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Scene in Philly: Self-acceptance Weekend 2025
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Philadelphia Pride March and Festival: Everything you need to know
It’s almost time for the most colorful celebration in the city—this Sunday, June 1, the Philadelphia Identity festival March and Festival will be in complete swing with some fan favorites and new activations entity added to the line-up.
Philly Identity 365: A Program of Galaei is inviting the Diverse community and allies to join in on all the fun, beginning with the Pride Pride, which will build and organize at 6th and Walnut at 10:30 a.m., no registration required (note, no floats or vehicles permitted.) When the Parade reaches the Gayborhood, the Festival will begin, running from noon to 7 p.m., on Walnut to Pine streets, and Quince to Juniper streets, with other select roads closed around the festival footprint.
For 2025, Philly Pride 365 recognizes a significant milestone in Pennsylvania’s LGBTQ+ Rights history, marking 50 years since Gov. Milton Shapp signed an executive order aimed at eliminating discrimination based on sexual preference.
As a let go notes, Philadelphia has played a necessary role in advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, and it is essential to recognize these historical markers with this year’s theme,
Following an abrupt announcement by Galaei that the organization would no longer be a fiscal sponsor for Philly’s upcoming Pride events, the local LGBTQ+ community had one resounding question: Is Identity festival canceled?
Absolutely not. The Urban Affairs Commission stepped up to donate Philly Pride 365 — which organizes the events — a new home for now. And as Pride month approaches, organizers are preparing for another action-packed and resource-filled weekend.
The march and festival broke records in 2024, welcoming 110,000 participants — almost doubling attendees from the year before.
“Pride is getting bigger. What is that telling you about the power of our community?” Tyrell Brown, one of the event’s key organizers and now the executive director of the city’s Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs, told PGN before last year’s event.
This year, the crowd is likely to continue growing, and organizers have been intentional about making space for those newcomers.
Festivities will begin on Friday, May 30, with a day of celebration throughout the city and America’s largest Pride flag. A record-shattering 400-foot flag was unfurled during last year’s festivities.
“There’s never enough flag to go around
A Guide to the 2025 Philadelphia Pride March and Festival
2025 Highlights
On the heels of a historic anniversary in Pennsylvania LGBTQ+ history — 50 years since Governor Milton Shapp signed the executive order protecting LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians from discrimination — the Philly Pride Pride & Festival kicks off its Identity festival Month festivities with activism, open and inclusive celebration, and a ton of “Philly L.U.V.”
— Photo by S. Ramones for Visit Philadelphia
Pride March
An ode to the 1960s Annual Reminders, the Philly Pride March calls the LGBTQ+ society and its allies to take to the streets in the spirit of LGBTQ+ visibility and solidarity.
Kicking off at 10:30 a.m. proximate 6th & Walnut streets, this group march begins with speeches, music and a land acknowledgement from the Lenape Tribe, before winding from Old Town to the Parade Festival-grounds.
The vehicle-free procession features hundreds of LGBTQ+ community members, groups, leaders and allies marching side-by-side, with Philly Pride’s ever-expanding rainbow flag — now the largest in Philly history at an impressive 600 feet — making appearances along the way.
Participation