Thailand has declared its readiness to host WorldPride 2030, using this year’s Bangkok Pride Festival as a platform to showcase its capabilities.
Waaddao Chumaporn, president and founder of Bangkok Pride, said on Tuesday that this year’s festival marks the beginning of a four-year campaign leading up to the country’s bid for WorldPride 2030. The 2025 festival will run from May 30 May to June 1, under the theme “Born This Way”, celebrating diversity of identity.
The event will feature forums, performances and a grand parade on June 1, with participants marching for 2 kilometres from the National Stadium to CentralWorld from 2pm to 10pm.
“This year’s festival will be a landmark moment, proving Thailand’s capability to host WorldPride 2030,” Ms Waaddao said, adding she is confident the event would demonstrate Thailand’s commitment to inclusivity on a global scale.
“We want this year’s Pride Festival to be part of Thailand’s portfolio for its WorldPride 2030 bid,” she said.
She also highlighted the rapid growth of Bangkok Pride, noting that attendance figures have soared from 20,000 in 2022 to 100,000 in 2023, and 250,000 in 2024, with an expected 300,000 participants this year.
The festival also comes in the wake of a historic milestone for Thailand’s LGBTQ+ community — the enactment of the Marriage Equality Bill on Jan 23.
Ms Waaddao also stressed the importance of pushing for further legal recognition of people’s rights, including the Gender Recognition Bill and the effort to decriminalise sex work.
Linthiporn Warinwachararoj, Marriage Equality Bill Commissioner of the governing Pheu Thai Party, noted that the Pride Festival is especially significant as it will be the first held since the passage of the marriage equality bill.
She also emphasised the economic impact of LGBTQ+ inclusion, citing a 2024 report by the online travel booking agency Agoda, which estimated that marriage equality could attract an additional 4 million international visitors per year, generating US$2 billion (68 billion baht) and supporting 152,000 new jobs.
With Pride events planned in 40 provinces, organisers remain committed to securing WorldPride 2030.
“Pride events ensure equality while boosting the national economy,” she added.
