Jena celebrates CSD 2025: Colorful diversity and passion combined!

Jena celebrates CSD 2025: Colorful diversity and passion combined!

On June 21, 2025, the city of Jena was transformed into a colorful festival of diversity as thousands of people danced and celebrated through the streets at this year's Christopher Street Day (CSD). Under the motto “Never be quiet again! – Because diversity wants to shine!” The participants marched through the city with rainbow flags, loud music and lots of colorful banners. This event saw the highest turnout in years - organizers estimate around 5,000 participants, while police said around 2,200. n-tv captured the colorful demonstration, which was peaceful and took place without incident.

The CSD route ran through the Leutragraben, over the Fürstengraben, Löbdergraben and the Holzmarkt, past the Paradies train station, where several interim rallies took place. An important part of the event was the closing ceremony on the Rasenmühleninsel, where a large booth and a stage with concerts waited for the participants until late in the evening. Jena news also reported on a spectacular drag and burlesque show in which artists from Jena and Erfurt took part. Financing for the stage show was secured through a crowdfunding campaign on the “gofundme” platform, with the targeted amount of 9,000 euros being reached one day before the event and mobilizing over 200 supporters.

A look back at the history of the CSD

Christopher Street Day is not only a celebration, but also a significant expression of equality, diversity and acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community. The CSD has its origins in the Stonewall Riots on June 28, 1969 in New York, when the police raided the Stonewall Inn bar and the queer community rose up against oppression. These protests led to the first Pride demonstration in 1970 to commemorate the uprisings. BDSensation highlights the importance of the CSD events that are celebrated today in many cities around the world.

In Germany, the CSD in Berlin is one of the largest, followed by the events in Cologne, Hamburg, Munich and Stuttgart. These range from a colorful parade to numerous celebrations that are not just for fun, but also for political education. The concerns of the CSD events are always the same: tolerance, visibility and remembrance of the temporary and lasting struggles for LGBTQ+ rights, which have not changed since the beginning.

A call for unity and diversity

As with every CSD event, there are demands in Jena. These range from legal equality to reforms in the health and education systems as well as the abolition of the transgender law. The CSD is therefore not only a celebration of life, but also an important forum for making the concerns of queer people visible. The high level of response in Jena shows that the fight for equality and acceptance is still urgently needed and that society as a whole is still called upon to take part in this process.

The event once again makes it clear that the CSD is an indispensable part of social life that encourages everyone to stand up for a more colorful and fairer world.