Thousands gather for Palm Springs Pride Parade featuring six grand marshals, more than 200 entries

Palm Springs hosted its annual Pride Parade on Sunday, drawing thousands of spectators who lined Palm Canyon Drive for a celebration featuring more than 200 parade contingents.

The parade stepped off at 10 a.m. at Tachevah and Palm Canyon Drive, traveling south through downtown and ending at the entrance to the Pride Festival at Amado. The two-hour event showcased local organizations, activists, and floats under this year’s theme, “Be Heard.”

Six individuals were named as 2025 Grand Marshals for their advocacy work and commitment to fostering inclusion in the Greater Palm Springs area. Sister Roma, who has been a member of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in San Francisco for nearly four decades, served as Grand Marshal. Celebrity Grand Marshal Holly Near, a renowned singer and storyteller, has dedicated over 40 years to creating music that inspires activism.

Peter Daut, a six-time Emmy Award-winning journalist for KESQ News Channel 3, was honored as Community Grand Marshal for his commitment to community service and reporting.

Three Marsha P. Johnson Grand Marshals were also named: Esther Loewen, an associate marriage and family therapist and podcast host; Renae Punzalan, director of youth services at the Transgender Health & Wellness Center; and Jasper Price, director of trans and gender expansive programs at the LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert.

Douglas Woodmansee and Marshall Pearcy, also known as Dottie and Maude, were recognized as 2025 Pride Royalty for Life. The couple has been together since 1976.

“We’ve been in town for 45 years,” said Woodmansee “We’ve been in the parade since 1995. We’ve been together almost 50 years, 50 years in February.”

As Les Dames du Soleil, they have helped raise over $2 million for local HIV/AIDS charities.

With LGBTQ+ civil rights in jeopardy, the two said this year it was important to be “extra loud, extra everything.”

Among the parade participants were volunteers offering “Free Mom Hugs” to attendees. Katt Woolwine, one of the volunteers, said before the parade she expected to give out hundreds of hugs throughout the day.

“From what we’ve been told, it offers them support, affirmation, to be the individual that they are without judgment which they don’t often get within their own circles,” Woolwine said.

Woolwine said volunteers see people of all ages seeking comfort. “We have old people break down and cry,” Woolwine said. “I’ve had people tell me they weren’t allowed to go to their parents’ funeral.”

Coachella Valley Pride Hockey also marched in the parade, representing the growing LGBTQ+ hockey program supported by the Coachella Valley Firebirds and One Valley Foundation. The program has expanded from one team to three teams in less than a year, with plans for a fourth team and their own division by February.

“It’s so exciting because sometimes hockey can be a very macho sport,” said Jim Novak, one of the team members. “Some people feel intimidated, but by having hockey for everyone, nobody has to worry about that at all, and it’s great just being part of the community.”

The celebration also recognized recipients of the 2025 Palm Springs Pride Honors Awards. Entrepreneur and drag performer Honey Davenport received the Spirit of Stonewall Business of Pride Award for founding Honey’s Hose, an inclusive line of hosiery for drag performers.

Davenport explained the brand is size and color inclusive, addressing a gap in the market for performers and women. “As somebody who’s done drag for almost two decades, I’ve struggled to find hosiery to match my size and color,” Davenport said. “And when I started this journey, I thought that was just a drag performer issue. Then I realized women and all kinds of performers deal with it.”

Davenport said she’s gotten high quality tights on almost all the drag performers in Palm Springs.

The Pride celebration took place amid financial challenges for Greater Palm Springs Pride, which announced a $325,000 budget shortfall in August after several sponsors backed out. The Palm Springs City Council responded last month by approving an increase in the city’s financial contribution from $125,000 to $350,000 in in-kind services, including security and maintenance support.

“When we gather in Palm Springs for Pride, we’re doing something revolutionary: we’re claiming space, amplifying our stories, and refusing to hide,” said Ron deHarte, president and CEO of Palm Springs Pride. “Every person who attends, every float in the parade, every performer on our stages—they’re all saying the same thing: we exist, we matter, and we will be heard.”

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