Set sail for rainbows! When it comes to pride, it’s never too early to start planning next year’s festivities! We’ve discovered a pride so unique in Virginia that we have to put it on your radar! So hop aboard buoys, girls, and theys, because these pride floats literally float!
Hampton Roads Pride
Hampton Roads Pride is a collective of several cities: Phabulous Phoebus, Portsmouth Pride, Chesapeake Pride, and Newport News Pride. Not only do these prides celebrate the local LGBTQ+ community, but they also commemorate the area’s 300 years of nautical history simultaneously. This was the first year that all of the cities that make up Hampton Roads each held a pride festival!
Finally, it all culminates in a grand finale of a celebration in historic Norfolk, Virginia. Home to one of the largest naval bases in the world, expect to find an exciting city with a bustling downtown and nightlife. Broken up into 3 days and 3 main events, Hampton Roads Pride is a hoot by land and by sea. You could say, it’s a maritime merry time!
Not only is it the only of its kind, but the Hampton Roads Pridefest is one of the largest in Virginia. If you’re like us and look to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community in extraordinary ways, this pride is for you!
Our time exploring Hampton and Hampton Roads Pride was made possible thanks to our friends at the Hampton Convention & Visitor Bureau. Make sure to check out the resources on their website! Ultimately, all opinions in this article are our own.
Virginia is for Lovers
Before setting sail for Hampton Roads, you’ll have to navigate your course! To get there, drive 200 miles southwest from our nation’s capital of Washington, D.C. to Coastal Virginia. Plenty of pitstops may successfully tempt you on the way, including Richmond and Williamsburg. Additionally, Norfolk International Airport serves as a means of traveling by air.
Keep in mind that while Pride is all year-round, this particular event takes place in June. That means this celebration is HOT – literally and figuratively! Plan accordingly and be certain to use sunscreen! Luckily, the Pridefest took several measures to help its pride-goers beat the summer heat. We’ll get to that shortly!
Finally, if you’re looking to extend your time in the Greater Hampton Roads ahead, make sure you experience Hampton, Virginia! Just a scenic 30 minutes north of Norfolk, you’ll discover a vibrant community of inclusivity and history you can’t miss. You can get the full details in our Hampton article!
Block Party at the NorVa
The block party at the NorVa is the kick-off event for Hampton Roads Pride weekend. This year, the theme was “Camp Pride”. If you didn’t know that going into the event, seeing attendees dressed up as national park rangers and scouts would have probably given it away!
The Norva is a large venue with a main room that scales two stories with two bars. It was decked out with different identity flags hanging down from the second story and the vibes? Really good. We loved to see that there was a platform ADA area as well as mocktail options at the main bar.
From 7pm – 1am, there was a rotating set of DJs (DJ Coop, DJ Anelz, DJ Kenny Kruze, Baby Weight) as laser lights danced through the air. Finally, the pièce de résistance for us was the drag and dance performances by Vivian’s Haus of Kitty Kouture. We have never seen a similar drag set that included alternative music and felt like a proper display of ballroom culture. Vivian Deveraux Valentine, Baby Angel, Sage Angel, Nairobi Chanel Ova Snow, and Skyy Supreme put on an act to remember!
Hampton Roads Pridefest & Pride Boat Parade
Without further ado, the main event! What separates Hampton Roads Pride in Virginia from any other is their Pride Boat Parade, the only pride boat parade in the United States! Since 2011, boat “floats” set sail on the Elizabeth River in all their rainbow glory and sashay their way around Town Point Park from the water.
You can either register your boat, ride on someone’s boat, or watch the boats from dry land! We opted to be landlubbers to experience it for the first time. It was a beautiful sight to see each vessel sail its way down the river, decked out in rainbows and pride flags against the blue water and sky.
In all of our travels, we had never seen anything like it! Here on out, we think every city with a waterway needs to hold a rainbow boat parade for pride!
The amount of detail and care of Hampton Roads Pridefest truly took us aback. They had a water station handing out free water to attendees all day long and a dedicated shade tent. Moreover, for those opting for a sober pride, a zero-proof beverage tent met your mocktail needs. And not only were there two different stages with programming, both of which were extremely accessible.
What made this Pride celebration even more special was its offerings for the whole family. There was an entirely separate family zone area with games and activities for children. That way, this celebration was fully inclusive for all ages!
What we especially appreciated as two members of the queer community who were visiting the area for the first time was the history tent that had placards upon placards of detailed information pertaining to Hampton Roads LGBTQ+ history and related figures.
Pride at the Beach in Virginia Beach
Finally, the concluding event for Hampton Roads Pride weekend was Pride at the Beach at Neptune’s Park in Virginia Beach. The event was free, we just paid $20 to park in a parking garage nearby.
An LGBTQ+ Pride Beach Party was another first for us! We brought chairs for the beach and spent time sitting on the sand, swimming around in the cold water, and watching LGBTQ+ couples and families enjoying it all along with us. The actual event took place in a sectioned off area on the sand with a few constructed cabanas, high top tables, and large containers filled with cold water. There was a beachside DJ and bar as well as vendors and food trucks lined up along the boardwalk.
If you go, highly recommend bringing your own seating for the area and a beach umbrella to help you stay cool!
Hilton Norfolk The Main
When you’re ready to turn in after a prideful day, you don’t have to go far to rest your head. Literally head across the street from the Pridefest celebration in Town Point Park to the LGBTQ+ friendly Hilton Norfolk’s The Main! It was ideal when we needed to take a break to cool down between festivities. It’s also the official host hotel of Hampton Roads Pride.
We were blown away by the grand feeling of The Main and the abundant dining options within the hotel! We chose to treat ourselves to dinner at Saltine and if you want to taste the very seafood that Coastal Virginia is famous for, we highly recommend doing so as well!
Chris partook in the daily selection of oysters on the half shell choosing the local James River oysters while shellfish allergy Alex opted for the sea bass ceviche. We both shared the fresh catch of the day rockfish and opted to have it bronzed (two parts Cajun, one part brown sugar) with seasonal succotash and chermoula sauce.
Of course, what would dinner be without an accompanying libation? Our cocktail sampling included the “Go Fast Boats Mojito” with Plantation 3 Star Rum, Mint, Cardamom, Coriander, Lime, Clarified in Coconut Milk. The fresh Strawberry Daiquiri consisted of Plantation 3 Star rum, lime, strawberry, and egg white.
Our time at the Hilton Norfolk The Main was kindly made possible by Visit Norfolk – thank you for having us!
At The End of The Rainbow
Often, big cities get the spotlight when it comes to Pride festivities, but make no mistake, smaller cities are where the really wholesome celebrations are at! We love to explore places and find pride where you might least expect it. With a LGBTQ+ pride so unforgettable, Hampton Roads Pride blew us away!
There is so much heart packed into this Pridefest and collective of celebrations that we can foresee ourselves returning in the future. Who knows, maybe next year we’ll stow away on a vessel and join in on the parade! Until then, we’ll continue to search both the land and seas for more inclusive Prides for the LGBTQ+ community!
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