Around 4,000 people took part in the Pride Run held in Luxembourg City on Thursday evening – though the event was about much more than running.
Amid sunshine and a sea of rainbow flags, participants of all ages gathered to celebrate diversity at the kickoff of Luxembourg City's Pride Week. The run comes one week ahead of the equality march scheduled for Saturday, 11 July, and offered an early opportunity to honour the tolerance and open-mindedness often associated with the Grand Duchy.
"It's our pride", said Yuriko Backes, Minister for Gender Equality and Diversity, underscoring that Luxembourg remains an LGBTQIA+-friendly country where everyone can feel free to be themselves. "Diversity is our strength", she added.
While running was the official framework for the evening, it was arguably the least significant aspect of the Pride Run, which nonetheless drew over 4,000 participants to Place Guillaume II. The programme included a children's race, a walk, and two running routes of 5 and 10 kilometres.
For Marco, this year marked his first participation. "Before, I didn't dare to take part", he admitted, as he pinned on his race number alongside Hugo, Caro, and Mélanie.
Marie and Séverine, who travelled from France and stayed on site after work specifically for the race, stated their presence loud and clear: they were there "for the cause".
Mégane and Lili echoed that sentiment, sporting glitter on their faces and unicorn costumes – a look that drew praise from the race announcer. "It's a pleasure to be here. I'm walking, but Lili is going to drag me along the whole route", joked Mégane, who is more accustomed to gym workouts.
For Lili, the event served as a final training session before heading to the south of France to take on the challenging Mont Ventoux half marathon.
Others came simply "for the fun", as one participant put it, there to accompany her sister and her partner. And fun there was – for parents who sometimes struggled to keep up with their children during the kids' race, and for the adults who set off in waves through the streets of Luxembourg City.
Notably, the event was not timed – further proof, if any were needed, that running was not the main focus of the evening.
