DC hosts WorldPride: What to know about weekend bash
For the first time, WorldPride has descended on Washington, D.C., as the city marks its 50th anniversary of Pride celebrations.
The Capital Pride parade will kick off at 2 p.m. EDT Saturday at 14th Street and T Street NW, according to the Capital Pride Alliance, a nonprofit organization promoting LGBTQ rights and organizing the parade.
WorldPride events began May 17 and run through this weekend. Jennifer Lopez will headline the World Pride Music Festival on the RFK Campus Festival Grounds on Friday and Saturday.
The last time WorldPride was hosted in the United States was in New York in 2019, when approximately 5 million people attended from around the world. In 2023, a million people celebrated in Sydney.
Here's what to know about Pride celebrations in the nation's capital.
There's a seemingly endless number of events, performances and things to see around the city this weekend.
WorldPride will feature 'Rainbow Road,' billed as the largest LGBTQ mural ever painted, according to the artist Lisa Marie Thalhammer. She said she wishes to bring joy and awareness to the community and titled the piece 'We Exist' to rebel against the current administration.
The WorldPride music festival Friday and Saturday will welcome LGBTQ icons and world-famous performers on three different stages. Lopez will headline Friday, with Paris Hilton, Trisha Paytas, Rita Ora and Tinashe also slated to perform. Saturday will feature Troye Sivan, Kim Petras, a RuPaul DJ set and a special appearance by Reneé Rapp.
The festival is 99 percent sold-out, but final tickets and a list of official afterparties are available on its website.
A two-day WorldPride Street Festival will take over part of Pennsylvania Avenue from 2-10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, featuring concerts, food, art exhibitions, artisans and beverages.
On Saturday, Cynthia Erivo will headline the postparade concert on 3rd Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, which will also feature performances by David Archuleta and CeCe Peniston. To follow all the events, the Pride365 app is available for download. Organizers have made safety their priority for this year and will alert attendees throughout the weekend if anything arises.
WorldPride comes as the Trump administration has shown hostility toward Pride Month, refusing to acknowledge Pride Month and stripping the name of gay civil rights activist Harvey Milk from a Navy ship.
'As the LGBTQ+ community continues its fight for equality, visibility, and justice, WorldPride serves as a powerful rallying cry, and we are working to unite voices worldwide in support of our movement,' WorldPride said on its website.
'The actions being taken by the new administration underline the importance of our continued work and highlight the need for the global community to gather during WorldPride, where we will advocate for and uplift the LGBTQ+ community.'
President Trump has rolled back various protections for LGBTQ groups since his first day in office. On Jan. 20, Trump signed an executive order recognizing only two genders and launched a campaign against what he calls 'gender ideology.' He has signed executive orders seeking to ban transgender women from participating in women's sports, restrict gender-affirming care for teenagers under 19 years old, and bar transgender troops from the military.
Trump seized on the backlash to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies during his campaign, and corporations have pulled funding for DEI programs and sponsorship of potentially divisive Pride events. San Francisco Pride has a $200,000 budget deficit, while New York Pride has a $750,000 budget gap.
This year's Pride attendance has already been impacted by Trump's policies. Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, a British LGBTQ rights activist also known as Lady Phyll, was supposed to deliver opening remarks at the WorldPride Human Rights Conference. She was denied entry to the U.S. due to a recent trip to Cuba.
Multiple countries, such as Denmark and Finland, have issued travel advisories for transgender tourists visiting the United States.
WorldPride organizers moved Pride events away from the Kennedy Center after Trump named himself chair of the institution.
The National Park Service decided to close Dupont Circle Park from Thursday to Sunday, shutting off a popular meeting place for the LGBTQ community during the festival.
After back-and-forth between authorities and activists, the United States Park Police said the closure was necessary to reduce possible violence and limit excessive police presence.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
WorldPride parade to hit the streets of D.C. Saturday
A 1,000-foot rainbow flag, more than 300 crooners and a team of cheerleaders will float, sing and dance their way down 14th Street NW this Saturday to celebrate Pride. The parade will kick off at 2 p.m. at the intersection of 14th and T streets with a ceremony led by Indigenous residents in the D.C. area. Actresses Laverne Cox and Reneé Rapp will act as grand marshals, along with Deacon Maccubbin — an activist who organized D.C.'s first Pride celebration 50 years ago. They will shepherd about 300 groups of floats, vehicles and walkers along the route, said Tiffany Lyn Royster, director of community engagement with Capital Pride Alliance and WorldPride. They'll head south along 14th Street until turning left onto Pennsylvania Avenue and right onto Ninth Street. The parade will go on until around 8 p.m. and will be followed by a concert headlined by the actress Cynthia Erivo at Third Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. 'We may have some special guests in store for folks,' Royster said. 'Definitely keep a look out.' The parade and other festivities will kick off the final two days of WorldPride in D.C., a three-week festival celebrating the LGBTQ community. The festivities also commemorate the city's 50th anniversary of Pride celebrations. Organizers acknowledge that WorldPride this year has not been the massive celebration they originally hoped for — one that was expected to attract up to 3 million people, fill hotels to capacity, and bring revenue to the District and its businesses. The Trump administration's targeting of transgender rights and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts has led to heightened concerns from many in the LGBQT community over their safety. A Shakira concert scheduled for WorldPride's opening festivities last Saturday was canceled because of production issues. And on Friday, many D.C. community members were outraged over a National Park Service order to fence off Dupont Circle Park for Pride weekend. The park, in the heart of D.C.'s historic LGBQT neighborhood, has long been a gathering place for Pride celebrations. Royster said that she thinks Pride takes on more importance this year because of this charged political climate. The parade is still expected to attract up to 700,000 attendees, almost double the number than in a typical year, according to Royster. The parade usually attracts around 300,000 to 400,000 people. 'I think that people are just going to be louder and prouder,' Royster said. 'We have folks who are from all over the world at this point participating in our parade on Saturday, and they came to help us fight and they came to help us be proud.' At the parade, a coalition of singers hailing from Colorado to Maine will serenade spectators as they carry an enormous rainbow flag down the route, said Thea Kano, artistic director for the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington DC. The playlist will include 'Freedom' by Beyoncé and a couple of social justice tunes. For Kano, singing in the parade is all about spreading positivity and sharing it with the broader community. 'When we sing, joy is the number one thing. We come in joy,' Kano said. 'It's resistance. It's resilience. In a sense, it feels that people are trying to take our joy away and, you know, good luck with that.' Parade-goers will also hear the blaring horns and beating drums of D.C.'s Different Drummers Marching Band, an LGBTQ ensemble. One musician, Kirsten Zeiter, will play the trumpet with her rainbow-colored prosthetic left arm. Zeiter said she is looking forward to taking part in the event, 'especially being part of a group like D.C.'s Different Drummers that is all about inclusion, acceptance, pride and representation,' she said. 'Any performance with them I just feel joy.' In addition to the parade, organizers are hosting a block party on 17th Street from noon to 10 p.m. The location in Dupont, the city's original 'Gayborhood,' was chosen because of its connection to historical uprisings among D.C.'s LGBTQ+ community, Royster said. Other events Saturday include a street festival showcasing artisans and multicultural performances, music and dancing at small stages across the grounds and a musical festival headlined by Troye Sivan and featuring Kim Petras, Purple Disco Machine and Raye. The celebration goes on through Sunday with a continuation of the street festival, DJs, drag and drumming at the small stages and a closing concert from Doechii. This weekend, residents should expect much of downtown, Dupont and Logan circles, and the U Street area to be closed to cars at least part of the time. Metro will close at 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday and open at 6 a.m. Saturday and Sunday to accommodate Pride celebrations.
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an hour ago
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Threats against drag performers are down as LGBTQ opposition shifts focus to transgender and gender-nonconforming people, report says
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