“We have people from all over the world celebrating diversity, culture, trans and being gay as a community. Everyone is celebrating, everyone is marching. We’re making our voices heard, and we’re showing our visibility in this city. I don’t think you get that anywhere else.”

“NYC Pride is colossal. New York was the first place where people could come and express themselves, and gay pride is a product of that. Look where we’ve come today—we have legalized gay marriage! We have one of the biggest Pride celebrations in the world.”

“Pride to me is culture, fun, community and love. Stonewall is iconic. It did a lot of barrier breaking, and that’s important for people to know—especially for our younger generations who are just coming out. They’re able to be as free as they are today because of what happened at Stonewall.”

“It’s the one time when different tribes of the queer community celebrate and look after each other in a really unique way. There needs to be an anchor for that, and NYC Pride is that anchor. It’s like a huge party but rooted in this respect, honoring where we’ve come as a community.”

“Pride is a chance to see all of the people who make the LGBTQ+ community as vibrant as it is and be a part of that incredible rainbow. This is where it all started—Stonewall is where this all began. It was the point at which the world began to pay attention, where Pride was born.”

“NYC Pride is loud and colorful and crazy and everyone is so nice! I got a ton of glitter from people. But it’s about more than just fun. It’s about inclusion. It’s learning the history about Stonewall and what it meant, and how it made all of this possible.”

“There are so many multicultural groups. It’s amazing to be here with so many groups of color. Everyone’s waving and clapping…it’s super-positive. I marched in the parade with a South Asian group next to a Korean group and an Arab group. Everyone’s represented!”

“NYC Pride is a place where people can come be themselves and be out and proud. It’s all love and it’s just amazing, over the top and grand. I wanted to be a beautiful gay angel and here I am.”

“The culture at NYC Pride is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Everyone here is all together. It doesn’t matter—black, white, yellow, orange, dog...anything—NYC Pride is the best.”

“It’s a beautiful day. It brings everybody together. It’s about equality, and you see a lot of smiles on people’s faces. There’s so much color and diversity. They march by Stonewall and it’s become this landmark, like a memorial. It brings people together and allows us to remember.”

For everything you need to know about Pride 2019, visit our guide.