Running from November 7 through November 23, the fifth edition of the Festival des Fiertés across Paris’s 12th, 13th, and 14th arrondissements featured more than 70 cultural, artistic, and athletic events designed to amplify LGBTQIA+ voices.
The multidisciplinary festival, initiated in 2021 in the 14th arrondissement, centers on raising public awareness against discrimination, highlighting diverse identities, and shedding light on the historical struggle for rights. The 2025 program spanned cinema, lectures, community debates, drag performances, and inclusive sports initiatives.
Athletic Inclusion and Community Sports Sessions
Sports integration served as a core pillar of the autumn festival schedule. On Sunday, November 16, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. local time, Contrepied Volleyball Paris hosted an open volleyball initiation session at the Gymnase Bourneville-Kellermann.
Founded in 1991, Contrepied operates as a non-profit association dedicated to integrating LGBTQIA+ individuals through volleyball. Over its 35-year history, the organization has grown into France’s largest LGBTQIA+ association exclusively dedicated to volleyball, uniting more than 360 members who train weekly across Parisian gymnasiums. Roughly 75% of participants reside in Paris proper, while others commute from the surrounding suburbs seeking an inclusive athletic space free of discrimination based on gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation.
Cultural Highlights Across the Arrondissements
The festival’s cultural footprint extended well beyond athletics, opening on Friday, November 7, 2025, with a ciné-concert at the Fondation Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé. Jay Weissberg, director of Giornate del cinéma muto de Pordenone, introduced a 1924 silent screening of The Man Who Came Back starring George O’Brien, accompanied by live piano.
Additional programming included a queer history debate at the Mairie du 13e featuring testimonial videos from racialized and migrant queer individuals in France, Spain, and the Netherlands. The collective Dramagouines also hosted an anti-patriarchal lesboqueer event at the Digital Village on Friday, November 14, featuring arm-wrestling tournaments, masc walks, creator markets, and DJ sets.
A dedicated evening focused on bisexual visibility featured a roundtable titled “A la recherche d’une culture bi,” drag king performances by Kings factory, stand-up comedy by Mamari, and a DJ set by Louise Petrouchka, alongside a concluding multidisciplinary gathering at Ground Control.
Next Steps and Future Programming
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