In the early morning of June 28, 1969, gays and lesbians who were tired of being bullied and harassed by New York City police fought back after a raid of the Stonewall Inn in the city’s Greenwich Village.
And after several days of clashes between the LGBTQ community and law enforcement, these came to be known as the Stonewall riots, and have been marked in June every year since then as a key moment in the gay liberation movement.
June would then be recognized as LGBTQ Pride Month by presidential proclamation by then-President Bill Clinton in 1999. The month would continue to be recognized by his Democratic successors in the White House, Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
LGBTQ Pride month will be recognized in Northern New Jersey with various events including:
A dance party in Montclair to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and the 65th anniversary of the ACLU of New Jersey on June 12, to celebrate what the ACLU-NJ describes as the “LGBTQ+ community, the freedom to be who you are, and the power to love who you love.”
Rutherford’s annual PrideFest on June 7 featuring Rutherford native Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, one of the country’s first gay rabbis and an advocate for civil marriage for same-sex couples, who will raise the Pride Flag at Rutherford’s Borough Hall.
Mount Olive’s first standalone Pride event on June 8 will include food vendors, lawn games, and live music.
All events listed are free to the public unless otherwise indicated.
Bergen County Pride events
Dumont: The Cultural Affairs, Inclusivity, Diversity, and Celebrations Committee is hosting an event from noon to 1 on June 6. The Dumont Pride Celebration will be from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Dumont High School, 101 New Milford Ave.
Fair Lawn: The Pride Block Party, noon to 4 p.m. June 8 at Memorial Park, First and Berdan, by Avenue of Heroes, will be a community fair with live music and a DJ, vendors, food and drinks, and kids’ activities.
Fort Lee: The Pride Celebration, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 8, at the Fort Lee Recreation Center, at the bottom of 500 Stillwell Ave., by William T. Burch Park, will be a family and community event with food trucks, activities for children and live music.
Glen Rock: The Borough’s Pride in the Park event will be noon to 4 p.m. June 1, with a flag raising at Borough Hall, 1 Harding Plaza, followed by a celebration at Wilde Memorial Park with speakers, music, arts, crafts, vendors, food and family fun.
Hackensack: The Bergen County Pride Flag Raising will be 5:30 p.m. June 5 at 1 Bergen County Plaza.
Leonia: The Borough’s Pride at Wood Park event, 2 to 5 p.m. June 7 at 370 Broad Ave., will be loud and proud with activities, food and live entertainment.
Mahwah: The Borough’s Pride celebration, 6 to 9 p.m. June 25 at Commodore Perry Field, 70 East Ramapo Ave., will include speakers, live entertainment, art show, information booths, food trucks, family area and more.
Oradell: The GSA Pride Picnic, 2:30 to 5 p.m. June 6, will be at River Dell High School, 55 Pyle St.
Paramus: The Pride flag raising at New Bridge Medical Center, 230 E. Ridgewood Ave., will be 5:30 p.m. June 16. Music and refreshments will follow.
Ramsey: The Borough’s Pride ceremony will be 6:30 to 8 p.m. May 31 on the front lawn of Ramsey High School, 256 E Main St., with live music, speakers and food trucks.
Ridgewood: During the Ridgewood Pride Marketplace, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 7 at Memorial Park, Van Neste Square, the Pride ceremony at 1 p.m. will include an LGBTQ celebration featuring live performances, flag dedication, LGBTQ speakers and a vendor marketplace.
Rutherford: Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum will return to her hometown to raise the Pride flag at the borough’s fourth annual PrideFest on June 7. She was raised in Rutherford in the 1960s and ’70s, spent 32 years serving as senior rabbi at New York City’s Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, and was appointed by President Biden to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom in 2021. Also returning to New Jersey for the event is R&B vocalist and rapper, LeA, (a.k.a. Lea Robinson) who will join a lineup of entertainers including DJ Dean Seda and Tami Hart. Entertainers will be introduced throughout the day by Kimmy Sumony. PrideFest is co-hosted by the Rutherford Pride Alliance and the Rutherford Arts Council. The flag-raising will be at 11:15 a.m. at Borough Hall, 1 Everett Place, and then the event moves across the street to Lincoln Park until 4 p.m. The rain date is June 8.
Teaneck: The Pride Shabbat and Oneg service at 8 p.m. June 13 at Temple Emeth, 1666 Windsor Road, will include readings relevant to Pride month, with special guests Josh Kohane and Jeremy Lentz. Kohane is a longtime member of Temple Emeth and musical theater performer, and Lentz is a Temple member and executive director of theTeaneck International Film Festival. Refreshments will be served following the service.
Tenafly: The Borough’s Pride flag raising will be at 3:30 p.m. June 4 at Huyler Park.
Tenafly: Pride Day is June 7, beginning with a parade at 12:30 p.m. at Oresko Memorial Green, followed by a celebration, 1 to 4 p.m. at Huyler Park, downtown next to the railroad station.
Westwood: The Pride flag raising will be 5 to 6 p.m. June 1 at Borough Hall.
Essex County Pride events
Montclair: The Pride flag raising will be at 4 p.m. June 3 at the corner of Church Street and Bloomfield Avenue. The Pride Proclamation will be at 7 at Montclair Council Chambers, 205 Claremont Ave.
Montclair: This year marks the 65th anniversary of the ACLU-NJ. In honor of this milestone, celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, the freedom to be who you are, and the power to love who you love, in an evening filled with joy, revelry and dancing, 7 to 10 p.m. June 12 at Porta Montclair, 499 Bloomfield Ave. Celebrate queer resistance and dance the night away with fabulous host Harmonica Sunbeam and DJ Lou Smith. Everyone age 21 and older is welcome to this evening of community, music, drag, swag giveaways and more. This event is supported by Out Montclair and is an official event of Montclair Pride. $20, includes light snacks. Cash bar and additional food will be available for purchase.
Montclair: The Pride Festival returns, noon to 6 p.m. June 14, on Bloomfield Avenue (Midland Avenue to Grove Street) and Park Street (Claremont to Bloomfield avenues). Out Montclair’s program, presented by the Audi Tristate Dealers, will once again transform downtown Montclair into a celebration of LGBTQIA+ life, love, visibility and joy, with more than 30,000 attendees expected. The guest host is Dominique Jackson, an actress, model, author and trans advocate. La Diva Ciccone, founder of the annual Madonna Worship Night in NYC, will headline the festival with two Madonna tribute performances, including a recreation of the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards “Vogue” performance. Harmonica Sunbeam and Eddie Nicholas will host the Main Stage (Lackawanna Plaza and Bloomfield Avenue), with performances by singer Kris Cherry, the NJ Gay Men’s Chorus, the School of Rock Montclair house band, the Ordinary Kids doing “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” Hades Nuttzz, spoken word poet Isabel Cruz, singer and justice advocate NAIM, singer/songwriters Justice LaBrave and Tiger James, Dane (from “The Voice”), drag performer Mimi Sashimi, Drums of Thunder, the Vanguard Theater cast of “Hair” and DJ Vito Fun. The Wellmont Plaza will feature daytime programming hosted by drag queen Lady Keyante and disabled musician Austin Halls, with bands She’s All That, School of Rock Montclair staff, Marina DeMaio, Adjustable Thrills and Jazz House Kids; drag performers Lady Keyante and Indie Illusion; singer/songwriters Grayson Tyler and Ela Martini; fashion designer Sofista Funk; and DJ Jspin_s. The Open Call Stage (Church Street and Bloomfield Avenue), hosted by comedian Donna Vee and Stonewall Inn tech/DJ Chauncey Dandridge, will include performances from queer teens, acoustic sets, spoken word artists and independent musicians. The Family Zone is an interactive programming area offering drag story time, face painting, crafts and games, LGBTQ+ book giveaways, a sensory-safe space, and the Audi Painted Car Activity. Plus, there will will be more than 200 vendors, food trucks, small businesses and community organizations. outmontclair.org.
Verona: The Township’s celebration will begin at noon June 1 at Town Hall, 600 Bloomfield Ave.
Morris County Pride events
Chester: Common Thread presents Chester Has Pride, 1 to 5 p.m. June 1 at Highlands Ridge Barn, 100 North Road. There will be crafts, snacks, music and fun for the whole family.
Mount Olive: Mt. Olive Pride’s first stand-alone Pride event this summer will be 2 to 6 p.m. June 8 at Turkey Brook Park, Budd Lake. Pride Party will feature food trucks, live music and entertainment, children’s crafts and activities, as well as resources from local community groups and businesses. Featured food vendors will be Mister Softee, Cousins Maine Lobster and Empanada Guy, provided by the Food Truck Lady. Lawn games will be sponsored by Dam Event and Equipment Rental. In addition to a DJ, bands performing include Mixolydian Dreamer, Being Malleable and Cleo Becc. Community groups offering crafts and local resources will include sponsor Abiding Peace Lutheran Church in Budd Lake, Brookside Church in Mendham, 4-H, the Mount Olive Public Library, the Morris County LGBTQ+ police unit, NAMI Morris County, the League of Women Voters, and Edge NJ. Mt. Olive Pride is a coalition and alliance of LGBTQ+ community members, supporters, allies, volunteers, neighbors, and community partners organizing and celebrating Pride and community outreach, education and awareness activities in the township. facebook.com/pridemountolive.
Pequannock: The Township’s Pride Fest will be 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 7 in Greenview Park at 9 Robert Place, with vendors, music, food and more.
Randolph: The Morris County Pride Festival will be 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 28, County College of Morris, 214 Center Grove Road. edgenj.org/mcpride
Passaic County Pride events
With a remembrance service at 5:30 p.m. June 12, the Pride Alliance of Passaic County will honor the 49 lives lost at the Pulse Nightclub on June 12, 2016. Write to pridealliancepassaiccounty@gmail.com for the location. The PAPC is an independent, non-partisan organization.
Pompton Lakes: The Borough’s Pride Celebration will be 1 to 4 p.m. June 21 on the Pompton Lakes Library lawn, 333 Wanaque Ave.
Sussex County Pride events
Newton: Sussex County Pride’s celebration will begin at 1 p.m. June 14 at 1 Brooks Plaza. The event will include live music and drag performances from local LGBTQ+ talent, vendors and food trucks, a drag fashion show, queer trivia, lawn games like cornhole and more. sussexcountypride.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Pride month 2025 in North Jersey: Our big list of events