Metro announces service for Pride Parade; themed vehicles to debut for Pride Month

This June, Metro is celebrating Pride Month with a specially wrapped train, bus, and Metro Access vehicle, featuring the theme “Proudly Join Us on Metro.” The vehicles will travel throughout the system from June 5-30, and the Pride bus and Metro Access vehicle will participate in the Capital Pride Parade alongside nearly 100 Metro employees.

Metro provides the easiest way to travel to Capital Pride events June 20-21, with rail service connecting customers to the parade, block party, festival, and concert.

Customers can track the special Pride vehicles at wmata.com/live by selecting "Special Edition." Locations will only appear when the vehicles are in service.

Metro customers can take the Green or Yellow lines to U Street or Archives, or the Orange, Silver, and Blue lines to McPherson Square, Metro Center, or Federal Triangle for the Capital Pride Parade on Saturday, June 20. Those stations provide the shortest walks to the 1.8-mile parade route along 14th Street NW and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. 

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.  

Customers should expect larger crowds at stations serving Pride events throughout the weekend.

Parking is free on weekends at all Metro-owned parking lots and garages, and fares range from $2.25 to $2.50 for a one-way trip. 

Paying for Metro is easier than ever with Tap. Ride. Go. Customers can use any contactless credit or debit card (physical card or mobile wallet) to tap in and out of rail stations as well as to tap at the bus fare box. 

Metro Rail service information

From June 19 to 21, free shuttle buses replace trains between National Airport and Pentagon City on the Blue and Yellow lines. 

Metro Bus service information

Several routes will be detoured on Saturday and Sunday because of the Pride event:

Safety

Metro does not tolerate hate or discrimination of any kind in the transit system and is committed to ensuring customers feel safe, welcome, and supported while traveling  throughout the system. 

If assistance is needed, contact Metro Transit Police by texting 696873 (MyMTPD), calling 202-962-2121, or speaking with a station manager or Metro employee.

Travel tips

• Skip the fare machines and use Tap. Ride. Go. to pay for your trip.
• Expect crowds due to events downtown and allow extra travel time. 
• 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.

About Metro   

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), known as Metro, is the region’s leading public transportation provider, serving a population of approximately four million people across Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia within a 2,054-square-mile jurisdiction. With a network of six rail lines, 98 stations, 126 bus routes, and a door-to-door paratransit service, Metro is the second busiest transit system in the United States serving 268.9 million trips in 2025 with a $5 billion operating and capital budget. Since 2022, Metro has completed multiple transit-oriented development projects that have brought $15 million in tax revenue to the region from housing, office, and retail space in our community.  Safety and security are core values at Metro. Over 30,000 cameras monitor the system, and Metro currently has the lowest crime rate in history with fare evasion down 82% on rail. In 2025, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) named Metro the Transit Agency of the Year in recognition of industry-leading ridership growth, record high customer satisfaction, a newly redesigned Bus network, expanded rail service, and improved customer experience.