“The Fabric of Freedom” is the WorldPride 2025 Theme
WorldPride's theme, "The Fabric of Freedom," is meant to represent unity as well as be a global call to action to the LGBTQ community.
At a ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 14, at The Schuyler at The Hamilton Hotel, the Capital Pride Alliance, and its global partner InterPride, unveiled the official theme of WorldPride 2025 — “The Fabric of Freedom.”
The theme was selected, in part, due to the result of the recent 2024 U.S. presidential election, which saw Republican President-elect Donald Trump victorious over Democrat Kamala Harris. “The Fabric of Freedom” is meant to represent unity as well as be a global call to action to the LGBTQ community and its allies.
“Throughout history, people have used fabrics as expressive symbols, to communicate identities, and as forms of resistance,” wrote InterPride in an official statement. “While the LGBTQ+ community faces growing challenges both in the United States and worldwide from those seeking to divide rather than unite, it’s the fabric of our community — through our rich cultures, diverse identities, and backgrounds — that will guide us forward towards a better future.”
The statement notes that “it is our shared humanity and unshakable unity that defines our greatest strength. We are people bound by love and acceptance, struggle and resilience, our past and our future, forging an ever-evolving community that together embodies ‘The Fabric of Freedom.'”
“Ever since we were awarded the bid, we had freedom as the core of what we wanted to articulate and express,” Ryan Bos, the executive director of the Capital Pride Alliance, told me in a brief phone call ahead of the event. “It was recently that we finalized on the actual framing and phrasing of the ‘Fabric of Freedom.'”
Bos says the theme is rich in meaning for him personally.
“To me, it means so many things,” he says. “It represents that all of us, no matter where we live, where we come from, who we are, what we believe — we all shape and are a part of the fabric. And for true freedom, it also, for me, represents that it takes work to maintain freedom, and that freedom can be ever-expanding.”
“With this year’s theme…we’re welcoming the world to D.C. to share and celebrate our D.C. values of unity, diversity, and compassion,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser in an official statement.
Among the events scheduled are a Welcome Concert featuring pop superstar Shakira on Saturday, May 31 at Nationals Park. (Tickets are available here.) The same day will also serve as the kick off for the Capital Cup, a sports festival that will assemble LGBTQ athletes and leagues from around the world in a friendly competition. (Register here.)
WorldPride’s Human Rights Conference will be held June 4 to 6 and will focus on inclusion, diversity, and accessibility, aiming to “center the voices of those most marginalized in the LGBTQ+ community.” (Register here.)
Also on tap is a WorldPride Musical Festival: Global Dance Party, two joy-filled days (June 6 and 7) boasting three stages with top artists from across the musical spectrum at the RFK Festival Grounds. (Get on the waitlist here.)
The WorldPride Parade will take place on Saturday, June 7, while the WorldPride Street Festival and Concert will expand to two days, Saturday, June 7, and Sunday, June 8, and will be packed with hundreds of exhibitors, artisans, and organizations.
WorldPride concludes with a Rally and March on Sunday, June 8, and will feature appearances by LGBTQ activists and leaders from around the globe, culminating in an epic closing ceremony and concert.
Ryan Bos says that, due to the election’s outcome, the event will be equally important as a celebration and a protest.
“At the same time, we knew that this could be one of the outcomes of the election and have been expressing for a time that, yes, the nature, the messaging, the energy behind those who come to WorldPride will be very different than if the election would have gone the other way.”
For the latest WorldPride news and updates, visit WorldPrideDC.org.
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.