Tokyo Rainbow Pride Festival returns to Yoyogi Park, April 22-24

The Tokyo Rainbow Pride Parade and Rainbow Festival return this year as in-person events. The significance of this celebration was demonstrated in a social media post a few years ago in which the writer said that it was the only place they could hold hands in public with their same-sex partner.

Tokyo Rainbow Pride, the non-profit organization that runs the event, has set a theme for this year of “Change the Future Together.” It notes that while society’s attitudes toward the LGBTQ community have changed in a positive way, there are still many issues that need to be changed for all people to live happily and safely.

Tokyo Rainbow Pride event dates

• Pride Festival     April 22 (Friday), 23 & 24, 2022
• Pride Parade      April 24 (Sunday), 2022

Confirm further details here.

How to Participate

This is the first time in three years that the event is being held in person, after the spread of Covid-19 shifted it online. Of course the virus is still with us and this year it is affecting celebrations by requiring pre-registration of people who want to take part in the parade. That application period has closed and about 2,000 people are set to march through Shibuya and Harajuku. You can watch the parade from the street.

For entry to the festival at Yoyogi Park, there are some spaces still available for people who missed the registration period. However, when the venue is crowded, participants without advanced registration may be required to wait until the crowding eases.

“Capitalize on connections”

The Tokyo Rainbow Pride festival is one of the largest LGBTQ-related events in Asia. It aims to bring together LGBTQ people and their allies to celebrate sexual and biological diversity. It has taken place in Tokyo’s Yoyogi Park since 2012.

The event was held online in 2020 and in 2021, when around 1.6 million people joined in. Organizers point out that, in this way, the pandemic made us realize new ways of connecting, but also highlighted social inequalities. A sub-theme for this year’s activities is “Capitalize on Connections.”

Organizers note that, “Our future can only start changing when we are all connected.”

In this first chance in three years to physically mingle with the Rainbow crowd, why now go along and connect, and help start changing our future.

Pride Month events

Tokyo Rainbow Pride is also organizing the following events to mark Pride Month in June.

• Pride Conference                            June 3, 2022
• Pride Talk Live (Online event)       June 25 & 26, 2022