Attendance for WorldPride D.C. could fall short of expectations

Travel Weekly

17-05-2025

Destination DC CEO Elliott Ferguson said visitation for WorldPride 2025, a three-week celebration of the LGBTQ community, was pacing more slowly than the city had anticipated.
The city had originally projected that 3 million people (2 million overnight visitors and 1 million regional travelers) would attend WorldPride in Washington and generate economic impact of $787 million. The headline event is a Shakira concert at Nationals Park on May 31.
"There are some concerns tied to the numbers that were associated with those coming for World Pride," he said. "The numbers still look good, but they're not as good as anticipated. Some of the concerns are tied to the federal government being here, and concerns about the international community being able to gain access to the U.S. and then leave the U.S."
Ferguson said he is trying to make sure people understand the difference between the city of Washington and the federal government.
"It's a matter of us separating the federal Washington, D.C. from D.C. the city and making sure that visitors understand the dynamics of the two," he said. "Over 14% of the population in Washington identify as LGBTQ. As a community, we're very welcoming and we try to separate ourselves from whatever the rhetoric might be, from a federal perspective."
Ferguson is encouraging people to attend WorldPride D.C. even if they are concerned about that rhetoric, so they can advocate for the community.
"Now more than ever, since this is WorldPride, we need advocacy," he said. "And there's no better place to focus on advocacy than Washington, D.C., to support all the letters of the LGBTQ+ community and make sure that rights are spoken of at the federal level. ... Now more than ever, the global community should come to support the LGBTQ+ community in the U.S."
WorldPride events start on May 17 and run through June 8 and include a parade, international march and rally, two-day street festival and free concerts headlined by Cynthia Erivo and Doechii.