Tucson Pride in the Desert 2023

Tucson Pride in the Desert 2023

Tucson Pride, known as the Pride in the Desert takes place each year in Arizona’s second largest city in the Autumn.

• Visiting Tucson for Pride? Book your stay early as this event fills the city. Stay in downtown Tucson, particularly in the area around Fourth Avenue, close to the gay bars.

Tucson Pride

• Gay Pride in Tucson is an late affair and is the perfect way to escape the winter blues. The weather in September is perfect for a pride parade and after party in the park. The event attracts people from all walks of life from Tucson and beyond.
• Parties and cultural activities are held in the lead up to the main event which typically takes place on the last Saturday in September.
• Stay close to the parade and celebrations at the 4 star AC Hotel Tucson Downtown, the perfect location to explore the best of the city, with a modern new look, excellent fitness centre and sexy outdoor pool.

Tucson Pride Parade

• Friday – in downtown Tucson and Armory Park from 7.30 pm.
• The parade features colorful floats, marchers and performers in a sea of rainbows!

The party in the Park

• Saturday – The Pride Festival takes place in Georges DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center at Reid Park.
• It features live performances with local DJS and guest Drag Queens. Food trucks and a full bar are also available.
• Reid park is a 131-acre urban park in central Tucson, Arizona. The park is a 9-minute drive from the gay bars along 4th ave.
• Stay at the Armory Park Inn, rated “Exceptional” by guests and offering stylish rooms, highly-rated breakfasts in a Unique European-style Villa.

Tucson Pride Brunch

• Sunday – Tucson Pride Brunch Presented by HighWire Tucson
• HighWire Tucson is a laid-back bar with an exposed-brick interior & a courtyard. The bar is known as Tucson’s home of Molecular Mixology in the heart of Downtown.

Gay Tucson

• Tucson is Arizona’s second-largest populated city, behind Phoenix. The city’s progressive culture and relaxed, live-and-let-live attitude have made the Tucson one of the country’s most gay-friendly places to live or visit.
• Skies are clear and blue with over 350 days of sunshine per year. Also called “the Old Pueblo,” the city’s name refers to the volcanic mountain  nearby, Cuk Ṣon in the Native American O’odham language.
• The city has plenty of lively and trendy places to go for drinks and food where you’ll spot gay guys soaking up the warm sun and blue skies of this unassuming, almost secret desert dream.
• If you’re looking for the area of town with the most LGBTQ bars, restaurants, and events, check out downtown Tucson, particularly in the area around Fourth Avenue.

Popular Gay Bars

• IBT’s is often voted the best gay bar in Tucson – and for good reason. Located on the north end of 4th Avenue, IBT’s is a lively bar that offers three different rooms, two different dance floors, excellent music, strong drinks, and plenty of opportunities to have fun with old friends – or make new ones!
• Venture-N – Widely known as the most popular leather bar in Tucson. It’s also known for being a very friendly place where all are welcome. Events and theme nights are frequently offered. Visitors can enjoy a game of pool, a good conversation out on the patio, strong drinks by the fire pit, and more.
• Sky Lounge – Host to several gay parties during pride this gay-friendly venue is a solar powered cafe by day and Astronomy bar by night! Definitely worth a visit.

The Story Behind Tucson Pride

• The festival has grown immensely from years past with an expected 5,000 attendees and 100 local vendors and sponsors. Many Pride events pay homage to the Stonewall riots, but Tucson has its own special reason.
• In 1976, a young gay man was murdered outside Tucson’s Stonewall Tavern and his killers were barely reprimanded, sparking Tucson’s own pride movement. Tucson Pride was founded the very following year.

Where to stay during Tucson Pride

The following hotels are currently trending with our readers. All are close to the city’s busy gay bars along Fourth Avenue:

Graduate Tucson,  The Tuxon Hotel,  AC Hotel Tucson,  The Blenman Inn