At the start of the 2025 Drag March in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Marking its 31st year, the Drag March launched Pride Weekend last evening with its always festive procession to the Stonewall Inn. 

Participants gathered in Tompkins Square Park before stepping off at Avenue A and Ninth Street to begin their journey to the West Side. 

Spirits were high, and the turnout was strong; the weather was a blessing (it's usually 87 swampy degrees), and I had a blast taking photos.

Friday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

We'll have more photos from the start of the Drag March in Tompkins Square Park later this weekend...

Pride Weekend 2025

Photo from 2024 by Stacie Joy 

The 31st edition of the Drag March will get Pride Weekend underway this evening, starting in Tompkins Square Park at Ninth Street ... with the annual walk-march-protest to the Stonewall Inn. 

Participants will start gathering in Tompkins after 7 p.m. 

Tomorrow, the NYC Dyke March will step off from Bryant Park at 5 p.m. ... heading south to Washington Square Park. This year's theme: "Dykes Say No to Fascism." 

Visit the NYC Pride website for a complete list of Pride-related activities this weekend.

At the start of the 2024 Drag March in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Stacie Joy 

The 30th edition of the Drag March got Pride Weekend underway... with the annual walk-march-protest to the Stonewall Inn. (Earlier in the day, President Biden and Elton John attended the opening of the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center adjacent to the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street.) 

As always, participants prepped and gathered in Tompkins Square Park before departing from Avenue A and Ninth Street. 

Here are a few scenes from this festive past Friday evening... which included a tribute to transgender pioneer and activist Marsha P. Johnson (1945-1992)...

The annual Drag March is tonight, stepping off from Tompkins Square Park

Photo from 2023 by Stacie Joy 

The annual Drag March departs from Tompkins Square Park at Ninth Street this evening for the trip over to the Stonewall Inn. 

Participants start gathering at 7 p.m. before departing around 8. 

This last weekend of June includes the Dyke March tomorrow night and the NYC Pride March and the Queer Liberation March on Pride Sunday. Gay City News has a preview here.

At the start of the 2023 Drag March in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Stacie Joy 

The 29th edition of the Drag March took place last night — a kick-off to NYC Pride Weekend. 

Once again, a fabulous group of generation-spanning participants gathered in Tompkins Square Park for the march across Ninth Street to Sheridan Square and the Stonewall Inn. 

As East Village-based writer Jeremiah Moss wrote on Instagram: "The Drag March remains wonderfully sweaty, scrappy, queer, vaguely '90s, and still very East Village."