Germany updates: Berlin expects huge turnout for Pride march

Berlin's Pride parade, known as Christopher Street Day (CSD), is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of attendees, making it one of the largest LGBTQ+ events in Europe.

Meanwhile, Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his fellow party member and predecessor, Angela Merkel, are attending the opening performance of the Bayreuth Festival.

Here are the latest news, business and cultural developments in Germany on Saturday, July 26, 2025.

07/26/2025July 26, 2025

Merz, Merkel join launch of festival of Richard Wagner operas

The roughly 60,000 tickets for the Bayreuth Festival are highly prizedImage: Enrico Nawrath/Bayreuther Festspiele

Germany's renowned Bayreuth Festival of operas by Richard Wagner kicked off on Friday with a new production of "The Master-Singers of Nuremberg."

Chancellor Friedrich Merz and former Chancellor Angela Merkel graced the red carpet for opening night, with both political figures reported to be great admirers of Wagner's music.

Accompanied by his wife Charlotte, Merz described the evening as a "great production" featuring fantastic stage design and wonderful performers.

The chancellor also used the occasion to reaffirm his commitment to the arts in Germany, emphasizing that this includes not only theatre, music and opera but also architecture and modern art.

"We will defend this against all those who want it to be different," Merz said.

07/26/2025July 26, 2025

Berlin readies major police operation for Pride parade

Around half a million people turned out for last year's Berlin Pride paradeImage: Bernd Elmenthaler/IMAGO

Hundreds of thousands are expected in Germany's capital on Saturday to celebrate Berlin Pride or Christopher Street Day (CSD).

A huge parade featuring 80 trucks is expected to pass through the city, starting at Leipziger Platz, then heading to Potsdamer Platz and Schöneberg, before ending at the Brandenburg Gate.

The German Police Union (GdP) said Berlin authorities would mount a huge operation to protect the parade in the wake of several car ramming and terrorist attacks and due to the LGBTQ+ community being targeted by far-right extremists.

Around 1,300 Berlin police officers will be deployed, supported by hundreds more from other German states.

Two counterdemonstrations with an expected 400 participants have also been registered with the Berlin authorities.

The Pride celebrations began on Friday with the unfurling of a massive rainbow flag outside the Reichstag building — the home of Germany's parliament.

CSD organizers decided to display their own flag after the government rejected a request to hoist an official rainbow flag.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz defended the decision, saying, "The Bundestag is not a circus tent," referring to Germany's lower house of parliament.

Christopher Street Day is a reference to the location of the Stonewall Inn in New York City's Greenwich Village neighborhood, where a protest against police discrimination in 1969 kick-started the gay liberation movement.

07/26/2025July 26, 2025

Welcome to our coverage

Nik Martin | Saim Dušan Inayatullah

Guten Morgen! Welcome to DW's coverage of the latest developments in Germany on Saturday, July 26.

Here you'll find breaking news, business, culture and sports as well as commentary from DW's team of correspondents.

Berlin hosts one of Europe's largest LGBTQ+ Pride events, with hundreds of thousands of people expected to turn out for a glitzy parade through the streets of the German capital.

The Bayreuth Festival, an annual summer music festival dedicated primarily to the operas of Richard Wagner, got underway on Friday night.