This article was published on July 9th, 2015

Wow, what an incredible way to end Pride month! New York Pride 2015 weekend kicked off with a landmark ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, where it was determined to be unconstitutional to ban same-sex marriages. This ruling paves the way for lawmakers to pass legislation granting same-sex marriage rights in all jurisdictions in the United States. The announcement came just hours before the official New York Pride festivities kicked-off, creating a buzz of excitement and emotion.

Before the weekend kicked off, Voss Events held the Marquee Pride Opener party on the Thursday night, where award-winning singer / songwriter, Adam Lambert headlined. It was an over-the-top event with outrageous costumes, wild performances, and bold personalities, with the likes of Amanda Lepore making an appearance.

Friday night New York Pride kicked-off with The Rally, held on Pier 28 on the Hudson River. The event featured a special performance by Ashanti.

Friday night also saw Matinee Pride Jungle, a late-night circuit party. Fur, camouflage, feathers, and face paint were the basis of many peoples elaborate costumes. The highlight of the night was a performance by a tribe of sexy jungle men, followed by a fire and flame show.

Saturday daytime saw two competing rooftop party events, the official New York Pride rooftop party and the Matinee Pride event just a couple of blocks away. Both were well attended, however, the rain definitely put a damper on the spirits of many until the libations started to flow, then the parties really got started.

Saturday night there were choices of the WE Party and the Voss Events Bathhouse parties. The WE Party was the first-pick for most partygoers, however, the Bathhouse event by Voss Events was well attended, primarily because of the third-floor clothing-optional area, for those who were bold and wanted to shed a few layers.

Some decided to keep the party, heading to the Matinee Action Pride party, held from 5am-11am, which featured DJ Billy Lace alongside DJ Hannah.

About the time the Matinee Pride event was ending, hundreds of thousands of people were lining up along the New York Pride March route. Despite the threat of rain, the annual pride march was in high spirits, as people continued to celebrate the U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Rainbow flags were proudly waived high in the air. Colourful costumes, creative floats, marching bands, community organizations, drag queens, and every other spectrum of the LGBT community were all out in full force for the parade which lasted over four hours!

Sunday was furry of events, hence New York Pride celebrations were all happening in a New York Minute. From the Dance on the Pier in lower Manhattan, the local bars and clubs with their own festivities, to the Voss Events Night of 1000 Queens, there were plenty of events to choose from.

The Sunday night highlight was the Matinee New York yacht cruise, which featured performances by Grammy-Winner Ray Dalton of Macklemore as well as C+C Music Factory legendary diva Deborah Cooper performing a medley of her hits, including Pride, A Deeper Love and Live You All Over! The yacht cruise went on a spectacular tour down the Hudson River, around the Statue of Liberty, and back up the Manhattan skyline.

Sunday night wrapped up with a giant fireworks show, which could be seen throughout much of Manhattan.

Throughout the weekend, both the Empire State Building and the Freedom Tower were both lit up in a rainbow of colours high atop their respective towers.

New York Pride is one of the most fun, rushed, and exciting Pride events to attend. If you are going to attend, plan on spending only a period of time at each event, ideally for the main performance, because there’s a lot of pack in for one weekend. Jumping from event-to-event will get you to all the biggest and hottest parties. It’s a city that never sleeps, especially during Pride!