Pittsburgh’s own drag renegade and queer visionary, Lydia B. Kollins, has been named the National Grand Marshal of the 2025 Pittsburgh Pride March & Parade. The 52nd Pittsburgh Pride Parade steps off Sunday, June 1, at Noon from 11th Avenue and Liberty, Downtown, and marches down Liberty Avenue and the Andy Warhol Bridge toward the celebration at Allegheny Commons Park West.
Lydia B. Kollins is a Pittsburgh-based drag performer and filmmaker known for her chaotic artistry and punk-infused aesthetic. A breakout star from RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17, Lydia quickly became a fan favorite with her absurdist humor, anarchic creativity, and unpredictable performances. After placing 7th, she made herstory by returning for All Stars 10, before her original season had even aired, determined to prove she was an All Star all along.
Unfiltered, unapologetic, and endlessly inventive, Lydia represents the vibrant, messy, queer heartbeat of Pittsburgh. Beyond the spotlight, she’s a fierce advocate for local artistry, co-founding Edgewood Magazine to showcase LGBTQ+ creatives and continuing to shake up the city’s drag scene with raw, visionary storytelling.
Her selection as National Grand Marshal is a celebration of the strange, the bold, the beautifully unpolished, and a love letter to every queer artist who refuses to fit the mold.
Joining her in this year’s Pride festivities is community pillar Jeff Freedman, named Local Grand Marshal, whose decades of advocacy and leadership have helped shape the very foundation of Pittsburgh Pride.
Together, they represent the electric spectrum of our community: past, present, and future.
