Free Programming Pride Weekend: June 28 – 29
Playbill and the Times Square Alliance announce details today about their third annual Pride in Times Square celebration of free events on June 28 & 29, 2024. With top-stage and screen celebrities, Broadway/Off-Broadway productions, local Times Square business promotions, a Youth Pride celebration, a Drag Pride celebration, the return of The Big Broadway Disco, and more, Pride in Times Square promises to be another exciting celebration and a great addition to New York City’s celebration of Pride right at the Crossroads of the World.
Then, on Sunday June 30, 2024, the Playbill Pride Float returns to the NYC Pride March, supporting their partner Pride NYC. Including a customized double decker bus and celebratory soundtrack played throughout the event, the Pride March participation helps to round out an amazing weekend of diversity, equity, education, and celebration.
“Playbill is extremely proud to take part in our third-annual Pride celebration in the heart of New York City with our fantastic partner, the Times Square Alliance,” said Alex Birsh, Vice President, and Chief Operating Officer of Playbill. “For ten years, we have been honored to change our iconic yellow design to recognize the Pride Flag colors, celebrating this expansive and important community. And this year, we are even prouder to celebrate with another activation that celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community and its allies in Times Square. Playbill aims to be a leader in our community, and we look for this event to continue our tradition of standing with and behind our LGBTQIA+ friends, family, and allies. Here’s to an amazing celebration with our partners, sponsors and the entire Broadway community.”
“We are thrilled to partner with Playbill to host a Broadway celebration of Pride in Times Square for a third year in a row,” said Tom Harris, President of the Times Square Alliance. “Playbill does a phenomenal job curating free events and programs with the Broadway community to celebrate pride, and we are excited to involve our Times Square businesses to make this a unique theater district Pride celebration.”
“We are very proud to support the third annual Pride in Times Square, which celebrates the diverse talent that calls NYC home, signals to the world that our city’s performance industries are back and emphasizes this administration’s commitment to making this a more livable and inclusive city for all,” said Pat Swinney Kaufman, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. ” This cultural and musical extravaganza is not only the perfect way to close out Pride Month in NYC, but also New York Music Month, the city’s official celebration of its music industry with events taking place at locations throughout the city in June.”
Pride In Times Square is presented by ViiV Healthcare, and NYC Pride, with additional support from SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), The Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment (MOME), and MOTTO by Hilton NYC Times Square.
Past Pride in Times Square events have attracted nearly 800,000 attendees who passed through the activations and enjoyed live performances during the two-day event with social media coverage garnering over 1.05 million social impressions. The third day, centered on one of the world’s largest Pride marches, had an attendance at 2023 Pride March of 2.4 million people.
TSQ LIVE PERFORMANCES
Times Square Alliance’s TSQ LIVE programming will also contribute Pride content in June with two Summer Friday Concerts this month. JORDY will hit the TSQ LIVE stage at 46th Street and Broadway on Friday, June 7 and Molly Grace will perform on Friday, June 14 both at 6pm.
PRIDE MAIN STAGE!
Pride in Times Square’s main stage this year is Playbill’s own NYC Pride March Float! Bringing a more inviting landscape to an audience of all ages in Times Square, this iconic stage for the weekend will celebrate dynamic voices in the community, and support the continued fight for equity, diversity, and inclusion for all. Special guests, concerts, surprise performances and more will take the stage on Friday June 28th and Saturday June 29th. A list of events is below.
THE BIG BROADWAY DISCO
For the third year in a row, Playbill and Times Square will celebrate Pride with glitz, glam and dancing. Times Square will “ignite the night” with THE BIG BROADWAY DISCO – a large-scale street party that invites revelers to dance through Times Square to classic and contemporary Broadway songs and performances – all with a disco flare and performed in the heart of New York City: Times Square. With the Playbill Pride Float acting as a focal point for the night, guests will experience a Pride celebration like no other, while entertained by DJ’s, performers, fabulous costumes, and more on Saturday June 29th beginning at 5:15pm. #BwayDisco
INTERACTIVE PRIDE INSTALLATIONS
Audiences in Times Square will have the opportunity to connect with Pride in Times Square sponsors ViiV Healthcare, and SUMMIT One Vanderbilt for audiences to explore on Friday June 28th and Saturday June 29th. ViiV Healthcare will bring an interactive double decker bus into Times Square; the bus then becomes part of the NYC Pride March on Sunday June 30th down 5th Avenue. SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, the world’s most immersive cultural experience and observatory located in midtown Manhattan, will bring an interactive installation for audiences to explore in Times Square.
TIMES SQUARE ALLIANCE BUSINESS & SOCIAL PROMOTIONS
The Times Square Alliance will celebrate the best of the neighborhood’s Pride discounts, deals, giveaways, and special menu items from local businesses all month long. Special offers will appear at TSQ.org/PrideDeals from Times Square restaurants, shops, shows, and attractions that celebrate and support the most colorful month of the year. Plus, experience #SignsOfPride in Times Square with displays of Pride on screens and billboards throughout the Crossroads of the World.
SLATED PRIDE IN TIMES SQUARE MAIN STAGE PERFORMANCES
(Performances are rain or shine with times & participants subject to change.)
FRIDAY JUNE 28TH
5:15-7:00PM –Broadway Pride Block Party
Proudly organizing NYC’s official Pride events since 1984, this year, before the march, celebrate a kick-off to Pride weekend in partnership with NYC Pride and Pride in Times Square – presented by Playbill and Times Square Alliance. The Broadway Pride Block Party invites Times Square guests to a free, live concert in the heart of the city, with performances and guest appearances from top Broadway and Off-Broadway artists and celebrities. This special concert brings together the best performers and artists celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community and its allies in a festive and heartwarming celebration, while reflecting on NYC Pride’s mission to “keep these events free and safe for all”.
SATURDAY JUNE 29TH
11:00-11:45AM – SUMMIT One Vanderbilt presents the NYC Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) Pride Celebration
Proudly presented by SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, members of the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), Mayor’s Office of Equity & Racial Justice (MOERJ), NYC Unity Project, and more kick off Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) Pride! SYEP launched this initiative to connect young people who identify as LGBTQIA+ with supportive, welcoming paid summer jobs and career experiences. Join us for a high-energy celebration of this exciting program, including performances, stories, and guest speakers!
11:45-12:30PM – The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce Pride Celebration
Special performers, the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), business voice of the LGBTQ+ community and certifying body for LGBTQ+-owned businesses nationwide, and Grubhub, a leading U.S. food-ordering and delivery marketplace, will join Pride in Times Square to present NGLCC/Grubhub Community Impact Grant Program funds to NYC-based LGBTQ+ and allied bars and restaurants.
2:30-3:30PM – ViiV Healthcare presents: “Celebrate You!”
ViiV Healthcare celebrates the choices that make us all unique. It’s time to embrace-not-erase. Audiences in Times Square will experience an amazing line up of proudly queer talent, here to celebrate and support our queens everywhere.
5:15-7:30PM – The Third Annual Big Broadway Disco
Playbill and Times Square will “ignite the night” with the second-annual BIG BROADWAY DISCO – a large-scale street party that invites revelers to dance the night away to classic and contemporary Broadway songs and performances – all with a disco flare and performed in the heart of New York City. Guests will experience a Pride celebration like no other, while entertained by DJ’s, performers, fabulous costumes, and more on Saturday June 29th beginning at 5:15pm. #BwayDisco.
About the Times Square Alliance
The Times Square Alliance works to improve and promote Times Square – cultivating the creativity, energy and edge that have made the area an icon of entertainment, culture, and urban life for over a century. Founded in 1992, the Alliance keeps the neighborhood clean and safe, promotes local businesses, manages area improvements and produces major annual events with partners including New Year’s Eve, Solstice in Times Square and Taste of Times Square. As the custodians of Times Square, the Alliance works every day to improve the quality of life for the neighborhood residents and businesses while driving economic growth in New York City. www.TSq.org
About Playbill
Founded in 1884, Playbill is an internationally known trademark synonymous with theatre and is a symbol of the arts. Playbill Magazine is distributed to every Broadway theatre, most Off-Broadway theaters, and regional theaters and fine arts institutions in over 24 cities across the country. The company’s website, Playbill.com, debuted in 1994 and continues to be the most trusted source of theatre news and information on the web, reaching nearly 2 million unique users per month. Playbill Online boasts the popular subsidiaries The Playbill Store, the online-only store for theatre fans; PLAYBILLder, the make-your-own Playbill site; and Playbill Jobs, the premiere job marketplace for the Broadway industry. Playbill Travel was introduced in 2011, focusing on chartering Broadway-themed cruises and additional vacations worldwide. The newest division, Playbill Events, curates and produces in-person and virtual events annually for audiences worldwide. www.playbill.com
About Pride NYC
Pride NYC (Heritage of Pride) works toward a future without discrimination where all people have equal rights under the law. We do this by producing LGBTQIA+ Pride events that inspire, educate, commemorate, and celebrate our diverse community. Our events offer a diverse array of opportunities to gather in activism, in protest, in celebration, and in advocacy. The variety of offerings across all our events represents the diversity of ways our community acknowledges and celebrates Pride. Volunteers are the foundation of our organization. Our events could not take place without the thousands of volunteers who devote their time performing a multitude of tasks across a wide range of disciplines including talent, marketing, and operations. Heritage of Pride, Inc is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is funded entirely on the contributions of our community. https://www.nycpride.org/
