Chicago’s annual Pride parade will kick off at 11 a.m. Sunday, starting in Northalsted and heading south to Diversey.
Pride Chicago, the Midwest’s largest parade, will begin at North Halsted and West Grace Streets, heading down Halsted to Belmont. It will move west on Belmont to Broadway, then south on Broadway to Diversey. The parade is expected to last about three hours, and the route is about two miles long.
Heat and humidity reminiscent of last weekend are forecast throughout the day. By the end of the parade, temperatures may reach 89 degrees or more and the heat index will push 87 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. There’s also a chance of rain and thunderstorms Sunday afternoon.
The Grand Marshals of the 2025 parade are Cathy Creticos and Maya Green, two infectious disease doctors honored for their contributions to LGBTQ+ health in Chicago. This year also honors the parade’s first Out Front community group, TaskForce Prevention & Community Services.
“This is the first year we had the community actually vote to lift up the people that they wanted to represent them at the parade,” Terra Campbell, Pride Chicago’s community engagement director, said. “Corporations normally have the biggest footprint of visibility — it won’t be that way in Chicago anymore.”
Pride Month wraps up as the federal government has moved to restrict services and rights for many in the LGBTQ+ community. Earlier in June, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender affirming care for minors and allowed parents to opt their children out of curriculum involving LGBTQ+ themes. The Trump administration will also end the 988 suicide hotline’s specialized services for LGBTQ+ youth in mid-July.
With these moves to curtail queer health and education, parade volunteer Moses Lee said it’s important to show up for the entire LGBTQ+ community.
“If there’s anything about the community, it’s that we’ve gone through really tough times, and we can do it again,” Lee said.
While many Pride celebrations around the country have seen a decline in corporate sponsorship and participation, Pride Chicago has not seen a significant change in partners and volunteers.
“Unlike many organizations in cities of comparable size, PRIDEChicago has only offered sponsorship opportunities for the past three years and does not require multi-year commitments,” Pride Chicago board chair Steve Long wrote in an email. “As such, fluctuations in participation are natural and should not be viewed as indicative of broader trends.”
