Sarah Engels is supposed to headline Cologne Pride. The queer community asks itself: Does this really fit?
With her song “Fire”, 33-year-old Sarah Engels only came 23rd out of a total of 25 participating countries at the ESC. On the day of her appearance, Cologne Pride announced on Instagram: The Cologne native would not only be competing for Germany at the ESC, but would also be the headliner of the CSD weekend in 2026. The announcement is met with incomprehension online.
Every year, Cologne Pride organizes the largest demonstration on the occasion of Christopher Street Day in Germany. According to the organizers, a total of 1.1 million visitors took to the streets for queer rights in 2025. The 2026 celebrations will take place from June 19th to July 5th, with the final demonstration including numerous concerts on July 5th. Last year the band Chulcha Candela headlined the CSD stage. Now Sarah Engels is supposed to be his successor – but many people on social media are not very enthusiastic. In the comment columns there is discontent in the form of, for example: “Whoever was responsible for the booking – warning from the community.” The general outrage is based on the question of how Engels’ values are compatible with the message of the CSD.
Can she be Ally?
Engels had previously been criticized for her statements about feminism. In an interview with the “Mercie Chérie” podcast, she revealed that she wouldn’t necessarily describe herself as feminist: “Because I have a really, really great husband and I like men too.” In doing so, Engels addresses the widespread misconception that feminism is synonymous with hatred of men. Her music actually contains a clear message: With her album “Strong Girls Club,” Engels sings about strong women, and she is the founder of a foundation called “Strong Girls.” Her ESC song “Fire” is also intended to reach women with “female empowerment,” as she said in the ESC interview. It is precisely because of this discrepancy between her words and actions that people online speculate: “I think she doesn’t know what feminism means.” or “Did she perhaps confuse feminist with lesbian?”
After the announcement of Cologne Pride, the question now arises: Should she actually perform at the CSD? Ultimately, the CSD is about making voices strong that would otherwise be kept small. A content creator on TikTok comments pointedly: “They could have invited my little toe and it would have had more to do with CSD.”
It is unclear whether the organizers of the CSD are aware of their controversial decision. Sarah Engels has not yet commented on her appearance on July 5th.
