Washington dc gay pride events
Your guide to WorldPride Washington DC: How to commemorate Pride Month in the DMV
WorldPride Washington DC has officially begun its three-week celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community in the capital and around the globe.
D.C. boasts one of the largest and most energetic LGBTQIA+ self-acceptance celebrations in the country — up to half a million people assemble in the District for Pride Month events.
This year, the District is place to host up to 2 million people. Festivities will include a procession, multiple festivals and a block party on 17th Road, the site of the original D.C. "Gay Pride Day." The celebration on June 22, 1975, drew 2,000 people, which founder Deacon Maccubbin considered a smashing success.
Capital Pride has a unique story that started almost five decades ago, in part due to a bookstore owner. News4’s Tommy McFly reports.
"It was a smidgen of what we reflect of as Identity today, but a wonderful smidgeon,” Maccubbin told News4’s Tommy McFly.
WorldPride encompasses dozens of parties, concerts, art exhibits, sporting events and more over several weeks, foremost up to a massive parade. Many cities and towns have planned their own Pride Month celebratio
Guide to WorldPride 2025
WorldPride comes to Washington, DC from May 17 to June 8
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Event in Washington, DC and we're celebrating by making it an all-out international experience. Join the momentous celebrations as the nation’s capital is painted with pride, featuring a variety of events to stimulate, empower and connect the international LGBTQ+ community and their allies. The Fabric of Freedom theme emphasizes our community, woven together through our rich cultures, diverse identities and backgrounds. Check out some of the highlights below.
Enjoy exclusive WorldPride 2025 hotel discounts in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia, with direct links to special rates and curated accommodations. Visit the official WorldPride 2025 website to sign up for email updates.
Read more about travel resources and safety information.
In celebration of the LGBTQ+ community, the DC region will show up and show out in colorful decorations. Access the Paint the World Virtual map to engage with the inspiring and larger-than-life installations throughout the area. Stay tuned for communication on you can sign-up
International Pride Orchestra & Queer Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC
As part of WorldPride 2025 and in partnership with the Capital Parade Alliance, the International Celebration Orchestra is proud to present its one-night-only Celebration Celebration Concert at the Strathmore Music Center, in collaboration with the well-known Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC.
The International Lgbtq+ fest Orchestra (IPO) unites Gay musicians and allies from around the world to present concerts, celebrate group, and raise awareness for organizations that uplift the LGBTQ+ community. They will be joined on stage by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC (GMCW), a renowned ensemble that uses the dominance of music and awareness to inspire equality, promote justice, and affirm the dignity of all people.
This history-making performance brings together artists, audiences, and advocates in support of Whitman-Walker. A part of the fabric of D.C. and a national leader in the LGBTQ+ community for more than 50 years, Whitman-Walker provides health and legal services to 20,000 patients each year and conducts lifesaving research focused on HIV, cancer, substance use, and other chronic illnesses.
San Fran
Note: Traveling as an Homosexual person always carries a certain degree of risk. It is our existence as we navigate a world with 60+ countries criminalizing our relationships and a rise in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation around the world. We encourage our traveling community to comprehend the laws and cultural challenges they may face in any destination they prefer to visit for Pride and beyond. Don't be scared of the earth, but always research information specific to your travels. Enjoy Pride, be watchful, and look out for each other!
The LGBTQ+ rights movement has made tremendous strides over the past few decades and much of the progress in visibility is thanks in part to gay pride parades and marches that have taken place in cities around the world.
The global landscape for Gay rights, protections and acceptance varies tremendously by location, with some destinations attracting millions of visitors to their events like Madrid Same-sex attracted Pride, Sao Paulo Gay Pride or San Francisco Queer Pride, while more than 70 other countries have laws that allow discrimination or persecution of LGBTQ+ people.
What is Gay Pride or LGBTQ+ Pride?
Gay Event or rather
The WorldPride 2025 Film Festival invited filmmakers worldwide to submit LGBTQ+ films of all genres and lengths to be screened in the nation’s capital as we celebrate 50 years of Pride in DC. We are proud to showcase these thought-provoking and inspiring stories from a diversity of filmmakers, sharing authentic experiences that enrich lives and, through joint revelation, bring us closer together. Please join us for this cinematic spin around the globe.
Ages: 18+ (Adults only)
Content Warnings: mild references to grief, infertility or infant loss, mild usage of swearing or ‘coarse’ language, flashing or strobing lights, mild depictions of sexual content
FILM LINEUP:
2:00 PM – Shorts Showcase: People of Metro DC
DC Queer PRIDE 1978
Director: Gary Davis • 6 Min • Documentary • USA • 1978
At age 19, Gary Davis took his 16mm Bolex camera, and a friend with a cassette recorder, to the unchartered territory of a gay pride event in the heart of Washington, DC. With the good fortune of finding editing equipment at the Corcoran Museum and a fantastically relevant song from Casse Culver, and with barely a frame to spare from 200′ of Ektachrome,