Crews close off Dupont Circle Park for WorldPride festivities this weekend
Authorities began fencing off a park Friday morning at the heart of D.C.'s historic LGBTQ neighborhood as the District prepares for Pride celebrations this weekend.
In an order issued Wednesday, the National Park Service imposed 'a temporary closure of Dupont Circle Park from approximately 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 5, 2025, through approximately 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 8, 2025.'
The closure, the order notes, 'comes at the request of the United States Park Police,' which has called the closure 'necessary for the maintenance of public health and safety and protection of natural and cultural resources in Dupont Circle Park.'
Neither the National Park Service nor the U.S. Park Police issued any public statement on the park closure as of Friday morning.
The move comes after uncertainty about the closure of the park during WorldPride.
Federal officials had declined earlier this week to publicly say whether they will install a tall no-climb fence around the perimeter of Dupont Circle Park on Friday and assign U.S. Park Police officers in and around the park to keep the public out, despite days of pressure from city leaders and LGBTQ advocates to keep the historic park open during this week's WorldPride festivities.
This story is developing and will be updated.
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