STORY: An estimated 60,000 people participated in Cologne’s colourful Christopher Street Day LGBTQ Pride parade on Sunday (July 6), according to numbers by local police.

This year's celebration comes after a CSD parade in the Southern German town of Regensburg was shortened for security reasons following a threatening letter and a controversial decision by the president of the German parliament to not fly the rainbow flag in front of the German parliament like previous years.

"To be honest, I was a bit scared," one parade participant named Hannah Heckes said. "But I'm here in a group, so I still feel safe. It's stopped raining, it's beautiful, I'm happy to be here." Another participant who didn't give her name said she was there to be visible for the people "not allowed to be visible".

Cologne, also famous as the capital of Germany's carnival celebration, is known as a “rainbow”stronghold with the CSD parade being one of the biggest in the country and Europe.

Christopher Street Day commemorates the riots that broke out in New York in 1969 after police raided a gay bar -- an event seen as a turning point for the gay rights movement. It has been celebrated in Germany since 1979.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: COLOGNE, GERMANY (JULY 6, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF CHRISTOPHER STREET DAY PARADE IN COLOGNE

2. PEOPLE DRUMMING

3. AUDIENCE WATCHING

4. RAINBOW FLAG WITH WRITING (German) "Nazis not wanted"

5. DRAG QUEEN WITH SIGN (German) "OUTLAWING THE (FAR-RIGHT POLITICAL PARTY) AFD ISN'T A SIDE-QUEST")

6. DRAG QUEEN TALKING TO CAMERA "HAPPY PRIDE"

7. (SOUNDBITE) (German) PARADE PARTICIPANT HANNAH HECKES, SAYING:

"To be honest, I was a bit scared, but I'm here in a group, so I still feel safe. It's stopped raining, it's beautiful, I'm happy to be here."

8. (SOUNDBITE) (German) PARADE PARTICIPANT HERIBERT ALTHAUS, SAYING:

"The most fun comes from the atmosphere here in Cologne alone."

9. (SOUNDBITE) (German) PARADE PARTICIPANT RUEDIGER THOME, SAYING:

"We're having fun. We're guests of the City of Cologne and we're doing our part here."

10. PARADE PARTICIPANTS JOGGING

11. PARADE PARTICIPANTS DOING EXERCISE WITH AUDIENCE

12. VARIOUS OF DANCING PERFORMANCE

13. (SOUNDBITE) (German) PARADE VISITOR DAVID SCHMIDER, SAYING:

"Simply for tolerance, for love, for equality, for rights for all people, to show that we are here."

14. PARADE VISITORS WATCHING PARADE

15. (SOUNDBITE) (German) PARADE VISITOR (NO NAME GIVEN), SAYING:

"I want to be visible for the people who are not allowed to be visible, depending on where they live, if they can't enjoy their freedom I am here to represent them."

16. VARIOUS OF PARADE

17. AUDIENCE WATCHING

18. RAINBOW FAN DANCE

19. DRAG QUEEN WITH CAT HAT

20. VARIOUS OF PARADE

21. PEOPLE KISSING ON PARADE FLOAT

22. VARIOUS OF PARADE

23. PAN FROM PARADE TO BALLOONS