Happy Pride Month! Celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community at these upcoming musical events in Chicago this June.
Amplify Queer Joy! Cohosted by Center on Halsted and the Chicago Playback Theater
Friday, June 12, 7pm – 8:30pm
Center on Halsted (3656 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60613)
$19.98-$28.52 (Email financial@chicagoplayback.com for information on reduced price tickets)
This theater & music performance brings music and stories of LGBTQIA+ love, laughter, and resilience to life through the art of Chicago Playback Theatre – an interactive form of improvisational theatre centered around stories from the audience.
playOUT! Chicago at Driehaus Museum’s Third Wednesday
playOUT! is a Chicago-based non-profit organization amplifying queer voices in classical music. Founded by cellist and former TPMS staff and faculty David Sands in 2018, the movement began as storytelling performances highlighting queer composers and has grown into a dynamic movement in citizen artistry. This program features contemporary string quartet works by Damien Geter and Shelley Washington alongside a newly crafted medley of beloved anthems from both traditions, Spilling the Tea explores themes of identity, protest, spiritual grounding, visibility, and joy. This event is free and open to the public, with donations gratefully accepted in support of continued cultural programming.
Welcome Home: a Celebration of Queer Street Dance at Union Park
Thursday, June 18, 4:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Union Park (1501 W. Randolph St. Chicago, IL 60607)
FREE
“Welcome Home” is a free, family-friendly event produced by Rainbow Children Dance Collective and other Chicago street dance organizations. It is an opportunity for the community to come together to celebrate and learn about House dance, Vogue, and Waacking – three Black, queer dance forms and cultures that have exploded as cultural phenomena around the globe.
Still/Here: A Pride Cabaret
Monday, June 22, 7pm-9pm
Chicago Athletic Association (12 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603)
Sliding Scale Tickets ($15, $20, $25)
Trans Voices Cabaret presents a pride program, hosted by GF Productions, which focuses on advancing queer, trans, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming equity. Operating as an evolving collective, GFP elevates marginalized artists by creating inclusive spaces, hosting community events, and nurturing new work.
Queer Prom’s Gaga Gala (a youth event)
Friday, June 27, 6pm-11pm
National Museum of Mexican Art (1852 W 19th St, Chicago, IL 60608)
Teens and young adults, FREE
Queer Prom’s Gaga Gala at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen features drag performances, food, music, and other freebies for LGBTQ+ and allied folks age 25 and under. Hosted by Yollocalli Arts Reach, the award-winning youth initiative of the National Museum of Mexican Art.