Somewhere near the border of Brooklyn and Queens, in the midst of dusty warehouses and factories that churn out God knows what, there’s a distant beat in the dead of night. Can you hear it? Thumpa-thumpa-thumpa. That, my friend, is the sound of Pride weekend in New York City. But let’s be clear: those thumps aren’t to be taken lightly, not by a long shot. They’re siren calls for the LGBTQ community both in New York and beyond. And while some of the Pride parties do take place at otherwise normal hotspots, the bright rainbow light of Pride can be known to shine pretty much everywhere a surge-priced Uber can take you.

One of those venues, across the street from a tire shop (which, for some reason, stays open 24 hours, in case you need a fresh set of wheels at 4AM) is the Knockdown Center. A regular part of the queer scene here in New York, the sprawling 100 year-old complex was formerly a revolutionary door frame manufacturer (how exciting). On Friday night, the DJ collective known as Horse Meat Disco — Luke Howard, Severino Panzetta, James Hillard and Jim Stanton — was there.

Their bachanals are one of the cornerstones of Pride weekend, which last year saw a surprise appearance by one of the many Queens of the Gays, Kylie Minogue, who sang her anthem “Padam, Padam.” Rumours of an appearance by Katy Perry this year ultimately didn’t pan out (it was erroneously and breathlessly said she’d premiere her forthcoming “Woman’s World”).

On Saturday night, another cornerstone of the scene descended on Knockdown with another till sunrise-rager. Headlined by DJs Carry Nation and Wrecked, known for their storied, and sordid, regular Big Apple bashes, their Pride 2024 iteration kicked off at 3pm and didn’t wind down until 6am.

Luckily for the undaunted revellers who somehow lasted the entire time, the massive property encompassess a bevy of spaces, each with its own flavour: from its massive and cavernous dance floor underneath neon red lights to outdoor spaces and picnic tables. There’s even a bar known as the Champagne Room which exclusively serves champagne and Miller High Lifes, a welcome respite from the madness.

Across town on Saturday, the popular New York City DJ Ty Sunderland was having his own bash, co-produced with the prompter Jake Resnicow. Now in its third year, the gargantuan Planet Pride, located at the Brooklyn Mirage (another venue in the midst of the borough’s warehouses), featured headliners ranging from Duck Sauce to Galantis.

And of course there were special guests — including Kesha. Picking up Katy Perry’s slack, the pop star took the stage wearing bright red vinyl thigh-high boots to premiere her upcoming song “Joy Ride,” which drops Fourth of July. In addition to Planet Pride, Sunderland was also the mastermind behind two other parties during the weekend; a boat bash which sailed up down the Hudson River on Friday, as well as his Pride edition of Ty Tea at Brooklyn’s 3 Dollar Bill, which featured surprise guest Adam Lambert.

Elsewhere in Brooklyn, the annual Ladyland Festival also wooed revellers to its unique location Under the K, as in the Kosciuszko Bridge, for what amounts to a gay Coachella (which I’ll refer to from here on out as Gaychella). Headliners this year included Tinashe and the Spanish artist-producer Arca, and Julia Fox was also there for the festivities. However, the two-day festival’s biggest get was wooing Madonna to guest judge the event’s Vogue Ball House Battle on Saturday night, a long-rumoured appearance. “Aside from my birthday, New York Pride is the most important day of the year,” she told the Gaychella crowd. Later she added, “Thank you all, New York City. Without you I am nothing.”

By Sunday, the focus shifted to Manhattan with the parade an perennial focal point downtown and around the West Village and the historic Stonewall Inn — still basking in the national glow from its Stonewall Day on Friday which wooed President Biden and Elton John. Further uptown on Sunday, the viral DJ John Summit headlined Dreamland Pride in Central Park. Around the West Village and beyond, even straight bars got in on the action. Local favourite Ray’s turned into “Gay’s” for the weekend, with a Pride Party hosted by Queer Eye heartthrob Antoni Prowski on Saturday night, and a tattoo station on Sunday.

“The weather is not feeling very gay right now,” he said in an Instagram story before the outdoor event as storms raged outside. “But the gays need me.” With that, Summit’s set went off without a hitch as he performed bare chested, flaunting Dolce and Gabbana underwear.