Capital Pride Parade moves to new neighborhood, but Metro still gets you there

This June, Metro is celebrating Pride Month with a specially wrapped train and bus, new Pride merch, and a quick ride to the Capital Pride festivities, June 8-9.

Metro is your easiest way to the new Pride Parade route on Saturday, June 8. Metro customers can head to U Street or Archives on the Green and Yellow Lines or McPherson Square, Metro Center, or Federal Triangle on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines or Metro Center on the Red Line.

Those stations are the shortest walks to the new 1.8-mile parade route down the 14th Street NW corridor and Pennsylvania Ave NW. The route begins near the U Street area and ends near the Archives area. 

Saturday’s Block Party on 17th Street NW between P and Q is most accessible from the Dupont Circle station on the Red Line. 

For Sunday’s Pride Festival and Concert along Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Metro customers can take the Red Line to Judiciary Square or the Green and Yellow Lines to Archives.

See a map below of the major events and nearest Metrorail stations.

Customers may experience large crowds at these stations.

For locals and out-of-town visitors attending weekend events, Metro provides a convenient, affordable way to travel. Parking is free on weekends at all Metro-owned parking lots and garages, and fares are a flat $2 for any one-way trip anywhere in the system no matter how far you travel.

SERVICE INFO

Metrorail service

Red Line Shuttles replace trains at Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen, Silver Spring, and Takoma stations as they are closed for construction. Trains will operate between Fort Totten and Shady Grove.

Green Line Trains single track from Branch Ave to Naylor Road. All trains will run between Greenbelt and Southern Ave, providing service every 10 minutes in the downtown core. Some trains will continue to Branch Ave, providing service every 20 minutes between Southern Ave and Branch Ave.

Yellow Line To provide more frequent service for expected crowds on the new Pride Parade route, Metro will extend the Yellow Line to Greenbelt this weekend with trains running every 10 minutes. Green Line and Yellow Line service will combine to serve stations between L’Enfant Plaza and Greenbelt every 5 minutes.

Blue Line Normal Service

Orange Line Normal Service

Silver Line Normal Service

Metrobus service

Several routes will be detoured on Saturday and Sunday because of the event: 16E, 38B, 32, 33, 36, 42, 43, 52, 54, 64, 70, 74, 79, 80, 90, 92, 96, D6, G2, G8, L2, N6, P6, S2, S9, X2.

Metro Pride

For the second year in a row, Metro will wrap a train in a Pride theme on the exterior and interior of the train. Metro is also wrapping a bus for the third straight year.

This year’s theme is Be True. Be You. On Metro. The colorful wraps mirror Capital Pride’s 1980s and ‘90s theme for the year.

You can find these vehicles out on the system from June 1 to 30. Track their location at wmata.com/live and click on special edition. The location of special buses and trains will only appear when the vehicles are in service.

The bus will be part of the Pride parade along with nearly 100 Metro employees who will hand out sweatbands, stickers, bandanas and flags.

Metro is also selling Pride-themed shirts, mugs, and more starting June 1 at DCMetroStore.com. You can find last year’s design there as well.

Metro is already planning for WorldPride in 2025 when hundreds of thousands of people from across the world will converge in D.C. for the international festival from May 23 to June 7, 2025.

Safety

Equity for all is one of Metro’s core values. We do not tolerate hate or discrimination of any kind and work hard to ensure that everyone feels safe, welcome, and supported.

Security walks through many trains and are on many platforms in D.C. and Metro Transit Police can be contacted via text at 696873 (MyMTPD) or by calling 202-962-2121 if you need help.

Travel tips

• Use Metro mobile pay for Apple iOS or Android for the quickest, easiest way to pay. Simply purchase a virtual SmarTrip card in your Apple or Google wallet before starting your trip to skip long lines at the fare vending machines. Learn more at wmata.com/mobilepay.
• Southern-end Green Line riders could consider driving to the Huntington Park & Ride and take advantage of the free parking to avoid the single-tracking between Branch Ave and Naylor Road.
• Expect crowds due to events downtown and allow extra travel time.
• Please spread out along the platform. The last two cars are often the least crowded.
• Plan your trip to avoid transferring between rail lines, if possible.
• Following the Capital Pride Festival on Pennsylvania Avenue, participants are encouraged to walk to a station on the same line as their destination. Red Line customers should use Metro Center, Gallery Place or Judiciary Square. Green or Yellow line customers should use Gallery Place or Archives. Orange, Blue or Silver line customers should use Metro Center or Federal Triangle.
• Taking Metrobus may be good alternative for some customers. To see if Metrobus is an option, use Metro'sonline trip planner and select the "bus only" option.