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As June comes to a close and the summer solstice greets us with its long-awaited warmth, the country’s observance of Pride Month ends on a somber note.

This half-century-old tradition took on a more solemn tone this year, thanks to an increasingly hostile political regime. However, even through these turbulent times, major cities from across the country rallied for the LGBT community to honor its contributions in the form of ecstatic parades and festivals.

From the East Coast to the West, Pride events illuminated the darkened skies, but none shone brighter than Washington, DC’s World Pride Music Festival.

Serving as the host city for this year’s festivities, our nation’s capital was chosen to anchor the international event series with events scattered throughout DC. The main celebration comprised a two-day music festival held within the Festival Grounds At RFK Campus.

Co-produced by Insomniac Events, Capital Pride and Jake Resnicow, the multi-stage festival featured a collection of artists from across various genres and featured a significant number of dance music artists.

Throughout the weekend, dance music representation was front and center with performances by Zedd, Galantis, LP Giobbi, Purple Disco Machine, Spencer Brown, Kaleena Zanders, Patrick Mason and Dombresky’s Disco Dom alias.

EDM.com was in attendance at World Pride 2025, where we sat down with five of dance music’s finest to celebrate this monumental event and discuss its implications.

Rita Ora

“It gets me emotional,” said Rita Ora as we asked about her World Pride performance.

“My single came out today, and when you release something for the first time, every time you do it, you get this fear in your stomach,” she continues. “But to perform at something like World Pride, where you are reminded that you’re loved and appreciated—and also the community is all about acceptance—it’s one of the best release dates of my life to have that support. It’s just priceless and grateful.”

Ora was referencing her latest single, “Heat,” which she performed live to an adoring crowd mere minutes before talking with us. The English superstar, who was influenced by the UK rave scene, proudly embraces her love of dance music after having collaborated with the likes of Tiësto, Kygo, David Guetta and more.

“I always want to respect the dance community, especially because it made my career,” she said. “The DJs have always had my back, so I am always going to find time for dance music.”

When asked about her favorite dance music track, Ora lit up and said: “Anything with Avicii. I miss him so much, and I think he was a genius.”

HAYLA

As a recent winner of the Electronic Dance Music Award for Dance Song of the Year, HAYLA‘s appearance at World Pride only reinforced her prestige.

“The vibe and the energy in the crowd was absolutely incredible,” HAYLA gushed as she recalled her sweltering daytime performance. “World Pride being in DC is extremely important, and I think the crowd shows strong unity and community. I think this energy needs to be spread across the country. It was really important for me to be here and show solidarity.”

The British powerhouse vocalist, whose whirlwind of a year includes multiple high-profile performances and her debut album, made it a point to lend her talents to the event in hopes of being a ray of hope to the LGBT community.

“To be invited to come to this festival and to be able to speak to people through music is powerful, and the fact that I can be here showing my support and love for the audience is something I am really grateful for,” HAYLA said.

As one of the most recognizable voices in EDM, her foray into the dance music world is fairly recent. She spoke highly about the genre’s soaring vocals and melodies, which she leaned into as her career blossomed.

“I’m from a band background,” she says when asked about her start in the music industry. “I’ve been in many different bands, many different genres, but I’ve always loved dance music. It’s always been there, bubbling in the background.”

HAYLA says she hopes her music can be a source of inspiration for not only the LGBT community, but also for anyone struggling to find themselves.

“When I write something, I hope that it’s gonna resonate with someone, and anyone who listens to my music feels like they have a home… If it feels like there’s something you’re going through, they know someone else has gone through it too, so you don’t feel isolated,” she explained. The power of music can bring joy and bring people together, and if I’ve managed to create something like that, I feel incredibly proud.”

SOFI TUKKER

Riding high off back-to-back album releases (Bread and Butter, respectively), SOFI TUKKER took to the stage at World Pride to showcase their latest bangers alongside nostalgic gay anthems, including a mix of Shania Twain’s “Man I Feel Like A Woman.”

“I made that remix for Stagecoach,” Tucker Halpern said of his rework of Twain’s 1997 smash hit. “We thought about adding it right before we went on, and thought that it would be perfect here. So that was really fun seeing their response.”

“We always love doing the pride stuff,” added Halpern, who spoke on behalf of SOFI TUKKER due to bandmate Sophie Hawley-Weld’s need for vocal rest. “We’ve done a ton of events with Jake Resnicow before. I actually grew up with Jake in Boston, so I felt right at home.”

The duo’s World Pride performance landed in the middle of their busy tour schedule, which includes a Las Vegas residency with Wynn Nightlife. It also included a choreographed dance routine by members of the California-based dance group Bob’s Dance Shop, with whom SOFI TUKKER have collaborated extensively on tour.

“We love Bob’s Dance Shop,” Halpern says. “Since coming out of the pandemic, we’ve been touring with them and they’ve become a really fun part of our show. They’re such a fun vibe to be around.”

When asked about what we could expect out of SOFI TUKKER in the coming months, Halpern excitedly said: “Honestly, we’re finishing up some of the best music I think we’ve made. These are full-on bangers and we’re really excited about that.”

Anabel Englund

Not one to be shy, Anabel Englund fully embraced her individuality when speaking about the importance of pride festivities.

“I’m pansexual and I feel that now more than ever we need to show who we are and be proud of it,” Englund told us. “I see so many people shining their light, and what makes people afraid is when we gays are authentic. The world needs authentic people who are true to themselves and can go outside every day and be themselves.”

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The chart-topping artist delivered a standout showcase of her latest and greatest to the legions of fans she had in the audience at World Pride.

“I feel like at pride events we get our opportunities to shine, and I love bringing dance music to the people because it’s really what speaks to my soul,” she said. “It just makes me feel so good, and that probably translates to other people as well.”

The Southern California native, who hopes to start working on an album in the near future, expressed her love and appreciation for dance music culture, which she says began to shape her taste in music when she was a teenager.

“I found EDM when I turned 18 and was going to the clubs in Hollywood. I remember the music being so good, like it was speaking to me,” she recalled. “I just really like to blast dance music in my car. Whether I’m feeling sad or excited, it just feels so good.”

Tinashe

Tinashe’s musical trajectory has crossed genres multiple times throughout her career, and her foray into the electronic dance music space has been a long time coming.

“Dancing in general is such a huge part of what I do and what I love and why I make music, so I think EDM fits into that so perfectly,” she says. “I love to play with different genres. I never like to stick to one vibe or style.”

Tinashe’s appreciation for dance culture stems from its varied sounds and rule-breaking approach to music.

“I love to see EDM come up in the mainstream,” she says. “When it first got big, it felt like a homogenized version of what EDM sounds like. Now there are so many different styles, and as an artist, that’s so exciting to me.”

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Tinashe admitted to not attending too many festivals as a fan, but she did mention the fun times she’s had inside Coachella’s storied Yuma tent. As for her performance at World Pride Festival, her presence was a significant one.

“I love being a part of the queer community and I love the queer community,” she said. “They’re such a huge part of my fan base and I wanna support them anyway I can.  This year, of all years with this administration, we need as much pride as we possibly can. We gotta show out, so I’m excited to be here supporting this year in our nation’s capital.”

World Pride Music Festival is scheduled to take place in Amsterdam for its 2026 run. You can find tickets more information here.

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