Soulovely celebrates Pride this month with the theme Black Liberation Nation and guest DJ Lexapeel. Afrobeats, salsa, hyphy have been known to make their way into the mix-all the music is danceable and feel-good, but there are no rules. Dancers might electric slide to an R&B classic like Luther Vandross’ “Never Too Much” one minute and drop it low to Megan Thee Stallion the next. The event brings together an intergenerational crowd for a laidback dance party in the sunshine. Helmed by hip-hop artist Aima the Dreamer and DJs Lady Ryan and Emancipacion, Soulovely is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Soulovely, a party by and centering queer women of color, is a welcome staple in Oakland each warm-weather season. The fun continues with another extravaganza on Pride Sunday, this time starring RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Raja and drag shows every half hour by Psueda, House of Cakes, Lisa Frankenstein, Kochina Rude, Vera!, Rubella and Cheetah Biscotti, and a DJ set by singer and fashion designer Kevin Aviance. DJ Rubella Spreads will be behind the decks, with go-go dancers Mary Vice, Heaven On Earth and hyping the crowd all night. Joining San Cha is a lineup of San Francisco drag greats that includes Glamamore (a veteran performer who is also Juanita MORE!’s fashion designer), Per Sia, Oasis owner D’arcy Drollinger, 2022 Drag Queen of the Year pageant winner Militia Scunt, Reparations party founder Nicki Jizz, drag king Madd Dogg 20/20 and more. The Los Angeles-based singer came up in San Francisco’s drag scene, and her live shows mix the sweet sounds of her queer rancheras with wildly sex-positive performance art antics. The Pink Saturday edition features San Cha as the headliner. The glittering disco and drag party Princess takes over Oasis for the entirety of Pride weekend. (Most recently, she spoke out against progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin’s recall.)
She keeps up with a busy party schedule, puts out voter guides every election season and campaigns for issues and candidates that affect San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ community. Not only has she performed in the city since the early ’90s, but she’s also a drag mother and grandmother who’s inducted numerous performers into the art form. Juanita MORE! is San Francisco drag royalty. These are the parties you need on your radar for Pride 2022. So get your look together, and prepare your dollar bills for tipping. It’s practically a holy time for the queer and trans LGBTQ+ nightlife scene-the marathon that DJs, performers, go-go dancers and drag artists train for all year. Whether or not you’re going to the official San Francisco Pride Parade on June 26, the Dyke March on June 25 or the Trans March on the June 24, there’s so much to see and do all of Pride weekend in the Bay Area.