Save the Date: The Auckland Rainbow Parade Will March Through Ponsonby's Streets in February 2024

The Auckland Rainbow Parade will take place on Saturday, February 17 in 2024, with the LGBTQIA+ community and allies marching down the streets of Ponsonby.

The Auckland Rainbow Parade has lived many different lives since the beginning of Pride celebrations in Auckland. It was first known as the Hero Parade in the 1990s, which ran until 2001. That version of the parade signified and celebrated queer Kiwis who were fighting and raising awareness around AIDS. Then the event was revived in 2013 with its new name, while also paying homage to those who paved the way with the Hero Parade.

The 2024 event will mark the second time that the parade will be on wheels, with Auckland Rainbow Parade's co-chair Matt Bagshaw advising everyone to "expect more lights, floats, glitter, love and colour".

"We will all be bringing our LGBTQIA+ game with energy, creativity, humour and fun," Bagshaw said.

Pre-parade celebrations will kick off at 5.30pm, with activations and activities lighting up Ponsonby Road. The real fun begins at 7pm, with talented performers and eye-catching floats making their way down the suburb's main drag.

Although the parade is a separate event, it lands in the middle of the Auckland Pride Festival, with hundreds of events for the LGBTQIA+ community taking place from Thursday, February 1–Thursday, February 29, 2024. Like the Auckland Rainbow Parade, the Pride Festival has continued to grow. It started as a two-week long occasion with 40 events ten years ago, and has run as Auckland Pride Month, a month-long celebration with over 200 events, since 2021.

The Auckland Rainbow Parade will take place on Ponsonby Road on Saturday, February 17, 2024. For more information or to become a partner, head to the parade's website.