Daily TribuneAn estimated 250,000 to 300,000 people gathered at UP Diliman for LoveLab4n: Pride PH Festival 2026, turning the campus into a vibrant space of celebration, solidarity, and renewed calls for equality, dignity and inclusion.
POINTED message from a marcher.
PHOTOGRAPHS by Roel Hoang Manipon for DAILY TRIBUNE
THE Angat Buhay contingent at the march.
PHOTOGRAPHS by Roel Hoang Manipon for DAILY TRIBUNE
ATTENDEES arrived in rainbow of colors.
PHOTOGRAPHS by Roel Hoang Manipon for DAILY TRIBUNE
LoveLab4n: Pride PH Festival 2026 drew about 250,000 to 300,000 people to the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman in Quezon City on 27 June, once again affirming its place as the biggest Pride gathering in Southeast Asia.
Organized by Pride PH — a coalition of LGBTIQ+ organizations — together with the Quezon City government, led by Mayor Joy Belmonte, and the UP Diliman, Pride PH Festival featured the Pride Expo, Pride Night, Pride Villages in the Maginhawa Street area and Araneta City in Cubao, and the centerpiece Pride march.
The day began at 8 a.m. with the opening of the Pride Expo, QueerCon, and the Maginhawa Pride Village, where performances, messages, and other activities set a celebratory yet purposeful tone.
The Pride march stepped off at 1 p.m., bringing together LGBTIQ+ groups and allies from the youth, grassroots communities, diplomatic missions, businesses, religious organizations, and other sectors. Marchers raised a wide range of concerns affecting both the LGBTIQ+ community and Philippine society, including inclusion, visibility, empowerment, equal recognition of human rights, access to healthcare, gender-based violence, marriage equality, the passage of the SOGIESC Equality Bill, environment, accountability on the Duterte extrajudicial killings, the Israel-Gaza conflict, and government corruption, among others.
The participation of government agencies continued to grow. This year, contingents from the Commission on Human Rights, Department of Migrant Workers, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and National Youth Commission joined the march.
Members of the diplomatic community, long-standing allies of Pride, were also present. Among those who joined were Miguel Utray Delgado, ambassador of Spain to the Philippines; Edgar Rodrigo Rojas Garavito, ambassador of Colombia to the Philippines; and Arnauld Peral, United Nations resident coordinator in the Philippines.
Public figures at the event included Kabataan Representative Renee Co, Gabriela Representative Sarah Elago, and Akbayan Representatives Chel Diokno and Perci Cendaña. Senator Risa Hontiveros, a long-time ally and champion of LGBTIQ+ rights, sent a video message.
Pride marches and celebrations were likewise held in other parts of Metro Manila and across the country on the same day. These included the historic Metro Manila Pride March in Malate, Manila; Baguio City Pride March in Baguio City; One LGBTQIA+ Pasig Umbrellas Up for Inclusivity: 2026 Pride March in Pasig City; Rainbow Pride Parade in Lucena City, Quezon; the first Cebu Grand Pride Parade in Cebu City, Cebu; 6200 Pride Parade in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental; and Pride Pyesta Sadya in Iloilo City, Iloilo.
At the main stage in front of the UP Oblation, artists and performers enlivened the march and the evening-long Pride Night. The lineup included Maki, BGYO, Kaia, Alamat, G22, Klarisse de Guzman, Maxie Andreison, Babydolls, Pura Luka Vega, Janine Teñoso, Fitterkarma, Drags to Riches, drag queens of the Drag Superbowl, Cup of Joe, Sassa Gurl, Tiny Deluxe, Eumee Capile Roque, John Mark Saga, Raven Heyres, Anton Diva, Michelle Dee, Ballroom PH, Don Pablo, Femme MNL, and the #ProtectTheDolls Trans Fantasy featuring Sofia Trazona, Stef Aranas, Lance Reblando, Nica del Rosario, Justine Peña and Matthew Chang.
Miss Philippines Earth 2025 Joy Barcoma made a surprise appearance, taking her farewell walk at Love Laban in a white gown and rainbow sash rather than at the Miss Philippines Earth 2026 coronation night, which was held on the same evening. Miss Universe Philippines 2026 Beatriz Millan-Windorski also appeared and delivered a message of support.
Newly crowned Mister Gay World Philippines 2026 Drei Arias also dropped by to express solidarity.
Belmonte reaffirmed Quezon City’s commitment to providing a safe and welcoming space for the LGBTIQ+ community.
“Quezon City will continue to be a home and safe space for all members of the rainbow community, through various initiatives, policies and programs. We are proud to partner with Pride PH, UP Diliman, and stand with all the members of the community and fellow allies as we continue to fight for equal rights and the promotion of inclusivity,” she said.
With its immense crowd, expanding institutional support, and simultaneous celebrations across the country, Love Laban 2026 demonstrated that Pride in the Philippines is both an expression of queer joy and an ongoing struggle for dignity, equality and freedom.
Love Laban marked about three decades of Philippine LGBTIQ+ Pride, and 57th anniversary of the Stonewell Uprising in New York, United States, the most important catalyst for the modern LGBTIQ+ rights movement.
