With motorcycles and rainbows, the Dyke March returns to San Diego Pride

They came down University Avenue in Hillcrest in a colorful and messy line, chanting, singing, and cheering, waving Pride flags and signs, and twirling rainbow parasols.

The Dyke March returned to San Diego on Saturday in style after a years-long absence, preceded and followed by the traditional motorcycle contingent.

The march, which started at Mo’s and made its way to an afterparty at Gossip Grill, was a callback to the years that lesbians fought to be seen and acknowledged in the struggle for wider acceptance — which, 30-something years later, is a struggle that is still ongoing.  

The crowd had its share of seasoned elders, some of whom remembered the event from its earliest years in the 1990s, but many of the crowd of several hundred — which at one point wrapped halfway around the block to enter Gossip Grill — appeared to be much younger. 

Many there said it was their first time at a San Diego Pride event, and they chose this march specifically because of its inclusivity.

The march was a diverse, inclusive affair, with multiple ages, ethnicities, and genders represented — which, according to organizers, was entirely by design. 

“‘Dyke’ is not a limiting identity,” says the event page. “It is an energy rooted in courage, resistance, and refusal to be erased. The march celebrates queer women, lesbians, queer people, Trans and nonbinary people, gender-expansive communities, and everyone who feels aligned with that energy.”

The march kicks off San Diego Pride Week, which has events continuing through next weekend. The 2026 San Diego Pride Parade will be held Saturday, July 18, starting at 10 a.m.