Over 250,000 expected to join Pride Festival today

MANILA, Philippines — An estimated 250,000 people are expected to join this year’s Pride PH Festival at the University of the Philippines in Diliman and in other parts of Quezon City today.

The Quezon City government signed an agreement with the Pride PH Coalition and the UP Diliman administration to co-organize the Lov3Laban: Pride PH Festival as part of the Pride Month 2025 celebration.

“For years, QC has stood as a proud ally of the LGBTQIA+ community not merely in words but through concrete policies and programs that truly champion gender equality,” Mayor Joy Belmonte said.

“We are happy to host this festival once again as a testament to our support for the community’s fight for equal rights and celebration of their love and identities,” she added.

With a bigger crowd expected this year, the organizers decided to move the main events from the Quezon Memorial Circle to the UP Diliman campus. Among the scheduled activities are the Pride Expo, Pride March and Pride Night, as well as the establishment of Pride villages in different parts of the city.

According to Belmonte, the city’s fourth collaboration with the Pride PH Coalition underscores its long-standing commitment to inclusivity.

“We vow to the rainbow community that the Quezon City Government will continue to advance inclusive initiatives and promote equal opportunities for as long as inequality exists and members of the community continue to face barriers in living freely,” Belmonte said.

UP Diliman chancellor Edgardo Carlo Vistan II said this year’s Pride festival underscores the shared commitment to pursue equality and human rights for all.

“UP Diliman offers not just physical space, but a space and inclusive space where people can be who they want to be, far from the judgment from others,” Vistan said.