Twin Cities Pride Parade, Minneapolis (June 29, 2025)

With the end of June, there were a lot of Pride events going on across the Twin Cities. One of the largest was the Twin Cities Pride Parade, with a multi-hour event in downtown Minneapolis. With a route down a section of Hennepin Avenue, the parade ultimately heads down to Loring Park where the Twin Cities Pride Festival continues with artists, musicians and general merriment.

I set up shop at 7th and Hennepin to see the parade closer to its start. There was a lot to take in even before the parade got going, with volunteers and security (wearing the hilarious “Sequeerity” shirts) running back and forth and finishing getting barricades connected with tape, driving parade participants to their start location, and vendors walking along selling flags and other items.

Dykes on Bikes was the (quite literal) roaring start and the cheers were nearly as loud as the motorcycles. The organizers did a really nice job of mixing the order of marchers across LGBTQIA groups, corporate sponsors and their organizations’ employee groups, local sports organizations, local non-profit organizations, and politicians. Governor Tim Walz, alongside his wife Gwen, got massive cheering, while St. Paul mayor Melvin Carter got a pretty great response as well. I was intrigued by how much effort and budget the companies did (or, occasionally & noticeably didn’t) put into their efforts. Delta Airlines, the main sponsor, pulled all the stops and their employee marchers were really into it.

Another fun aspect was how groups would often play puns into their slogans. The Minnesota Zoo nailed it with two mottos including “unfold your wings and bee yourself”, and their costumed butterflies were a delight. A close second goes to Metro Transit’s “Ride with Pride” and a very decked out bus. Other big winners from the crowd reaction perspective were the drummers. The University of Minnesota Marching Band, The Pride of Minnesota, was stellar, with mascot Goldy leading a raucous celebration and dance moves. Much smaller in number, but also a lot of fun was MNUFC Supporters Drum Line The Thunderwall, with mascot PK riling up the crowd from a truck up front.

After watching a lot of the parade, turning around to how much the crowd had filled out was pretty striking. Even in the fairly warm conditions, the crowd was packed four to five people deep. Walking back towards the start of the parade route revealed the same, and I was very happy for all of the parade participants to have such a large and appreciative audience. Walking down towards the end of the route where the festival would be later that afternoon, I also got to see early marchers finishing up and the mix of tired but proud was obvious throughout. Parade organizers did a great job, kept things moving along, and creating a wonderful Pride experience.