Hundreds of thousands of members of the LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community and their allies flocked to Cologne on Sunday to take part in one of Europe’s largest pride parades. The attendance for this year’s Christopher Street Day parade, which marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York, is expected to top last year’s, which saw 1.2 million people take part. Drag star and Eurovision-winning singer Conchita Wurst took part in this year’s festivities, as well as former Spice Girl Mel C and singer Haddaway. Around 150 different groups signed up to march in this year’s parade. In contrast to other pride parades in Germany, organizers in Cologne have made their event a political demonstration, purposefully limiting the size of the floats to maintain its protest atmosphere. But the parade was also a celebration of the city itself. Carnival songs were peppered into the parade performances, which wound through Cologne’s old town. When asked what makes Cologne’s parade so special in Germany, many were quick to answer.