Washington D.C. hosts WorldPride: What to know about weekend bash
For the first time, WorldPride has descended on Washington D.C., as the city marks its 50-year anniversary of Pride celebrations.
The Capital Pride parade will kick off at 2 p.m. on Saturday at 14th St. and T St. NW, according to The Capital Pride Alliance (CPA), a nonprofit organization promoting LGBTQ+ rights and organizing the parade.
WorldPride events began May 17 and run through this weekend. Jennifer Lopez headlines the “World Pride Music Festival” on the RFK Festival Grounds on Friday and Saturday.
The last time WorldPride was hosted in the United States was in New York in 2019, where 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.
Events across the city
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 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 on Friday and Saturday will welcome LGBTQ+ icons and world-famous performers on three different stages. Jennifer Lopez headlines on Friday, with Paris Hilton, Trisha Paytas, Rita Ora and Tinashe also slated to perform. Saturday features Troy 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 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, featuring concerts, food, art exhibitions, artisans and beverages.
Saturday, Cynthia Erivo will headline the post-parade concert on 3rd street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, which will also feature performances by David Archuleta, CeCe Peniston and 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.
The Trump effect
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 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.