White Center is coming out of the closet. Located just south of West Seattle, the unincorporated King County neighborhood will throw its first-ever Pride festival this week.
The fest, which started as a conversation over drinks between local residents Matt Maring and Jason Loughridge, has quickly evolved into a neighborhood-wide celebration with over 10 LGBTQ Pride events that span five days.
"The support of the community has been overwhelming honestly," Loughridge recently told me. "Probably our only regret is that we couldn’t include everyone in the events. Hopefully next year more opportunities will arise. The interest is definitely there."
Among many things, this year's fest will include a tea dance, an all-ages skating event, an underwear party (not all-ages), and a drag performance from the "Rat City Queens" on the patio of Drunky Two Shoes BBQ. "The response to Pride Skate Night and the drag show at Drunky’s Two Shoes has been incredible," said Loughridge. "We are expecting really huge crowds for those events."
The "Rat City Queens" are named after White Center's nickname, "Rat City," although you'll soon find a unicorn in White Center faster than you'll find a rat. Unicorn Two, an expansion of the popular Unicorn bar on Capitol Hill, is expected to open in White Center in December. With a main space at 15,000 square feet, Unicorn Two will be White Center's largest bar.
Another popular Seattle spot, Biscuit Bitch, recently expanded to the area. Future Primitive Brewing also just opened in the neighborhood, as did sailor-themed bar The Swallow, a creation of Pony co-founder Marcus Wilson. It's White Center's second gay bar. The Lumber Yard Bar, its first gay bar, opened in early 2018.
"The parties at The Lumber Yard and Swallow will be a blast," said Loughridge. "This will be many people’s first chance to check out Swallow. Friday night is swimwear night at The Lumber Yard and Saturday night’s theme is ICONS."
Here's a full rundown of the White Center Pride events, below. For Pride events around the region, check out Stranger Things To Do's full Pride calendar.
Wednesday, June 5
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
White Center Pride Flag Raising Ceremony @ Mac's Triangle Pub6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
White Center Art Walk
8:30 PM - 11:30 PM
Opening Party: Pride Skate @ Southgate Roller RinkThursday, June 6
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Beer, BBQ, and DRAG on the patio @ Drunky Two Shoe's BBQFriday, June 7
9:00 PM - 2:00 AM (overnight)
Party at White Center's Newest Bar: The Swallow10:00 PM - 2:00 AM (overnight)
Underwear Party @ The Lumber Yard BarSaturday, June 8
5:30 PM-9:30 PM
Youth Pride Skate @ Southgate Roller Rink9:00 PM - 2:00 AM (overnight)
Main Event @ The Lumber Yard Bar9:30 PM-1:30 AM
Pride Karaoke @ Mac's Triangle PubSunday, June 9
12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Sunday Funday @ Future Primitive Brewery3:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Closing Party: Tea Dance @ The Lumber Yard Bar6:30-9:00 PM
Don't Be Self Conchas Open Mic Night @ Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery9:00 PM - 1:00 AM
SEA LEGS @ The Swallow
Even more info here.