Somerville to Light Up Pride Month 2026

The City of Somerville said on May 22 that it will open Pride Month 2026 with a public flag-raising ceremony at City Hall and continue the month with a city-backed dance party in Union Square. The city’s announcement, posted Friday, came from its Health and Human Services Department and outlined a June schedule centered on public events and municipal participation. Mayor Jake Wilson is scheduled to appear at the opening ceremony, according to the city’s event listing. The city also said former Mayor Dorothy Kelly Gay, who raised City Hall’s first Pride flag, will take part in this year’s observance. ### When does Somerville’s Pride Month program start? Thursday, June 4, is the city’s opening date for Pride Month programming, according to Somerville’s official events calendar. The annual Pride flag-raising ceremony is scheduled for 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the City Hall Concourse at 93 Highland Ave. Mayor Jake Wilson and Somerville LGBTQ+ Services invited residents to attend the ceremony, the city’s event page said. (somervillema.gov) The listing says the program will include remarks from Wilson, the city’s LGBTQ+ Services coordinator and youth representatives from Somerville’s LGBTQ+ community. ### Who is participating in the June 4 ceremony? (somervillema.gov) Former Mayor Dorothy Kelly Gay is among the named participants in this year’s ceremony, according to the city’s May 22 announcement. The city said Gay raised City Hall’s first Pride flag and will return for the 2026 event. Youth representatives from Somerville’s LGBTQ+ community are also scheduled to speak, the announcement said. (somervillema.gov) The city said the event will be recorded by its GovTV team and later posted for on-demand viewing with closed captioning. ### What else is on Somerville’s Pride calendar? Saturday, June 27, is set for the Big Gay Dance Party in Union Square, according to a separate city event page. (somervillema.gov) The free, all-ages event will run from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Union Square Plaza, 90 Union Square, with June 28 listed as the inclement-weather date. The Somerville Arts Council and the city’s Health and Human Services Department are producing that event together, the listing said. (somervillema.gov) The page describes the 2026 theme as “gender euphoria” and says the celebration is intended for LGBTQ+ residents and allies. ### What has the city said about this year’s theme? The city’s May 22 announcement said the 2026 Pride theme is “Gender Euphoria.” The same phrase appears on the Big Gay Dance Party page, which says the theme is meant to celebrate “the joy of feeling good in your body and in being who you are.” (somervillema.gov) Drag artists Amanda Playwith and Andi van Dyke are named in the city news release as performers tied to this year’s Pride programming. The separate dance-party event page, however, still lists music and drag performances as “TBA,” suggesting more lineup details may be added later. ### Where can residents find the full schedule and accessibility details? (somervillema.gov) Somerville’s official news post directs residents seeking Pride events, LGBTQ+ services or local resources to contact the city’s LGBTQ+ Services office by email. The June 4 event page also lists a phone number for more information and says live American Sign Language interpretation will be provided at the flag raising. (somervillema.gov) The city’s online calendar includes both the June 4 Pride Flag Raising and the June 27 Big Gay Dance Party. As of May 24, those pages were the city’s published source for dates, times, locations and access information for the two named public events. (somervillema.gov) (somervillema.gov)