Read dispatches from Day 1 of Pride
After a Friday that swung from glitter to handcuffs, Pride weekend rolls on — the celebration, the Dyke March and the road to Sunday’s parade. We’re following it all live.
Here’s the latest:
- Scott Wiener chased out of Trans March: Yes, Wiener was run out of the Trans March yesterday. No, he’s not the only one. Read more ›
- “Dykes Only” no more? Dolores Park was filling up quickly Saturday morning with dogs, teatime, and perhaps the final year of the “Dykes Only” section. Read more ›
- Cleanup, and weak beer: Crews were busy getting ready for anticipated boatloads of trash as Pride kicks off; others were starting early with “weak beer to last the whole day.” Read more ›
- Best dogs? Read here. Best T-shirts? Read here. A human-sized clitoris? We got that, too.
6:08 p.m. — Time to sign a yearbook
It was the first San Francisco Pride for both Juju and Reese. Juju wanted to do something special, so she brought a blank canvas and a bunch of markers to create a “2026 Pride Yearbook.” She noted that this kind of interactive art is a normal part of festival culture.
Originally, they set up in Dolores Park and didn’t expect the march itself to make the project so popular. But so many people flocked to grab a pen and sign that the duo got held up at the very back of the procession.
“Oh my gosh, how did we get back here?” Reese asked.
As the tail end of the march approached, some people had to hurry and couldn’t write exactly what they wanted. Volunteers at the back urged everyone to keep moving.
“Dykes, keep it moving,” one person joked while signing.
Another passerby stopped Juju to tell her she was pretty, then tried to write down her phone number. Finding no space left on the canvas, she opted to write it directly on Juju’s arm instead.
“In lesbian culture, it’s really normal to have people just care, write, and make art together,” Juju said. “And because of that, I’ve met a lot of really cool people.”
— Rosina Boehm
5:45 p.m. — Spirited back of the Dyke March
The streets weren’t full at the back of the Dyke March, but they were spirited. Some people held lesbian flags at bus stops, others yelled from their windows or stoops, and some enjoyed DJ sets from their garages (DJing seems to be the theme of Pride).
People passed out lavender to those marching and to folks at restaurants. As a jazz band played, marchers chanted “queer liberation” to the tune.
Pride has always been about more than just the LGBTQ+ community. As soon as the back of the march met the rest of the crowd, signs read “Dykes for Palestine” and “SFPD Suck My Strap.”
Daniel, an attendee dressed in a bright pastel dress and holding a Mexican pride flag, said, “Fuck ICE. I mean, all of us have different intersections of identities, right? I’m Mexican, and I’m gay. Both are equally important parts of me.”
— Rosina Boehm
5:20 p.m. – The fluffy side of pride
On the fashion runway that was Dolores Park this afternoon, one group stood out above the sparkles and rainbows of the crowd: the dogs.
On a picnic blanket near the entrance, Chip and Pepper, both dachshunds, showed off custom hand-crocheted ensembles. Chip, who is attending his sixth San Francisco Pride, is gay—according to his mom. “Pepper is an ally,” the dogs’ owner explained. “She’s just here to support.”
In line for the bathroom, Ruthie, 6, sported a pair of butterfly wings and a tiny rainbow “you are loved” sticker. Hannah, Ruthie’s mom, said that the pair drove in from Oakland to celebrate. This is Ruthie’s first Pride, and it certainly won’t be her last. “She’s very open about her beliefs,” said Hannah.
Nearby, Magnolia, a four-year-old white Staffie, dazzled crowds in a ruffled flamingo onesie. She wove through the park, accepting adoration and praise from people on picnic blankets as she passed. “She’s a Leo,” Magnolia’s mom said. “She knows she’s a star.”
— Annelise Bowers
T-shirts, “Holy Clit!” and the Valks
5 p.m. — Read the room — and the T-shirts
Pride says plenty out loud — but some of the sharpest statements this weekend are printed across someone’s chest. From the gleefully filthy to the unprintably political, here are the best shirts Zoe Malen has caught in the last 24 hours. A collection in progress — check back as the weekend struts on.
3:40 p.m. — Time for a new skill
Walk just 10 feet in the lower section of Dolores Park, and you’ll hear a completely different DJ set. From the top of the hill, the music bleeds together into a chaotic mashup, but down below, the crowd is doing something a bit non-traditional: taking pole dancing lessons from NJ.
NJ and two friends first set up a mobile pole last year. It was such a hit that they knew they had to bring it back. The group is a mix of professional instructors and passionate hobbyists. For NJ, the best part is watching passersby stop and engage. “It breeds community in a really positive way,” they said.
As an instructor, NJ spent the afternoon coaching a rotating group of new students, passing around a bottle of pole grip to help beginners find their footing. Whenever the pole was free, the seasoned hobbyists stepped up to show off their skills. Through it all, NJ kept a watchful eye to ensure everyone stayed safe.
Pride weekend is one of NJ’s favorites in San Francisco, and the park’s energy showed why. Throughout the day, strangers offered them drinks, snacks, and sunscreen—a testament to the weekend’s mutual-aid spirit.
“The whole [pole dancing] community is hella queer and super supportive of all expressions and all body types,” NJ said. “It’s one of my favorite things about it.”
— Rosina Boehm
3:30 p.m. – Holy Clit!
It was sparkling, it was pink, and it was covered with flowers. This was not an outfit or a decorative display; this was a giant, human-sized vulva.
Just off the sidewalk running through the middle of Dolores Park, a line had begun to form as people waited for their chance to snap a photo with the larger-than-life creation. Behind the vulva, a sign read “HOLY CLIT!”
The woman behind the creation, Tamara, painstakingly crafted her look from pool noodles, craft-store fabric, and one very large, pink Easter egg. At least one all-nighter was involved.
She debuted her creation earlier this year at the Hunky Jesus competition. “Then I realized,” she said, “what better place for a giant vulva than here?”
The vulva is not just for looks—Tamara and her friends are donating a dollar for every photograph taken to a gender-affirming healthcare non-profit. They aren’t affiliated with any official organization, Tamara noted. “We just wanted to do some good this weekend.”
For those who missed today’s photo-op, never fear: according to Tamara, the vulva is just getting started. “We plan to be at everything,” she said.
— Annelise Bowers
2:04 p.m. — Go Valkyries!
The rainbow might be the global symbol of Pride, but at Dolores Park, you’re likely to spot just as many Valkyries shirts. Some even feature both.
The Valkyries are an official sponsor of San Francisco Pride, and “Cupid” is their unofficial mascot. A straight man from the Excelsior district, Cupid is decked out in all purple—complete with a flag on his back and a horn-adorned boa hat. The monochrome outfit is enough to make anyone take a second look.
What people don’t know under the blue skies and bright sun is that his hat actually lights up. But while Cupid has been here since 8 a.m., he’ll likely be gone by dark.
“It’s just very San Francisco, you know what I mean?” Cupid said of the Valkyries. “It’s just a WNBA team in San Francisco.”
— Rosina Boehm
Morning dogs, dykes, tea and tarot
11:30 a.m. — Passing the torch
Koja has been a Dyke March organizer for decades. For 11 years, she has also organized “Dykes Only,” a section of the park cordoned off and reserved for the exclusive use of people who self-identify as dykes. That was right around the time it became clear to her that the Dyke March had tipped from being a mostly dyke-centric event into a more generic San Francisco type of drinking/EDM/day-in-the-park party.
“There have been various levels of pushback,” Koja says of the idea that the staging area should have a physical space within its boundaries just for dykes. “It’s usually guys. Drunk. Not used to being told ‘no.’ Someone tells them ‘no’ and they get confused, and that makes them angry.”
After this year, Koja says she and the Dykes Only crew are going into retirement. “It’s been really tough. People who are between 45 and 75, lugging stuff up the hill.” This year, she notes, a crew of “brand-new baby dykes” showed up to help carry things, which Koja finds heartening, but not enough to keep things going.
“It’s a changing culture,” she says. “Also, any leader shouldn’t be in a position of leadership for too long.”
— Heather Smith
11:20 a.m. — The weekend’s other heartbeat
While the marches own the streets, the World Cup is the soundtrack underneath. On Thursday in Jessie Square, drag laureate Per Sia hosted a Pride x World Cup watch party where the hydration-break ads gave way to drag numbers and fans painted national and Pride flags on their cheeks — two birds, one rainbow stone.
Also, where are you watching the games today? Tell us in the comments.
10:45 a.m. — “Their music is lit”
The queer femme and non-binary DJs are just setting up, and a baby is cooing and gently patting the audio equipment with its chubby little hands. Chris, aka DJ Arreola Grande, promises the lineup will include sets from DJ Phia, DJ Pijeon, DJ JFrances, and DJ Discnogirl, and that the music will range from pop to Jersey to Baltimore to breaks.
A group of queer Black women showed up early to cordon off a big section nearby with rainbow pennants, Chris says. “It’s inspiring to see. They were all concerned about being neo-colonial, and I was like, ‘No, not at all!’”
— Heather Smith
10:45 a.m. — Tea and tarot
A few feet downslope, a gentleman who introduces himself as Magic Mike has set up a tea service and is serving tiny cups of 2008 Big Snow Mountain shou pu-erh. Every part of this picnic is imbued with deep significance, says Willow, another participant, who shows this reporter his tarot deck (“I will only do three readings today. Anything else is too draining”), a Pride 2026 scavenger hunt (with prizes), and several large crystals.
The group is located downslope this year, Willow says, because the energy at the upper edge of the park was too masculine. “King’s Beach—that’s where the boys are. This is more queer and our vibe.” Specifically, Willow says their group, which goes by the name Forgotten Temple, was drawn to the crew of queer femme and non-binary DJs in the pop-up tent next door. “Their music is LIT.”
Above the picnic spot, a stick (redwood foraged from an old-growth forest, Willow notes) flies a Brazilian flag. “Last year I flew a gay flag and none of my friends could find me,” Willow says. “I figured I like green, I like Brazil.”
— Heather Smith
Weak beer at Dolores Park
10:30 a.m. — Peak relaxation
Joyce, Corie, and Eleanor are all part of the same silent meditation group in Oakland, and they’ve designed their park setup for peak relaxation. “Sapphics like to nest,” says Joyce. “This is for those of us who love to be gay but can get overstimulated.” There is already a cooler full of coconut water, and they promise there will be focaccia and musubi later.
Next to their setup, a stoic young man sits watchfully over a large quantity of 2-liter Squirt bottles with the air of someone who has not come to party, but has instead been hired to guard the early stages of a bootleg cash-bar enterprise. “I think that’s a sandwich pop-up,” Joyce says hopefully.
— Heather Smith
10 a.m. — Broasting in the sun
Scott, aka DJ Richard Mixon, got here at 9:15 a.m. — too late for the spot he really wanted, but he’s making the best of it. A massive solar panel is broasting in the sun. It’s not enough to power his entire DJ setup, he says, but hopefully enough to carry the sound system through the last hours of the day when the batteries start to fade.
Shading the gear is a bright yellow, heavy-duty Black Stallion umbrella. It’s what construction crews use for shade when working on manholes, Scott says. It is secured into the Dolores Park dirt with 18-inch bolts, he adds, pulling an impact driver from beneath his turntables to demonstrate what is, indeed, an impressive umbrella-anchoring technique.
— Heather Smith
9:45 a.m. — “Weak beer to last the whole day”
A few feet uphill, a fresh-faced youth named Mars is unfolding a beer pong table in her usual setup spot. Mars has been marching in Pride since she was a kid (“My mom is queer,” she says. “Well, pansexual”) and setting up at this spot in Dolores Park long enough that she’s gotten to know some of the regulars nearby—”gays, lesbians, and kids.” A few boxes of Modelo stand nearby.
“Good call,” this reporter comments. “You need a weak beer for beer pong.” “You need a weak beer to last the whole day,” Mars clarifies.
— Heather Smith
9:30 a.m. — The cleanup crew at Dolores Park
Jeff, who has had a contract with SF Rec and Park to clean up after events like the Dyke March for years now, has a crew of 25 today. “I used to do it with five,” he says, staring into the distance with the expression of a man who has seen some things.
Today’s goal, he tells the crew as they strap on high-visibility vests in front of boxes of polyvinyl gloves and 65-gallon trash bags, is to proactively bus picnics and separate compost, recycling, and trash as soon as possible.
Some people, he warns the crew, are going to get drunk and rude. If anyone gets in your face, he says, set down your garbage bags, then “turn around and walk away.”
— Heather Smith
9 a.m. — Welcome back! This is what Friday left us
Pride weekend opened the way San Francisco does it best, and the way the moment demands. In Dolores Park, the Trans March began as pure celebration: glitter tattoos and bubble guns, a daylight rave on the grass, trans flags passed down from balcony windows to the marchers below.
Then it sharpened. Toward the front of the procession, rainbow flags and techno gave way to masked faces, militant chants and bricks raised overhead — a self-styled “Brick March” that moved from “Free Palestine” to fury at politicians of every stripe. Mayor Daniel Lurie, Sen. Scott Wiener, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Vice President JD Vance all drew the crowd’s middle finger.
And as the march reached Market Street, it ended in arrests. Around 7:40 p.m., police — citing vandalism along the route — moved into the crowd and detained at least four people. Eyewitnesses described peaceful marchers among those taken; one was pinned to the ground, another dragged toward a patrol car.
It was a Friday that held both things at once: a party and a protest, joy and rage. Not a contradiction anymore.
Today the city keeps moving: the Trans Ally March down the Embarcadero this morning, the SF Pride Celebration filling Civic Center through the afternoon, and the Dyke March taking back the Mission tonight. Stick with us.
— Liliana Michelena
Enough Modelo and you can get just as felonious before passing out in the sun as you can with any other ‘stronger’ beer. I’ve heard.
Once upon a time, males were not only functionally prohibited from participating in the Dyke March, dykes would expel the dick, the thought would never have occurred to most males.