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By Jacqueline van den Driest

250,000 people from around the world gathered in Tel Aviv yesterday to march in the largest pride parade in the Middle East. This year’s event marked 21 years to the City’s first pride parade.

The parade, the biggest the city has seen in terms of participants and floats, began at 12 P.M. in the center of the city on Ben Tzion Boulevard. Its route followed the Tel Aviv beach promenade down to Charles Clore Park at the city's southern tip, where the main Pride party took place.

This year's parade called for full and equal rights for the LGBTQ community in Israel. "We are marching today in the biggest and most consistent protest in Israel, demanding equal rights so that every person can write their own story," said Ohad Hizki, the head of the Association for LGBTQ Equality in Israel.

The parade marked the end of a month-long festival which included TLVFest – the City’s international gay film festival; a LGBTQ cultural line-up of events; a special show by the Israeli Opera honoring the famous Eurovision hits which took place at NYX – the official Tel Aviv pride hotel; and tributes to key historical figures in the LGBTQ community.

Celebrations continued throughout the weekend, with massive after-parties attracting tens of thousands of party-goers, including one featuring internationally acclaimed DJ and gay-icon Ofer Nissim. For the first time in four years, political figures took the stage to speak at the event before the parade, with Knesset members and party heads appearing beside celebrities and television personalities.

Tel Aviv-Yafo Mayor, Ron Huldai: “Tel Aviv, which has already been acknowledged as the world's "most gay-friendly city" and as a beacon for liberty, pluralism and tolerance is proud to be home to a large and diverse LGBTQ population. The Tel Aviv Pride parade is not just a celebration, but an important declaration of support and an opportunity to promote equal rights for all. We will continue to support and celebrate our local LGBTQ culture and act as a welcoming destination for the International gay community.”

International Ambassador for Tel Aviv pride 2019, actor, writer, producer, magician, and singer, Neil Patrick Harris: “Tel Aviv Pride has become an important symbol of LGBTQ visibility and acceptance on the world stage. We are excited to visit Israel for the first time and honored to be a part of this beautiful celebration to stand with the LGBTQ community both in Israel and across the globe, especially as we celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of Stonewall.”