Wicked’s Cynthia Erivo ‘Defying Gravity’ with confirmed WorldPride headline slot
Cynthia Erivo is set to perform at WorldPride 2025. (Rich Polk/Penske Media via Getty Images)
Cynthia Erivo will be “Defying Gravity” at WorldPride in Washington D.C., with the Wicked star being confirmed to perform during a headline slot.
Multi-award winner Erivo has been announced to headline WorldPride 2025’s Street Festival and Concert. It comes after her Oscar-award nominated performance as Elphaba in the critically acclaimed film and her much-loved opening montage at the award ceremony alongside her Wicked co-star Ariana Grande.
“We’re thrilled,” Ryan Bos, executive director of Capital Pride Alliance, the host of the event, told Metro Weekly of Erivo’s scheduled performance. “Cynthia is someone personally who I have come to admire from shows she’s performed on Broadway to most recently in Wicked, and we’re excited to have her as a headliner.”
Bos added to the outlet that “Cynthia Erivo’s powerful artistry and unwavering advocacy make her the perfect artist to headline this momentous event”.
Bos added that Erivo’s upcoming performance will serve as an “extraordinary moment of unity, celebration, and visibility for our global LGBTQ+ community.”
Erivo has long supported the LGBTQ+ community after publicly drawing on her own queer experience, even earning a GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) honour for her efforts in “raising visibility” of queer performers.
The street festival and concert will launch from midday and wrap up at 10 pm on both 7 and 8 June, as part of the highly-anticipated LGBTQ+ celebrations. Her headline slot is set to take place on Pennsylvania Avenue NW, between 9th and 3rd street on night one.
This does, however, mean that attendees will need to choose between Erivo’s undoubtedly spellbinding upcoming performance, or a headline set from superstar Jennifer Lopez. Both Erivo and Lopez’s performances will run concurrently in separate locations.
“We’re excited to have such great talent wanting to be a part of WorldPride,” Bos added.
“Again, this is a time where we need folks who feel comfortable to stand up in solidarity with our community, and there will be millions of people in Washington. So, we need to ensure that we provide a variety of opportunities for folks to engage and participate.
“Not everyone will be able to fit over at RFK or on Pennsylvania Avenue. So we’re excited to be able to provide a little bit of everything for people to enjoy.”
For more information, head to the WorldPride 2025 website here.
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