300,000 people celebrate at the CSD Munich: A celebration of diversity!

300,000 people celebrate at the CSD Munich: A celebration of diversity!

Last Saturday, June 28, 2025, Munich experienced an impressive spectacle of diversity and community. Christopher Street Day (CSD) was all about equality and mutual acceptance, and the response to the event was hard to miss. Loud Sunday paper Around 20,000 people actively took part in the demonstration, while an estimated 230,000 spectators admired the colorful parades on the sides of the streets. A total of around 300,000 people were in the city, including 50,000 visitors to the street festival.

Under the motto “Liberté, Diversité, Queerité”, the participants demonstrated for the rights of the queer community and celebrated their identity in an atmosphere of freedom and democracy. Alex Kluge, the managing director of the CSD, was enthusiastic about the high number of participants and describes the event as a peaceful celebration. The Süddeutsche Zeitung also mentioned that 200 groups, including the furry culture with mascots like “Wolf” from participant Maggi, lined the streets.

Peaceful celebrations and minor conflicts

Despite the overwhelmingly positive mood, there was still some tension. Aggressive Christian groups gathered at information stands and responded to the event with protests. The contact group Munich Kyiv Queer was particularly affected, whose decorative elements were torn down and which was falsely accused of propaganda. However, such incidents did not tarnish the general positive image of the CSD, which the organizers described as peaceful and colorful.

Mayor Dieter Reiter particularly emphasized the importance of diversity and support for the queer community during the CSD. Regional Bishop Thomas Prieto Peral also found clear words and supported the rights of queer people and received applause for this. The street festival was secured by around 750 police officers, although fortunately there were no notable incidents and no threats against the CSD were known in advance.

A look at Berlin and the future

Cologne is not the only city that is thriving with CSD euphoria. A look at Berlin shows that the CSDs in Germany play a major role in the fight for equality. In July 2024, the 46th Berlin CSD attracted at least 250,000 people who stood for “democracy and diversity”. ZDF Today reported a peaceful and well-secured event that also called for support for queer rights, and received great response from both politicians and the population.

The CSD in Munich and many other cities in Germany not only stands for a festival of colors and joy, but also for the important process of repression and integration in a constantly changing society. >

As the events continue to evolve, the organizers' vision remains to promote the visibility of the queer community and fight for their rights.