Pride 2024: A Whirlwind Tour Through the Last Weekend of Pride in New York City, as Captured by Ryan McGinley

The final weekend of June (or, as many members of the LGBTQ+ community have come to know it, the last gasp of Pride Month) is always a hectic, colorful, and busy affair. (That is, unless you go out of your way to avoid the crowds—but, really, where’s the fun in that?) This year, photographer Ryan McGinley was on hand to capture the scene at four different New York City-based events—the Drag March, Dyke March, Heritage of Pride, and the Queer Liberation March—and while each event was carefully organized to express a distinct aspect of queer and trans celebration, the overall effect was one of wide-ranging, sometimes-chaotic joy.

At the 30th anniversary of New York City’s annual Drag March on Saturday, a gathering at Tompkins Square Park turned into a march to the Stonewall Inn, while Dyke March—which also took place on Saturday, and is referred to as “a protest march, not a parade”—was organized in solidarity with oppressed communities around the world, including those in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Myanmar, Palestine, Sudan, and Ukraine.

Baddie Brooks, DaShawn Usher, Eshe Ukwell, Michelle Visage, Miss Major, Robin Drake, and Raquel Willis served as Heritage of Pride’s grand marshals for the nonprofit’s 2024 march on Sunday, a day that also saw thousands make their way to Battery Park as part of the Queer Liberation March’s sixth annual outing. Below, see all of McGinley’s photos from the four events.

Drag March, Friday, June 28thDyke March, Friday, June 29th

Heritage Pride, June 30th

Queer Liberation March, June 30th