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Every June, the world blooms a little brighter — not just in colour, but in courage. Across India, from sun-dappled coasts to bustling city squares, Pride Month is not merely a celebration; it’s a reminder. A reminder that love, in all its forms, deserves to be seen, heard, and cherished.
But beyond the rainbow flags and joyous marches lies something even deeper: the quiet power of belonging. For someone taking their first tentative steps out of the closet, or an ally eager to listen and learn, these gatherings are more than events — they are lifelines. They are where stories are shared, hands are held, and futures are rewritten, one hug, one song, one march at a time.
This June, whether you’re part of the LGBTQIA+ community or a steadfast ally, here’s your invitation to be part of something bigger. From film festivals to art exhibitions, Pride in India is calling — not just to celebrate, but to connect, to heal, and to build a future that holds space for everyone.
Here are seven events where you can find that spark — and maybe, in the most unexpected of moments, find yourself.
1. Step into stories that reflect and inspire
KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival
At the heart of Mumbai’s culture scene, KASHISH is more than a film festival — it’s a sanctuary for stories. Here, films become mirrors and windows: mirrors reflecting the community’s lived realities, windows opening to worlds of courage, hope, and pride.
The 16th edition will feature over 130 films from 45 countries, with workshops, panel discussions, and rare moments to meet the filmmakers who are reshaping what queer narratives look like. Opening with Daniel Craig’s Queer and closing with Elliot Page’s Close to You, KASHISH 2025 promises stories that stay with you long after the credits roll.
- Where: Cinepolis, Andheri West & Alliance Française, Marine Lines, Mumbai
- When: 4 to 8 June 2025
- More Details: Click here
2. Find a community that feels like home
A month-long lineup of events by New Delhi LGBTQIA+ Centre
In a world that too often asks queer individuals to shrink or stay silent, the New Delhi LGBTQIA+ Centre, powered by the Naz Foundation, offers something simple yet radical — a space to just exist, exactly as you are. This June, as Pride Month colours the capital with hope and possibility, they have put together a line-up of events that go beyond celebration, creating space for reflection, growth, connection, and healing.
From intimate support groups for asexual, aromantic, transgender, and non-binary folks to Fear of the Queer — a workshop series for therapists — every gathering is a reminder that Pride is not a moment; it’s a movement.
Look out for Crystal Queer, an evening of clothes swaps and open mics, and the TransMasc Support Group, offering quiet affirmation for voices often unheard. Art talks, film screenings, and book launches weave a larger tapestry of resistance and joy.
- Where: New Delhi LGBTQIA+ Centre, Naz Foundation, New Delhi
- When: Events spread across June 2025
- For more details, get in touch here.
3. Empower queer-led businesses
Sidecar Means Business: Pride Edition
Pride isn’t only about marching — sometimes, it’s about building.
This June, Sidecar India is turning their cosy Delhi café into a space where queer-owned businesses can shine. It’s not just a marketplace; it’s a place to meet the people behind the ideas, hear their stories, and celebrate everything it takes to build something bold and true. Every stall, every product has a little bit of courage stitched into it — and you’re invited to be part of it.
- Where: Sidecar, M Block Market, GK 2, New Delhi
- When: 22 June 2025, 1 PM – 4 PM
- For more details, get in touch here.
4. Celebrate courage and local pride
Preetiya Habba 2025: Workshops and live music performances
Some events feel less like gatherings and more like homecomings — and Preetiya Habba is one of them.
This vibrant fundraiser in Bengaluru, organised by Coalition of Sex Workers', Sexual & Gender Minority Rights (CSGMR), Karnataka, brings together queer-owned and queer-made businesses, live performances, workshops, food, music, and most importantly, community. But beyond the colours and celebration, it’s about building something bigger: supporting the Karnataka Swabhimana Habba, a pride rooted in local resistance and pride.
Come for the music and flea markets, stay for the feeling of standing shoulder to shoulder with a community writing its future — with joy, courage, and a whole lot of love.
- Where: Bangalore Creative Circus, Bengaluru
- When: 14 June 2025, 11 AM – 8 PM
- For more details, get in touch here.
5. Tell your story with just a phone
OUTFrame 2025
Everyone has a story — sometimes all you need is a phone and a little courage to tell it.
OUTFrame 2025 is a three-day residential workshop where queer voices take the director’s chair. Hosted by the Keshav Suri Foundation, this unique programme invites participants to create, shoot, and edit their own films using just their mobile phones. Led by filmmaker Tushar Tyagi, it’s not just a workshop — it’s a chance to turn lived experience into art.
Three days of dreaming, filming, creating — where your voice shapes the story.
- Where: The Lalit Suri Hospitality School, New Delhi
- When: 7 to 9 June 2025
- For more details, get in touch here.
6. Find connection beyond romance
Speed-dating meet (online)
Not every meaningful relationship has to be romantic, and this Pride Month, Platonicity is creating space for something just as powerful: platonic and non-romantic connections.
This online speed-dating style event welcomes friendships, queerplatonic relationships, and marriages of convenience (MOCs) — reminding us that love can look like so many different things. It’s a space to meet, swap stories, and maybe find the kind of companionship that feels just right, without the pressure of romance.
Sometimes what we need most isn’t a date — it’s someone who simply gets it.
- Where: Online (join from anywhere!)
- When: 22 June 2025, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM IST
- For more details, get in touch here.
7. Express yourself freely through fashion!
Sometimes the simplest act — getting dressed — can be a quiet revolution.
Wear Your Truth is a space where clothes have no labels, makeup has no gender, and there are no “opposites” — only what feels right to you. Hosted by Vikalp in Vadodara, this gathering invites you to bring your clothes, makeup, accessories, and most importantly, your authentic self.
Born from listening to the trans community about feeling unseen, this event promises a celebration of expression in its freest, most affirming form. No boxes, no binaries. Just you.
- Where: Vikalp, E 5, Saptgiri Duplex, Akota, Vadodara, Gujarat
- When: 14 June 2025, 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM
- For more details, get in touch here.
8. Share the stories that shaped you
Book club meet-up
Books have always been safe spaces — places where so many of us first found reflections of ourselves.
This July, the Delhi Queer Spaces (DQS) Lit Club is inviting you to celebrate that magic, offline and in person. Out, Loud & Proud — their first-ever offline meet-up — promises an afternoon of books, conversation, and community. Bring a book that means something to you, join fun Lit-Mix activities, swap stories over coffee, and listen to a heart-to-heart fireside chat with queer author Soumojit Paul.
It’s not just about the books — it’s about the stories we carry, and the connections we build when we share them.
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- Where: LGBTQIA+ Centre, East of Kailash, New Delhi
- When: 6 July 2025, 12 PM – 4 PM (Though this event is in early July, its heart beats with Pride Month’s spirit.)
- For more details, get in touch here.
Edited by Vidya Gowri
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