Registration now open for the 29th Rainbow Parade on 14 June 2025
In June, Vienna will once again become a stage for visibility, diversity, and lived solidarity: Under the motto “Unite in Pride”, Vienna Pride 2025 calls on all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) people, as well as their friends and allies, to take a powerful stand against hate and exclusion – and for a society based on acceptance, respect, and equality.
Standing together against hate: Unite in Pride!
“Yes, Pride is a celebration – it’s a joyful day. But it is also a political demonstration, an act of empowerment, and a visible statement for human rights,” emphasizes Vienna Pride organizer and Stonewall GmbH CEO Katharina Kacerovsky-Strobl.
“Pride is a movement advocating for a society where all people enjoy equal rights and genuine acceptance – a society where discrimination has no place. A society that embraces diversity is not only fairer, it’s also more livable for everyone. Every day, we witness LGBTIQ people being attacked, mocked, or erased. But exclusion doesn’t only affect our community. That’s why it’s so important we stand together – loud, visible, and determined. So we call on everyone: Unite in Pride!”
Ann-Sophie Otte, chairwoman of HOSI Vienna, which organizes the Rainbow Parade, adds:
“Our community is as diverse as the approximately 900,000 people who belong to it in Austria – but we must not allow ourselves to be divided. Whether it’s about protection from hate and discrimination, ending medically unnecessary surgeries on intersex children, or ensuring transgender people have the right to choose their names freely: when we stand united for everyone’s rights, nothing can stop us.”
Registration now open for the 29th Rainbow Parade
The Rainbow Parade is the annual highlight of Vienna Pride. Karl Kreipel, head of the Rainbow Parade, says:
“As Austria’s largest demonstration, the Parade is a proud symbol that the LGBTIQ community is at the heart of society. Especially in times of increasing hostility toward queer people, we are showing – together with many friends and allies – that we are here, we are many, and we will not hide!”
Participating groups can now register online via the Vienna Pride website. The registration deadline is 12 May at 12 noon.
3-day Pride Village at Rathausplatz and numerous side events throughout Vienna
In addition to numerous side events organized with many partners across Vienna over the two weeks, Rathausplatz will once again be transformed into the Pride Village from 12 to 14 June – a tent city of diversity, information, and community. Alongside a wide range of food and drinks, LGBTIQ associations and initiatives will present themselves, and a diverse stage program featuring DJs, bands, and dance performances will be offered.
“We are able to realize the Pride Village again in 2025 thanks to the strong partnership with the City of Vienna and our other partners,” says Kacerovsky-Strobl.
“This three-day Pride Village presents the LGBTIQ community in the heart of Vienna and invites everyone to join in, learn, and take the opportunity to break down prejudices and misunderstandings.”
The fact that Vienna Pride has grown from a three-day event in 2018 to a citywide two-week celebration with visitor numbers rising from 100,000 to over 400,000 – and even 500,000 at the Rainbow Parade and over a million during EuroPride 2019 – sends a clear message:
A large part of society, along with numerous partner organizations, supports the call for a just, open, and diverse society. They want to be part of a world where acceptance is a lived reality.
Otte especially highlights the role of the volunteers:
“There would be no Pride without our volunteers. They live ‘Unite in Pride’ every single day – with dedication, heart, and conviction. That’s why they deserve our deepest gratitude!”
