Also hit up the Back Bay Borders (511 Boylston Street, Boston, 617.236.1444) to see authors TERRANCE DEAN (Hiding in Hip-Hop) and Celebrity Marshal LESLIE JORDAN (My Trip Down the Pink Carpet) in the literary flesh. Specific dates and times of these author appearances can be found online.
All lit up
After you satisfy your inner bookworm and latent celebrity gawker, it's time to party! Don't miss "Pridelights," a free outdoor event that's co-sponsored by the AIDS Action Committee. At dusk on Tuesday, June 10, "Pridelights" unites proud celebrants with local leaders and entertainers for an evening of music and fun, kicking off the evening with the lighting of a 60-foot pine tree. Pink lights will bathe the Boston Center for the Arts Plaza (539 Tremont Street, Boston) in soft, rosy glory, reminiscent of Rockefeller Center at Christmastime.
Forward march
Of course, no Pride Week experience would be complete without rockin' the sidelines at the Pride parade! This year, the parade falls a little bit later than usual: on Saturday, June 14, at noon. In 2007, the streets of Boston teemed with 10,000 marchers, 35 floats, 65 motorcycles, and 300,000 spectators. This year, the parade settles further into its new route — which caused quite a stir when it was announced in 2007 — winding from Tremont Street in the South End, through Back Bay, up Beacon Hill and past the State House, before spilling out onto City Hall Plaza and culminating in a huge festival that lasts until 6 pm.
"Marching past the State House and having the festival on City Hall Plaza is really meaningful for us," says Aulita. "There's a political statement in that. Our Trans brothers and sisters are still fighting for their rights, and the Pride Committee has made a strong commitment to remembering that."
This year, parade coordinators anticipate more than 500,000 spectators, all eager to watch as dozens of organizations, including the ACLU of Massachusetts, the Animal Rescue League, the Boston Gay Men's Chorus, the Multicultural AIDS Coalition, Women Meeting Women, and several churches, nonprofits, and businesses, march with energy, joy, and, of course, pride.
Rock around the block
Pride Week is especially renowned for its epic block parties, wherein hundreds of revelers gather to sweat it up while they get down. The eighth annual Stuart Street Block Party, Sunday, June 15, from noon to 8 pm, features sexy dancers, killer drink specials, and DJs TRACY YOUNG and RANNY sharing the wheels of steel.
For the laaaadies, an incredible night awaits you on the super-fly streets of Jamaica Plain, at the fourth annual JP Block Party on Perkins Street, from 1 to 7 pm, featuring music from DJ KRISTIN KORPOS and a construction-site theme.
"For me, the block parties are really exciting," says, Korpos, who has DJed at Pride events for the past several years, "There's always a really great energy. Part of DJing is being able to feel the energy and the mood, and knowing where the musical experience should go next. Though the block parties are unofficially considered gender specific, any and all are welcome to each. New to the scene this year are cocktail-free and non-smoking zones, so if you're under 21 or you just want to party like a straight-edge rock star, you'll have just as much fun as everyone else.
