Berlin celebrates Pride parade with techno beats and rainbow flags

BERLIN (AP) — Tens of thousands of people danced to techno beats across Berlin on Saturday to celebrate the German capital's Pride parade, one of the largest LGBTQ+ celebrations in Europe.

With rainbow flags and bottles of beer, the city partied under overcast skies, an upgrade after days of downpours, to observe and honor Christopher Street Day.

“We need to represent pride is unity, pride is friendship, pride is love and we need to make sure that everybody knows that we were here in peace and in love to make it a better day for everybody,” said Jessica Benitaz, from Miami.

The annual parade commemorates the 1969 Stonewall rebellion in New York when a spontaneous street uprising was triggered by a police raid on the Stonewall Inn gay bar, on Christopher Street, in Greenwich Village.

Berlin's parade took revelers past the iconic Brandenburg Gate and through the Nollendorfplatz neighborhood, home to the city's gay culture as well as a memorial to the queer people who were persecuted and killed by the Nazi regime.

The city's first Christopher Street Day was held on June 30, 1979, in West Berlin.

Thomas Hoffmann, a member of the CSD Executive Board, thought the 2025 crowd was bigger than in past years.

“We want to stand up for our rights together here,” Hoffmann said.

German news agency dpa reported that a right-wing counter-demonstration featured 30 to 50 protesters.

Six people, including the protest's organizer, were arrested on their way to the demonstration for alleged weapons and explosives violations as well as for displaying anti-constitutional symbols, dpa reported.

People dance as they take part in the LGBTQ annual pride march in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, July 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

People attend the LGBTQ annual pride march in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, July 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Two women kiss as they take part in the LGBTQ annual pride march in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, July 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

People dance as they take part in the LGBTQ annual pride march in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, July 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

People dance as they take part in the LGBTQ annual pride march in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, July 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

The 47th Berlin Pride, the Christopher Street Day (CSD) demonstration, arrives at the Grosser Stern in Berlin, Saturday, July 26, 2025. (Carsten Koall/dpa via AP)

Participants in the 47th Berlin Pride, the Christopher Street Day (CSD) demonstration, gather before the start of the parade, in Berlin, Saturday, July 26, 2025. (Casten Koall/dpa va AP)

Participants in the 47th Berlin Pride, the Christopher Street Day (CSD) demonstration, gather before the start of the parade, in Berlin, Saturday, July 26, 2025. (Casten Koall/dpa va AP)

Two women kiss as they take part in the LGBTQ annual pride march in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, July 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

People dance as they take part in the LGBTQ annual pride march in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, July 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

People attend the LGBTQ annual pride march in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, July 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Two women kiss as they take part in the LGBTQ annual pride march in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, July 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

People dance as they take part in the LGBTQ annual pride march in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, July 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

People dance as they take part in the LGBTQ annual pride march in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, July 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

The 47th Berlin Pride, the Christopher Street Day (CSD) demonstration, arrives at the Grosser Stern in Berlin, Saturday, July 26, 2025. (Carsten Koall/dpa via AP)

Participants in the 47th Berlin Pride, the Christopher Street Day (CSD) demonstration, gather before the start of the parade, in Berlin, Saturday, July 26, 2025. (Casten Koall/dpa va AP)

Participants in the 47th Berlin Pride, the Christopher Street Day (CSD) demonstration, gather before the start of the parade, in Berlin, Saturday, July 26, 2025. (Casten Koall/dpa va AP)

“The Great American State Fair” is a series of concerts, exhibits, tributes and other programs scheduled to take place June 25 to July 10 on Washington’s National Mall. It was organized by Freedom 250, which is billed as a nonpartisan organization but was launched last year by President Donald Trump and is headed by a Trump State Department appointee from his first term, the businessman-philanthropist Keith Krach.

On Wednesday, Freedom 250 announced that Bret Michaels, the Commodores and Martina McBride would be among the musical performers, some of whom were slated for an “I Love the ’90s” show on June 26.

But by late Thursday, Michaels, the Commodores and McBride had dropped out, as did Morris Day and Young MC.

Michaels and others have said that they were misled about the theme of the shows or were otherwise wary of being caught up in a political fight. In an Instagram post, Michaels wrote that he had thought his show would be a chance to “honor our veterans, active military, first responders, teachers and hardworking Americans from all walks of life.” But he concluded that the event had “evolved into something much more divisive” and referred to “threats that are completely unfounded and unforgivable.”

McBride also issued an Instagram statement, saying she had been “presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading.” Young MC expressed similar sentiments in an Instagram post, while the Commodores released a brief statement saying they chose “not to publicly affiliate with any single political party.”

As of Friday morning, performers still expected to appear include Flo Rida, Vanilla Ice and Fab Morvan of Milli Vanilli, the Grammy-winning duo from the late 1980s-early 1990s who were discredited after reports that Morvan and fellow front man Rob Pilatus did not sing on the records and lip-synced on stage. (The actual singers, including sisters Jodie and Linda Rocco, told The Associated Press that they were not invited).

Morvan told the AP in an emailed statement that he was "here to entertain and unite people, not divide them.”

"Let’s celebrate life & music and take a trip down memory lane,” he said.

A representative for Vanilla Ice told the AP in an email that the “Ice Ice Baby” rapper was “proud to help celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary!"

"Everyone is welcome to attend and celebrate USA’s Birthday and our Freedom!” the representative said.

A Flo Rida representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Freedom 250 organizers have yet to respond to AP requests for comment. Freedom 250 spokeswoman Rachel Reisner told The New York Times in a statement that “Freedom 250 is focused on our signature celebrations and events that honor our history and engage all Americans.”

Trump, a Republican, has some prominent supporters in the entertainment industry, including Sylvester Stallone and Nicki Minaj, but many more have shunned him. Taylor Swift, Robert De Niro,Billie Eilish and Bruce Springsteen are among those who have endorsed Democrats and/or condemned Trump, while Elton John, Kenny Loggins and others have objected to their music being used for Trump rallies or Trump videos. After the president ousted the leadership last year at the Kennedy Center and had his own name placed on the building’s facade, numerous artists, including Bela Fleck, Renée Fleming and Issa Rae, called off scheduled appearances.

FILE - Martina McBride performs, Oct. 28, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

FILE - Young MC performs during the "I Love The 90's" tour on Aug. 7, 2022, at RiverEdge Park in Aurora, Ill. (Photo by Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 26, 1992 file photo, Fabrice Morvan, left, and Rob Pilatus of Milli Vanilli perform during the taping of the Arsenio Hall Show in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Craig Fujii, File)

FILE - Singer Brett Michaels performs at halftime of an NFL football game between the Detroit Lions and the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale, Ariz., Sept. 8, 2019. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File)