DPA
Thousands of people gathered is the Israeli coastal city Tel Aviv on Friday to hold a Pride march to advocate for the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
On a warm day of around 30 degrees Celsius, attendees waved rainbow flags and danced at the roadside as parade floats went by.
The city, which is the official organizer, did not immediately give exact numbers for the crowd. In the run-up to the event, a spokesperson had said that they were hoping around 250,000 people would celebrate, taking numbers back to their pre-pandemic levels.
Under the motto “Back to Pride,” the parade moved through the city and culminated with a party in a park.
Since March, unvaccinated tourists have also been allowed to enter Israel again. Last year, this was only possible for a limited number of vaccinated tourists in groups. In 2020, the parade was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the city administration, Australian rapper Iggy Azalea and DJs, including Boris from the famous Berlin techno club Berghain, were to perform at the closing party. Tel Aviv is considered a stronghold of the LGBT scene in the Middle East.
