All You Need To Know About This Year’s Pride March Theme & Grand Marshals

June will be here before we know it, and with it comes Pride Month and the chance to celebrate and show our support for the LGBTQIA+ community! And NYC Pride March, one of the largest annual Pride parades in the world, has just revealed some of its 53rd event’s details.

Who are the Pride March’s 2022 Grand Marshals?

This year, the NYC Pride March will have five grand marshals: social media star Ts Madison, transgender former NCAA swimmer Schuyler Bailar, ACLU attorney Chase Strangio, “Saturday Night Live” cast member Punkie Johnson, and Okra Project Executive Director Dominique Morgan.

“At a time when LGBTQIA+ people are under increased attack, the NYC Pride March is a beacon of hope and community,”  says Bansri Manek, NYC’s Pride March director. “Our grand marshals for this year truly embody the spirit of the theme for NYC Pride 2022, ‘Unapologetically Us.’ They have embraced their identities and used their platforms to help members of our community truly love and live their truth without fear or shame.”

What is the meaning of this year’s NYC Pride theme?

As for the theme “Unapologetically Us,” it’s the march’s way of acknowledging the struggle and the resilience of the LGBTQIA+ community as the world recovers from a pandemic. This theme celebrates and supports each persons journey whether we’re talking about exploring your true self, coming out to the world, or continuing a journey that has already been started.

Here’s what else you should know:

When exactly is the 2022 Pride March?

12 p.m. on Sunday, June 26!

What is the route?

NYC Pride March begins at 25th Street and 5th Avenue and ends in Chelsea at 16th Street and 7th Avenue. It will pass the Stonewall National Monument and New York City AIDS Memorial.

If I can’t attend in person, where can I watch it?

The march will also be broadcast on WABC-TV, ABC7NY.com and ABC News Live.

What streets will be closed?

The Flatiron North Plaza will be offline beginning Sunday morning, as will public seating on NoMad Piazza. The Flatiron South Plaza, and the Flatiron Plate kiosk, will remain open to the public. Pedestrian crossings on Fifth Avenue will be limited to 23^rd Street and 21^st Street in Flatiron. The following streets will be closed on Sunday for operations, staging, and television broadcasting:

• Sixth Avenue – 24th to 33rd Street
• Broadway – 23rd to 33rd Street
• Fifth Avenue – 8th to 26th Street
• Madison – 23rd to 33rd Street

In addition, according to the DOT, the following streets will be fully closed for the NYC Pride March at the discretion of NYPD:

Formation:

• 5th Avenue between 33rd Street and 25th Street
• West/East 33rd Street between 6th Avenue and Madison Avenue
• West/East 32nd Street between 6th Avenue and Madison Avenue
• West/East 31st Street between 6th Avenue and Madison Avenue
• West/East 30th Street between 6th Avenue and Madison Avenue
• West/East 29th Street between6th Avenue and Madison Avenue
• West/East 28th Street between 6th Avenue and Madison Avenue
• West/East 27th Street between 6th Avenue and Madison Avenue
• West/East 26th Street between 6th Avenue and Madison Avenue
• West 25th Street between 6th Avenue and 5th Avenue

Route:

• 5th Avenue between 25th Street and 8th Street
• West 8th Street between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue
• Greenwich Avenue between 6th Avenue and Christopher Street
• Christopher Street between Greenwich Avenue and 7th Avenue South
• 7th Avenue South between Christopher Street and Greenwich Avenue
• 7th Avenue between Christopher Street and 16th Street

Dispersal:

• 7th Avenue between 15th Street and 19th Street
• 16th Street between 8th Avenue and 6th Avenue
• 17th Street between 9th Avenue and 6th Avenue
• 18th Street between 8th Avenue and 6th Avenue
• 19th Street between 9th Avenue and 7th Avenue

Miscellaneous:

• Christopher Street between West Street and 7th Avenue South
• Greenwich Avenue between 6th Avenue and 8th Avenue