Boston Pride announces date of 2025 parade and festival, seeks theme ideas – The Boston Globe

The 2025 Boston Pride parade and festival is set for June 14, and the community is invited to help choose this year’s theme, organizers said Monday.

“We’re looking for a theme that embodies the bold spirit of the Stonewall Riots — capturing resilience, defiance, and collective strength in the fight for equality and justice,” Pride for the People said in a statement.

Suggestions are due Feb. 28 by 5 p.m. They can be submitted here.

The celebration arrives amid rising anxiety in the LGBTQ+ community, fueled by President Trump’s recent policies to eliminate DEI initiatives, recognize only two biological genders, and ban transgender athletes from women’s sports.

Last Thursday, references to transgender people were removed from the National Park Service website for the Stonewall National Monument, due to Trump’s order.

“Attacks on transgender people take aim at the heart of LGBTQ+ communities. In the midst of such vitriol, we want [Boston Pride] to be a celebration of Trans joy, an act of resistance in itself,” said Chastity Bowick, a member of the organizing committee said in the statement.

Boston Pride for the People, a nonprofit led by volunteers, has hosted Boston’s annual LGBTQ+ parade and festival since 2023.

The 2025 parade will start in Copley Square and wind through the South End and Back Bay before ending at Boston Common with an all-ages concert and festival. In the afternoon, a 21+ block party will be held at City Hall Plaza.

Last year’s parade, themed “Still Here: In Living Color,” drew more than 10,000 participants, the Globe reported.

Several hundred community groups, businesses, schools, and organizations are expected to register for this year’s festivities. Those interested can sign up here.

“In the face of uncertainty, our city remains unwavering in its commitment to equality and justice for all,” said Mayor Michelle Wu, who will attend the event.

“Pride is not just a celebration—it’s a powerful reminder that our strength lies in unity, and Boston will always be a place where everyone belongs.”

Rita Chandler can be reached at rita.chandler@globe.com.