June brings a rainbow of events for Pride Month to Boystown

As LGBT Pride Month sparks festivals and political movements around the globe in June, 'Chicago's Proudest Neighborhood' is ready to host some of the city's biggest events.

Both the pride parade and the annual street festival return to Boystown. Scheduled for June 17-18, Chicago Pride Fest takes over North Halsted Street every year, turning Boystown into a huge LGBT celebration with three entertainment stages.

Music stars Taylor Dayne, Vassy, Thelma Houston and Kristine W. will each perform sets this year at Chicago Pride Fest, the Northalsted Business Alliance confirmed with ChicagoPride.com in May.

Now in it's 13th year, Chicago Pride Fest kicks off on Saturday, June 17, with Taylor Dayne, Vassy, David Hernandez, Thelma Houston, Chicago Gay Men's Chorus, Catfight, One Night Band, Girl Power Band, and Boy Band Review.

On Sunday, June 18, Carlito Olivero, Symon, Kristine W., To the 9s, Rod Tuffcurls, Abba Salute and local legends 16 Candles take to the stage.

"I consider my LGBT fans the most loyal fans, for sure," Dayne told David Atlanta in 2014. "My LGBT fans are fun and joyful to perform for and grateful!"

The festival, which is the weekend prior to the annual Chicago Pride Parade, brings together tens of thousands of LGBT supporters annually. It runs from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. down North Halsted Street from Addison to Grace. Organizers suggest a $10 donation upon entering.

The 2017 Chicago Pride Parade, which now brings more than a million visitors to the Uptown and Lakeview neighborhoods of Chicago, is slated for Sunday, June 25 starting at noon. PRIDEChicago, the parade organizers, announced in May that "Orange is the New Black" star Lea DeLaria will serve as Grand Marshal for the 48th annual parade.

Last year, the parade included a moving tribute to the 49 slain victims of the June 12, 2016 tragedy at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando. "That was a commemoration and tribute, and the right thing to do," parade organizer Richard Pfeiffer told ChicagoPride.com.

The festival and parade are coupled with other major LGBT celebrations in June, like the 36th annual Proud to Run 5K/10K run/walk and the high-concept themed dance party Neverland "Game Day", a sports-themed Pride dance party, that are both slated for June 24.

More than 100 other LGBT-focused events mark nearly every other day in June on the 2017 Chicago Pride Calendar.

Since the New York Stonewall riots in 1969, and the first Pride celebrations that followed, a multitude of events has emerged around the world. Today, over 60 countries have pride festivals that celebrate the LGBT communities.