Over a half million people will descend onto the streets of San Francisco on the last weekend of June to celebrate the SF Pride Parade. But before you attend this raucous event, here are a few tips to ensure you have a great time.

1. Take Public Transportation.
If you live outside of the city, this is going to be your best bet. BART will be running extra trains into the city's central locations, which will be near impossible to reach by car, what with the parades and drunken people walking around Market street and the Civic Center.

2. Attend Both Days.
The parade doesn't start until Sunday, but the party begins on Saturday with a concert at the Civic Center Plaza. This is a great chance to meet some other Pride supporters, to lounge out in the San Francisco sun, and to venture around the booths that are set up in the Plaza. Which brings me to my next tip...

3. Accept All Handouts.
There are very few celebrations--even in SF--whose staple handouts include free condoms, dental dams, rainbow buttons, and lube for free. Embrace the fact that you're only going to receive these things once a year in such high quantity.

4. Arrive Early at the Party.
Did I mention that half a million people will be in the city on Sunday? If you want prime viewing space on Market street, get there at least 30 minutes before the 10:30 start time on Sunday morning.

5. The Party Doesn't Stop After the Parade, so Neither Should You.
There are a plethora of afterparties on both nights, including the infamous Pink Party in the Castro. Our recommendation: Saturday night, head to Queen at Temple where Chris Cox, JJ Flores, Trevor Simpson, and more will be playing, or you can (and should!) go to the Pink Party, Castro's block party, and witness the raucousness that makes this party legendary.

6. If You've Got the Gall, Dress Up.
Many, many people will be dressed up--bright colors, flamboyance, and extravagance are widely accepted and expected at this celebration. Don't be the only person in your group donning normal clothing.

7. Enjoy the sights.
You are going to see an incredible array of many different people doing an incredible array of many different things. Whether it's watching the floats or the Dykes on Bikes roll by, you have almost no choice but to embrace the fact that this will happen only one weekend per year, so enjoy every minute that you're there. It is a quintessential San Francisco celebration and one that should be attended at least once in your lifetime.