Best places to watch D.C.’s Capital Pride Parade

The route has changed this year. Here are some of the best spots to watch the action.

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June 5, 2024 at 10:52 a.m. EDT
Spectators and marchers meet during the Capitol Pride Parade. (Maansi Srivastava/The Washington Post)
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This year, the Capital Pride Parade will run down 14th Street NW, from T Street to Pennsylvania Avenue.

The reconfigured route means that marchers won’t pass some favorite past viewing locations, including Dupont Circle and the block party at 17th and P streets. That might mean even more viewers trying to cram into restaurant patios, streateries and sidewalks on the popular upper portion of 14th Street — say, north of P Street.

Here are some of the best spots to watch the action.

14th Street

There are fewer restaurants and patios in the downtown 14th Street corridor.

A viewing area is being set up in the grassy area of Thomas Circle, with tickets available by donation ($5 or $10), while the official grandstand is on Freedom Plaza (tickets $25).

Pennsylvania Avenue

With fewer eateries along Pennsylvania Avenue, this might also mean more sidewalk space, especially around Franklin Park and Freedom Plaza, or in front of the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center or the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

Another option is the tea dance on Pennsylvania Avenue between Fourth and Seventh streets NW, which is where the parade finishes. It features 1980s and ’90s music and a beverage garden while you wait for marchers to arrive. The tea dance (tickets $10-$15) opens at 3 p.m., which is when the parade starts.

Kid-friendly places

Consider taking active kids to Franklin Park, at 14th and K streets, where there are benches, a children’s garden and plenty of room to run around while they’re waiting for the parade (or just getting bored). Freedom Plaza and Pershing Park, at 14th and Pennsylvania, offer similar wide-open spaces.