Mumbai Queer Pride March 2025 saw hundreds united at August Kranti Maidan, advocating for LGBTQ+ rights with powerful slogans, vibrant outfits, and energetic Nashik Dhols beats. The event emphasized ongoing demands for recognition, legal rights, and social acceptance, showcasing the community’s resilience and unity.

The streets of Mumbai came alive with colours, music, and powerful messages of love and equality as hundreds gathered at August Kranti Maidan for the Mumbai Queer Pride March 2025. This annual event, a significant moment in the LGBTQ+ rights movement, saw participants raising their voices in unity, carrying placards, dancing to the rhythmic beats of Nashik Dhols, and proudly waving the massive rainbow flag.

With messages such as ‘I am not a phase, I am a person’, ‘We deserve to love and marry, just like everyone else’, and ‘Homosexuality is not a crime, love is a human right’, the march was a bold assertion of the community’s demand for equal rights. Other placards carried messages of resilience and hope, including ‘Hope will never be silenced’, ‘Diversity is our strength’, and ‘There’s no pride in hiding who you truly are’.
“We celebrated the Mumbai Queer Pride parade 2025, at the historic August Kranti Maidan, the site of the Quit India Movement. The spirit of Mumbai is not a mere clichè it is full display in events like these where we come out to rise up and lead. It was heartening to see first time volunteers, along with the police ensuring that no one is inconvenienced,” said Harish Iyer, a passionate Mumbaikar and renowned equal rights activist.
The energy at the Pride March was infectious, with participants donning extravagant outfits and bold, beautiful makeup. Many took the opportunity to express themselves creatively, painting moustaches on one another and celebrating their identities with confidence and joy.
This was not just a celebration; it was a call to action. “Despite progress in LGBTQ+ rights in India, the community continues to fight for equal recognition, legal rights, and social acceptance. Events like these play a crucial role in keeping the conversation alive, ensuring that hope will indeed never be silenced,” said a participant.
“This years pride is not a moment in time, but a movement for better living conditions for queer people in India and across the world. We came out in large numbers as queers and allies to remind the world that we are here and we are queer and there is #NoGoingBack” said Christina Evars.
One of the standout moments of the march was the thunderous beats of Nashik Dhols, which added a pulsating rhythm to the festivities. As the dhols played, marchers danced, cheered, and embraced the moment of collective strength and solidarity.
“Year on year, we celebrate the Mumbai Queer Pride on the first Saturday after republic day. Besides a moment of solidarity and expression, it also helps us build stronger advocacy with police, the traffic police, and the BMC. We are incredibly grateful to their support and allyship” said Ashish Pandya, who along with Iyer and Saurabh Bondhre had been involved in the process of getting permissions.
One of the highlights of the event was the enormous rainbow pride flag, stretched across the street and carried by numerous participants. It symbolized unity, resistance, and the unwavering demand for acceptance and rights for the LGBTQ+ community in India.
As the march concluded, the spirit of pride remained in the air, a reminder that love knows no boundaries and that the fight for equality continues.