Philly throws the best parties. You could say it’s a matter of Pride. So, on June 1, thousands of people joyfully and gaily celebrated love, unity, and all things LGBTQ+ at Philadelphia’s 2025 Pride March and Festival.

A parade in Old City was followed by a festival in the Gayborhood where revelers enjoyed food, drinks, live music and dancing in the streets. Vendors offered an array of items for purchase, many emblazoned with rainbows. In addition, numerous nonprofit organizations and agencies – the health department among them – provided information, education, and lots of giveaways.

Volunteers from the Division of Disease Control (DDC) and the Division of HIV Health (DHH) answered questions about sexual health, provided free condoms and lube, and handed out educational materials on a variety of topics, including disease prevention, STDs, HIV, and hepatitis. Staff members also answered questions about mpox and administered 55 doses of mpox vaccine.

Volunteers from Philly Keep On Loving, a DHH program, answered questions about HIV treatment and prevention, and provided information on PrEP, an HIV prevention medication, and PEP, a medicine to prevent HIV after a possible exposure.

Volunteers from the Tobacco Policy and Control Program, which is part of the health department’s Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention (CDIP), gave out free Nicotine Replacement Therapy Quit Kits, while promoting health equity. LGBTQ+ communities face higher rates of tobacco use, often driven by discrimination and targeted marketing.

Happy Pride, Philly. Stay healthy and Keep On Loving.