Dublin Pride 2025: Your guide to this year's best parties, concerts, cultural performances and more

Ten years ago, Ireland made history by becoming the first country in Europe to pass the Marriage Equality Act by popular vote. It was a landmark moment, marked by emotional scenes of celebration, as the tireless work of activists and campaigners over successive generations finally came to fruition. With the successful Repeal referendum following in 2018, the marriage equality result marked the beginning of a truly remarkable few years in Ireland’s social history.

Also in 2015, the Oireachtas passed the Gender Recognition Act, allowing individuals over the age of 18 to have their preferred gender recognised by the State, while the Children and Family Relationships Act, which extended parental rights and responsibilities to non-traditional families, was passed by the Daíl – officially marking 2015 as one of the most vital years in queer rights in Ireland.

With these milestones, Ireland has come a long way from the conservative Catholicism of the mid-20th century. However, with trans rights being rolled back in the US and UK, 2025 is a year to celebrate how far we’ve come – and how much more work there is to do. To serve as a reminder, the theme of this year’s Pride Parade is Taking Liberties – a look back at the liberties the queer community has taken, not just as a celebration, but also in remembrance of how hard the fight has been to take them, and how hard the struggle will be to keep them.

In the days leading up to Pride, Dublin will be bustling with exciting events, including parties, concerts and cultural performances – and we here take a look at some of the best...

Pride Parade
June 28

One of the biggest LGBTQ+ people parades in Europe, Dublin LGBTQ Pride kicks off at 12:30pm on O’Connell street, and will be led by Grand Marshall Ruadhán Ó Críodáin, ShoutOut’s executive director (who's interviewed in the current issue of Hot Press). With this year’s theme of Taking Liberties, chosen in honour of the ten-year anniversaries of marriage equality and gender recognition, Ruadhán has been picked as Grand Marshall for his advocacy for trans rights and the broader LGBTQ+ movement since joining ShoutOut as a volunteer in 2013.

Quoting civil rights activist Philip Randolph, Pride organisers stated: “Freedom is never granted; it is won. Justice is never given; it is exacted.” This year’s theme aims to encourage the fight for queer people to keep their liberties, in a time where trans rights are being rolled back in the US and the UK, and hate and violence against members of the community appears has been increasing.

One of the first organised public displays of LGBTQ+ solidarity took place in 1974 when 10 people marched from the Department of Justice to the British Embassy in protest against the ongoing criminalisation of homosexuality. In March 1983, Dublin witnessed a far larger LGBTQ protest, about 900 people marching, when five ‘queer bashing’ teenagers, who had beaten a gay man Declan Flynn to death, received suspended sentences. That same year in June, the first Dublin Pride Parade was organised, and has taken place every year since.
dublinpride.ie/parade

Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

More Pride 2025 events and activities taking place on June 28:

Mother Pride Block Party

Evening time: Mother’s iconic annual Pride celebration makes its dazzling return to the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks on June 28, and features a stellar line-up comprised of  The Blessed Madonna, Trixie Mattel, Samantha Mumba, and Mother DJs – as well as Sing Along Social, Haus of WIG, Drag Aerobics, the Sweatbox Stage, and more… If you’re looking to end Pride day with a wild boogie, Collins Barracks is your best bet to celebrate queer joy, unity, music, and dance with a line-up of global and local LGBTQ+ superstars.
motherclub.ie/blockparty

The Blessed Madonna

HONEYPOT

Night: Focusing on lesbians, queer women and their friends, the beloved electronic club night HONEYPOT is making its return to Wigwam, to celebrate Pride day with its Lezapalooza party (Sat. 28). Including a FLINTA-focused line-up with ten DJs spread across two floors, HONEYPOT will welcome headliner Efa O’Neill and her immersive sets that blend house, techno, bass and leftfield sounds. On the night, expect high production values, including go-go dancers, with lighting and visuals designed in collaboration with local artists.
instagram.com/honeypot_club

Efa O'Neill

Day of the Pride Parade at Outhouse

Offering community and tasty treats during Pride Breakfast, Outhouse’s Day of the Pride Parade kicks off at 9am and allows attendees to get ready for the event as a community, as well as finding friends to head into town with. Any participant is welcome to march with Outhouse at the Parade, leaving the Capel Street centre at 11.25 sharp. If you’d rather avoid crowds, you can also watch the Parade livestream from the centre, allowing you to participate in the big event in a more relaxed, friendly environment.
outhouse.ie/pride-2025

Pride Village

Whether you wish to keep the celebration going before, after or during the Pride Parade, you can head to Merrion Square for Pride Village – a free, unticketed, full-day festival supported by Dublin City Council, the Department of Tourism, Culture, Communications and Sport, and various sponsors. The Village will also be the last stop of the Pride Parade, so get ready to enjoy an afternoon surrounded by the queer community!
dublinpride.ie/pride-village

dublinpride.ie

In the days leading up to Pride...

Not only a celebration of queer identities and love, this month is the occasion to reflect on queer art and history, and to consider that the road to greater freedom was carved out by those who came before. Throughout the week of Pride, various historical and cultural centres around the city will reflect on the people who have, throughout history, led the political fight which led to the Marriage Equality Referendum ten years ago.

Lavender Walk: Queer History Walking Tour of Dublin
June 27

Hosted by historian, activist, writer and archivist Tonie Walsh, from June 23 to 28, Lavender Walk: Queer History Walking Tour of Dublin has long been considered an indispensable part of Dublin Pride. Thanks to his long engagement with Ireland’s LGBT civil rights movement, stretching back to 1979, Walsh offers an incredibly lively and enthusiastic queer history of the country, managing to be engaging, humourous, emotional and informative all at the same time, for a deeply unique way to experience Pride month in Dublin.

Tickets are available here.

Stay tuned to hotpress.com and our socials for more Pride coverage...