Boston Pride Parade and Festival Set for June 6

Boston's largest LGBTQ+ celebration will take place Saturday, June 6, 2026, when Boston Pride For The People hosts its annual Pride Parade and Festival.

The event, which drew more than one million attendees in 2025, will take place one week earlier than usual this year to accommodate World Cup activities scheduled in Boston the following weekend, organizers said.

The parade will begin in Copley Square, travel through the South End and Back Bay, and end at Boston Common, where an all-ages concert and festival will be held.

"This June will be full of excitement in Boston and we are thrilled to kick things off one week earlier than usual as we host the largest pride event in New England for the fourth consecutive year," Boston Pride For The People President Adrianna Boulin said in a press release.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, also quoted in the release, said the celebration reflects the city's long history of supporting the LGBTQ+ community.

"The City of Boston has long celebrated love, resilience, and belonging," Wu said, adding that the city is proud to stand with the LGBTQIA+ community and celebrate "visible acts of inclusion, unity, and joy."

Wu also highlighted the legacy of Rita Hester, the Boston woman whose 1998 killing helped ignite the modern Transgender Day of Remembrance movement.

Boston Pride For The People revived the citywide Pride parade in 2023 after a three-year hiatus. Organizers say about 15,000 marchers took part in last year's parade.

"As we continue to grow Boston Pride for the People, we are more encouraged than ever before by the support and excitement for what we are building together," Parade Co-Chair Gary Daffin said in the press release.

Organizers are inviting the public to submit ideas for the 2026 Pride theme and encouraging volunteers and sponsors to participate.

Boston Pride For The People is a volunteer-led nonprofit working with Boston's LGBTQ+ communities to empower, celebrate, commemorate, and educate through the city's annual Pride programming.

More information is available at BostonPrideForThePeople.org.