans use their mouth for more than just chat, with “Oral” being the most popular than any other city, he said.
“Users from Phoenix and Wilton Manors (in South Florida) also love a good chat, but no one beats Chicago,” Pineiro said. “Chicago is majorly orally fixated, with the highest percentage of people with “Oral’ as a top kink.”
Also from Chicago:
- Blondest city: Chicago’s got blonde ambition, ranking as the blondest city out of the 10 cities, according to the Grindr survey.
- Dick pics: While Grindr users are no strangers to dick pics, Chicago has the highest percentage of dick pic lovers out of the surveyed cities.
At Pride Fest, attendees can meet muscle-packed highway hunks, including Graham, David, Ben and Leo.
“Grindr is all about making the community feel good, so partnering with Q Care Plus was a no-brainer,” Pineiro said. “They’ll provide even more fun and excitement around LGBTQ+, gender-affirming, and sexual health and wellness care.”
Grindr users voted for their local hot spots and created The Gay Travel Guide to Chicago. Local winners:
Best Gym: Steamworks
Best Hotel in Chicago: Best Western Plus Hawthorne Terrace
Best Gay Bar in CHI: Sidetrack Bar
Best Queer Owned Business: The Men's Room
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Head to the local LGBTQ news, events, directory and people network at ChicagoPride.com