When the Capital Pride Parade takes to the streets on Saturday, it will be on a new route — a straight shot down 14th Street NW, instead of the winding path through Logan and Dupont circles. It will also finish with a new ticketed event: a tea dance featuring DJs and drag queens on Pennsylvania Avenue NW, the site of Sunday’s Capital Pride Festival. The reason, says Ryan Bos, the executive director of the Capital Pride Alliance, is that the organization is treating this year’s Pride as “a dress rehearsal for WorldPride,” the global gathering expected to draw 3 million people to Washington in June 2025.
The new parade route “provides a lot of great opportunities,” Bos says. “The roads are much wider, so there’s less obstructions from trees overhead, and there’ll be an opportunity to have bigger floats. Maybe next year we’ll have some balloon carriers.” Parade organizers are creating a viewing area on Thomas Circle and bringing back bleacher seating on a “grandstand” near Freedom Plaza, where the parade turns from 14th Street onto Pennsylvania Avenue. Organizers are expecting about 300 groups to participate, and for the parade to take around four hours to complete once it begins at 3 p.m.
The parade has followed different paths over the years: The most recent change, in 2022, reversed the route entirely, switching the starting line from 21st and P streets NW to 14th and T. But it has evolved with the times, too, once ending at Freedom Plaza or Thomas Circle before the growing number of restaurants and business — and LGBTQ residents — made it more attractive to redirect the march north on 14th toward U Street.
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As the parade has grown, Bos says, “there has been some pressure to move the parade to Constitution Avenue, where the cherry blossom and the Fourth of July parades take place. We advocated very hard that the Pride parade is about community and neighborhoods, so there is huge importance for it to have a connection and be a part of our community and our local fabric.”
That community will be on display Saturday, even if the parade is sticking to 14th Street: The strip of bars on 17th Street between P and S streets is hosting a block party from noon to 10 p.m. with DJs and drag performances, and a beverage garden that will allow visitors to drink in the street. Stead Park, on P Street, is hosting the Family Area, with activities, games, a playground and drag story hour. The crowds won’t be able to see the parade pass as usual, but it’s a place to pregame before the parade begins, or to head after your favorite group has walked by.
And if you don’t love the new route, just remember it’s temporary: The route “will likely change in 2026,” Bos says. “In terms of going all the way down 14th Street, that is likely something the city does not want to do on a permanent basis. ”
Where to watch the parade
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The reconfigured route means that marchers won’t pass some favorite viewing locations, including Dupont Circle and the block party at 17th and P streets. That might mean even more viewers trying to cram into restaurant patios, streateries and sidewalks on the popular upper portion of 14th Street — say, north of P. There are fewer restaurants and patios in the downtown 14th Street corridor, but this might also mean more sidewalk space, especially around Franklin Park and Freedom Plaza, or in front of the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center or the Waldorf Astoria Hotel along Pennsylvania Avenue.
A viewing area is being set up in the grassy area of Thomas Circle, with tickets available by donation ($5 or $10), while the official grandstand is on Freedom Plaza (tickets $25).
Another option is the tea dance on Pennsylvania Avenue between Fourth and Seventh streets NW, which is where the parade finishes. It features 1980s and ’90s music and a beverage garden while you wait for marchers to arrive. The tea dance (tickets $10-$15) opens at 3 p.m., which is when the parade starts.
Where to eat and drink during the parade
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As noted above, restaurant patios between T and P streets are going to be very popular. Arrive early if you want to watch from reservation-free places like Aslin (open at 11 a.m.) or Garden District (open at noon). There’s entertainment, too, with DJs at Trade beginning at 2 p.m. and Chicken + Whiskey starting at 3, with $5 shots all weekend.
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Le Diplomate sold out its streetside chalets ($250 or $500 per table), but there are still reservations to be had at Sette Osteria, while Etto’s patio is first-come, first served. The Hamilton Hotel is raising money for the Capital Pride Alliance with its retro-themed PridePOP pop-up bar, but it also has a party on its patio hosted in conjunction with the nonprofit sports organization Team D.C. beginning at 3 p.m. ($25).
Want a bird’s eye view of the festivities? Skybox, the rooftop bar at Player’s Club overlooking 14th and Rhode Island Avenue NW, opens at 2 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis.
Some restaurants get creative — Cork Wine Bar, near the starting line, is selling canned wines and cider and cones of fries and truffled popcorn out of its front windows, while Michelin-starred Bresca is serving seltzers and hot dogs.
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If you don’t want to stand outside, ChurchKey’s large windows make it an attractive place to watch the action near 14th and Rhode Island, and doors open at noon. Black Whiskey is narrower but also has windows looking down on 14th Street. The Hamilton, farther down the route, will also have room for walk-ins in its bar area, which faces 14th Street.
Where to take your kids
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The official family zone is at Stead Park, on P Street between 16th and 17th streets, where there are craft activities, drag queen story time (11 a.m. and 1 p.m.), games and a playground. Partners include the National Children’s Museum, Rainbow Families and Playtime Project. The event runs from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., making it the ideal pre-parade activity.
For viewing the parade, consider taking active kids to Franklin Park, at 14th and K streets, where there are benches, a children’s garden and plenty of room to run around while they’re waiting for the parade (or just getting bored). Freedom Plaza and Pershing Park, at 14th and Pennsylvania, offer similar wide-open spaces.
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Other things to do before and after the parade
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Saturday’s tea dance, which has a “Flashback” ’80s and ’90s theme, will run concurrently with the parade. Featured at the event are “RuPaul’s Drag Race” performers Aquaria and Naomi Smalls and DJs ranging from D.C. favorite Cake Pop to Studio 54 veteran Robbie Leslie. The entrance is at the intersection of Constitution Avenue and Sixth Street NW, across from the National Gallery of Art. Ticket proceeds benefit the new LGBTQ+ Community Center.
The 17th Street strip near Dupont Circle has long been home to a variety of LGBTQ-centered businesses, such as the historic Annie’s Paramount Steak House. The 17th Street Block Party, which closes the road between P and S streets on Saturday, allows guests to wander with their adult beverages while checking out DJs, drag king and queen performances hosted by Citrine, and food and drink specials and participating restaurants. If you want to watch the parade, it’s a three-block stroll away. The party runs from noon to 10 p.m., and admission is free.
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Join parade grand marshals Keke Palmer and Billy Porter, the Pride 2024 honorees, and other supporters at the Viceroy Hotel on Saturday for the Crack of Noon Pride Parade Brunch, with mimosas and an all-you-can-eat buffet. The food and drinks flow from noon until 3 p.m., when it’s time to head outside to the viewing stand on Thomas Circle. Tickets are $70, or $85 with bottomless mimosas, and benefit the Capital Pride Alliance and the Pride 365 Fund.
For more Pride activities, see our roundup of weekend events.
