NYC Pride, which hosts one of two main marches on Pride Sunday in New York City, has unveiled its theme for 2025: “Rise Up: Pride in Protest.”
The theme’s introduction comes three months before NYC Pride, which is also known as Heritage of Pride, hosts the most prominent Pride March in the city on June 29, the final Sunday of June. The theme for 2025 aims to capture the mood of the community in the face of overwhelming adversity — especially for transgender individuals who have been the target of the Trump administration across many areas of life, from sports to healthcare. This year represents the 55th anniversary of the 1970 Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade, which marked one year since the Stonewall Uprising.
Pride Sunday will begin with PrideFest, the annual LGBTQ street fair featuring exhibitors, food, and activities beginning at 11 a.m. near Union Square Park and Astor Plaza. The NYC Pride March will begin at noon when marchers will step off from 25th St. and Fifth Ave.
Another march — the Reclaim Pride Coalition’s Queer Liberation March — has taken place on the same day every year since 2019. That march bars corporations and police officers. The Reclaim Pride Coalition has not yet introduced details about the 2025 march.
Kazz Alexander, a co-chair of NYC Pride, said Pride is not just about celebrating, but also about standing up and fighting back in protest.
“The challenges we face today, particularly in this political climate, require us to stand together in solidarity,” Alexander said in a written statement. “We must support one another, because when the most marginalized among us are granted their rights, all of us benefit. Pride is not merely a celebration of identity— it is a powerful statement of resistance, affirming that justice and equity will ultimately prevail for those who live and love on the margins.”
Michele Irimia, who is also co-chair of NYC Pride, said the community must continue to push forward in the face of discrimination.
“As New Yorkers, we know: Pride is resistance, Pride is activism and, most importantly, Pride is for everyone,” Irimia said. “‘Rise Up: Pride in Protest’ reminds us that the fight for equality is far from over.”
