Gay pride festivals take place across the globe in June and the first weeks of July to coincide with the popular demonstrations after the raids in Stonewall, San Francisco back in 1969. And although they began as a movement and a means to defend the rights of the LGTB community, nowadays they’re seen more as a party that many destinations around the world are now using to attract visitors during the first weeks of summer.
Today, hundreds of cities across the globe host their own parades with plenty of music, colour and parties to celebrate the gay pride celebrations, some of them have become a truly global phenomenon and a ‘must’ gay destination during the festivities. And with the vast influx of visitors participating in the event, there are always a large number of activities organised around the event for you to enjoy.
You now have one more reason to visit many of these cosmopolitan cities flying the flag for freedom and diversity. Here are 10 of the cities with the best gay parades in the world:
- San Francisco
Without a shadow of a doubt, San Fran is the US gay capital and one of the world’s main LGTB communities. The city is also home to one of the world’s biggest gay pride festivals, with The Castro district playing host to the main events.
The city boasts lots of gay-friendly bars, clubs, shops and restaurants that all get involved in the festivities, which usually take place the last Sunday in June. One of the interesting things about San Francisco Pride is that each of the community’s groups holds independently organised marches during the festival to revendicate their own rights.
- Madrid
One of the gay capitals of the world. Madrid is known for being an extrovert and open city, which means fun is guaranteed. The popular Chueca neighbourhood plays host to most of the celebrations with outdoor parties, exhibitions, sports, big night parties, theatre… and a whole lot more!
The parade, chock-a-block with street entertainers and amazing floats, moves between Atocha and Colón and is now recognised as one of the most important annual European LGBT events.
This year, the festival coincided with the 40th anniversary of the first gay rights demonstration in Madrid on 28 June 1978. Almost half a century later, the numbers have jumped from 7000 people back in the 1970s to more than 2 million gathering together in Madrid to celebrate diversity.
- Berlin
If Berlin is characterised by its openness, during the gay pride celebrations, the German capital becomes a benchmark for freedom and tolerance. It also stands out for its incredible nightlife, especially in Schöneberg, where you’ll find most of the LGBT-friendly bars, clubs and restaurants.
Locals refer to the gay pride celebration as CSD (Christopher Street Day) which usually takes place the last week in June and is one of the most eventful gay prides in Europe. Visiting Berlin during this week is highly recommended.
- Barcelona
As we all know, Barcelona has always been a city known for its openness, tolerance and diversity. The Catalan capital hosts one of the biggest gay pride celebrations in Europe at the end of June each year.
The parade and the afterparty, along with most of the other activities take place in the famous Avenida Reina María Cristina, with the main stage at the end of the avenue. The Pride Parade starts on Saturday afternoon and lasts well into the early hours of the morning. Another great part of the city for LGBT venues is Eixample, especially around the streets of Balmes, Aragó, Comte d’Urgell and Gran Vía de les Cortes Catalanes. You’re always guaranteed large doses of fun and entertainment in Barcelona.
- Sao Paulo
Besides being Brazil’s financial capital, Sao Paulo is also one of the main LGTB centres in Latin America and hosts probably the biggest and best gay pride party in the world. The numbers speak for themselves, in 2006 the parade attracted more than 2.5 million visitors and participants, making it the biggest pride parade in the world. The date for the massive parade, which fills Avenida Paulista with colourful floats and music, changes each year, but it’s always sometime between May and June.
- Amsterdam
Amsterdam is internationally recognised for its fun-loving and liberal character. The city has long been the world’s gay-friendly prime mover, as showed in the way it’s honouring its LGTB community with specific locations in and around Reguliersdwarsstraat. Amstel and Kerkstraat are two other areas where you can find a large number of LGBT pubs and clubs.
Amsterdam Gay Pride usually takes place between July or August with a wide range of activities on offer, including demonstrations and dance parties in some of the city’s most famous clubs. The highlight of the event is held on the first Saturday in August with the Canal Parade filling the city’s canals with boats, music and colour.
- Paris
During the celebration of gay pride, the city of love goes one step further to become the city of free love. Considering the beauty of Paris and its streets it’s no surprise that Paris Pride is one of the most colourful and relevant in Europe.
It usually takes place at the end of June each year with the parade crossing through Place de la Bastille and then finishing up in Place de la République with a huge concert. The city’s gay district, Le Marais, hosts the rest of the parties after the concert that continue all night long.
- London
London is known as a city of freedom, modernity and acceptance. Pride week in London is full of every imaginable type of activities and finishes on Saturday afternoon with the gay pride parade passing through famous locations like Oxford Street, Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square.
Several stages are set up throughout the city with big-name artists performing each year. The LGTB community in London is mainly concentrated in the Soho district, which has an endless number of pubs, clubs and specialised shops where the party never stops.
- Sydney
The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is a huge event that begins the first week in March and lasts for 3 weeks. This is one of the most extensive and varied LGTB celebrations on the planet and makes it easy for us to understand why Sydney is one of the world’s top gay capitals.
The parade starts on the mythical Oxford Street before turning onto Flinders Street and fills all the streets it passes through with music, colour and elaborate floats. The city’s LGBT movement started to develop in and around Oxford Street in the 1960s and has been growing ever since.
- Toronto
One of the biggest days of the year in the city is Gay Pride Day, which is attended by 1 million people each year, making it one the largest in America along with San Francisco.
For 10 days each year, Pride Toronto uses colours and parties to promote homosexual rights and tolerance for the LGBT community. Toronto is one of the cities most frequently visited by homosexual tourists from all over the world, but the numbers increase significantly for Toronto Pride Week each year.
Justin Trudeau took part in the parade in 2015 and made the event internationally memorable as he was the first Canadian prime minister to officially march in a pride parade.
