Sydney Passes Host City Baton to Washington DC for WorldPride 2025
Sydney WorldPride ends with a Pride March, Rainbow Republic Closing Concert, and a ceremony to recognize Washington, DC as the host city for WorldPride 2025.
LGBTQ+ reps from the District, including Ashley Smith, board president of Capital Pride Alliance, buzzed with excitement as Kate Wickett, CEO of Sydney WorldPride; Ben Graetz, Executive Creative Director of Sydney WorldPride, and Gadigal Elder Nana Miss Kouri passed the ceremonial baton to the nation’s capital as the host for WorldPride 2025.
On Sunday, March 5, the brief ceremony was part of the Rainbow Republic Closing Concert to mark the official end to more than two weeks of Sydney WorldPride and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
As the focus shifts to Washington, DC, Capital Pride will not only be a WorldPride 2025 celebration, but the annual Pride event will also celebrate its 50th anniversary in June 2025. LGBTQ+ revelers will converge on the U.S. capital for this bi-annual global Pride celebration, making it the second US city InterPride selected to host WorldPride. New York City was the first city in the US to host WorldPride in 2019.
In a videotaped message, the District’s Mayor Muriel Bowser expressed her excitement as DC prepares to host the next global Pride event, attracting LGBTQ+ revelers and allies from around the world.
“Many people know Washington, DC as the capital of the United States, and we have long been a leader of LGBTQ+ rights,” said Mayor Bowser. “We’re also the home of the highest percentage of LGBTQ+ residents in the country. So it goes without saying, that we are very excited about hosting WorldPride in 2025.”
The final day of the first Sydney WorldPride 2023 started with a historic Pride March touted as “a powerful international statement – we are here, we are united, and we will be relentless in our demand for equality not only in Australia but for all LGBTQ+ people around the world.” The Sydney Harbour Bridge was closed for several hours to allow 50,000 marchers, carrying LGBTQ+ flags, including the Progress Flag, to cross the popular landmark in support of global equality.
As mentioned before, the seven-hour Rainbow Republic Closing Concert also marked the end of 17 days of 300 Pride-related events. Headliner Ava Max and other performers such as Muna, Peach PRC, Alter Boy, BVT, and Vetta Borne to center stage at The Domain.
Australian actor Keiynan Lonsdale, known for his acting roles in the streaming series Love Simon and the CW series The Flash also performed with a few high-energy choreographed songs. Hundreds of LGBTQ+ folks also wanted to see trans singer Kim Petras perform. They recently won a Grammy for their “Unholy” collaboration with nonbinary singer Sam Smith.
Petras pushed through her set of songs, which included “Throat Goat,” after a tearful apology to the audience for her strained vocal performance. However, she soldiered on and promised that the “First Tranny with a Grammy” would make a return visit to Sydney in better form.
If you missed the Pride March or Rainbow Republic Closing Concert, check out a few photos of Sydney WorldPride’s final official events. Next stop… Washington, DC!
