Berlin staged its first dedicated drag march as part of the lead-up to one of Europe's largest Pride celebrations. Around 500 drag performers, led by Sister Daphne OSPI and accompanied by the Transophonix brass band, marched past landmarks including the Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate. The procession blended political protest with exuberant celebration and opened the city's Christopher Street Day events, which commemorate the 1969 Stonewall uprising.
Berlin’s First Drag March Blends Protest, Pride and Pageantry
Sister Daphne of the German chapter OSPI of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (SPI) attends the first Drag March on the eve of the Pride March in Berlin, Germany, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)(AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Berlin — Drag performer Sister Daphne OSPI swept aside her pink veil, fluttered long purple eyelashes and lifted her hands in a blessing-like gesture as she stood at the head of Berlin's first dedicated drag march.
Sisters Pia, left, Sister Daphne, second right, and Sister Clementia, right, of the German chapter OSPI of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, SPI, attend the first Berlin Drag March on the eve of the Pride March in Berlin, Germany, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)(AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Protest Meets Celebration
She was one of the organizers of the Friday afternoon procession, which opened one of Europe's largest LGBTQ+ celebrations. Organizers said hundreds of thousands of people were expected the following day to join Berlin's main pride parade, widely known in Germany as Christopher Street Day.
From left, Sister Pia, Sister Clementia and Sister Daphne of the German chapter OSPI of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, SPI, arrive at a train station for the first Berlin Drag March on the eve of the Pride March in Berlin, Germany, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)(AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
"Every step is a declaration, every kiss an act of revolution, every wig is a war cry," Sister Daphne declared as roughly 500 drag queens, drag kings and LGBTQ+ supporters cheered and prepared to march.
The Transophonix brass band led the procession, performing "Das lila Lied" ("The Lavender Song"), a gay-rights anthem dating to the 1920s. Performers in high heels, glittering dresses and bold makeup passed the Reichstag parliament building and continued toward the Brandenburg Gate, turning protest into a joyful street spectacle.
Sister Clementia of the German chapter, OSPI, of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, SPI, enjoy the sun prior to the first Berlin Drag March on the eve of the Pride March in Berlin, Germany, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)(AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Roots And Outreach
Sister Daphne is a member of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a collective known for dressing in stylized, nun-inspired outfits. The group began in San Francisco in 1979; its German chapter was established in 1991. Members said they were pleased by the turnout and that more marchers joined as the group moved through different neighborhoods.
Sister Pia, left, Sister Daphne, second right, and Sister Clementia of the German chapter OSPI of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, SPI, pose in front of the German parliament building the Reichstag Building during the first Drag March on the eve of the Pride Parade in Berlin, Germany, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)(AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Beyond performance, the Sisters regularly engage in outreach: distributing safer-sex materials, collecting donations for people affected by HIV/AIDS and supporting local queer projects across Germany and sometimes elsewhere in Europe.
Berlin's annual Christopher Street Day commemorates the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York, a turning point for the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement that began after police raided the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village.
On Friday, Sister Daphne's face was painted white and a wide smile lit her features as she raised her left fist in a simultaneous gesture of protest and pride. "It brings me incredible joy to get ready, put on my makeup and get into the right mindset," she said. "I really enjoy being out and about the way I am."
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