Tel Aviv’s Pride Parade returned Friday in its full format after years of scaled-back celebrations and cancellations, drawing thousands of people into the streets for a celebration of love, equality and freedom.
The parade, one of the largest LGBTQ events in the Middle East, followed the city’s Mediterranean promenade and was set to end at Charles Clore Park. It marked the 28th Tel Aviv-Yafo Pride Parade and came after last year’s cancellation and earlier reduced events in the shadow of war.
Tel Aviv Pride Parade
(Video: Lia Ziskovich-Rahman)
Alongside the music, dancing and floats, some participants used the event to make political statements. Marchers wore masks depicting conservative Israeli lawmakers, while one display featured an illuminated portrait of Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei with makeup.
The image appeared to play on an online meme mocking Iran’s leadership, including the so-called “cardboard ayatollah” trend, and on rumors about Khamenei’s sexuality.
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A cardboard effigy of Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, styled with makeup, at Tel Aviv’s Pride Parade
(Photo: Lia Ziskovich-Rahman)
Colorful floats moved through the city blasting music as crowds danced in intense summer heat. The event underscored Tel Aviv’s status as a regional LGBTQ hub, even as Israel remains deeply divided over religion, politics, war and minority rights.