Each year LGBTQI+ celebrations attract millions of tourists around the world. Pride festivals are an explosion of glitter and colour, amalgamating into a welcoming space for all in support of equal rights and the LGBTQI+ community. Most celebrations take place between May and July however some events, including the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, are celebrated at different times in the year.
Pride celebrations began after the riots at Stonewall Inn in NYC on June 28, 1969. Since then, the LGBTQI+ community has come together to commemorate the Stonewall Riots and Uprising. Now, instead of protesting with stones and chains, revellers celebrate in a rainbow crowd with vibrant events, live music, night-long parties and educational events.
Cities can completely transform during Pride, as the streets pulsate with an energy like no other. We’ve compiled a list of the biggest and brightest pride celebrations around the world. With the European celebrations coinciding with the European summer, it is the perfect opportunity to slot into your itinerary.
Before we dive into the list, it is worth noting that Pride is a tourist magnet – it’s hard not to be drawn to the energy and colour. With this in mind, travel and accommodation prices will surge around pride celebrations. It’s worth accounting for this when compiling your travel budget to ensure you’re not caught short of cash mid-celebration. We’ve got a nifty budget planner that will make planning your holiday expenses a dream; otherwise, you can always pop into your local Travel Money NZ store to speak to the experts.
Biggest Pride Celebrations Around the World
Los Angeles
When: Late May/ early June
Currency: United States Dollar
The home of Hollywood celebrates Pride in style, with a dedicated night at Universal Studios, parade on Santa Monica Boulevard and a weekend festival boasting huge music headliners.
Tel Aviv
When: Mid June
Currency: Israeli new shekel
Tel Aviv is somewhat of a refuge for LGBTQI+ locals and travellers in the Middle East, so it’s no surprise it hosts the biggest pride celebration in the region. Pride festival features celebrations at several different bars and clubs, speeches, live performances and a march towards Charles Clore Park where an all-night beach party ensues.
Taipei
When: Last Saturday of October
Currency: New Taiwan Dollar
After beginning to host Pride celebrations in 2003, Taiwan became the first Asian country to legalise same-sex marriage in May 2019. As a result, Taipai hosts the biggest pride festival in Asia with celebrations including plenty of parties in the cities best gay bars and hotels, as well as a big parade.
Sydney
When: Pride held in June, but Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras held in late Feb
Currency: Australian Dollar
Sydney is world-renowned for their annual Mardi Gras, with huge pop acts like Cher and Kylie performing at the festival. The parade, which is basically a ginormous party, runs down Oxford street with bright, weird and wonderful floats. The event attracts thousands to Sydney, with the best spots often hotel balconies lining Oxford Street.
Sao Paulo
When: Mid June
Currency: Brazilian real
Despite many flocking to Rio, Sao Paulo is actually the world’s largest Pride parade hosting millions of glitter-clad revellers. Celebrations often begin a week before the march in neighbourhoods like Frei Canceca and Largo do Aroche. At the end of the week, the march erupts into a festival of love and colour as several headlining artists perform.
New York City
When: Late June
Currency: United States Dollar
New York is home to the Stonewall Inn where the riots initially took place, so it is no question that their annual pride festivities are gloriously flamboyant. Events are held during the whole month of June, with massive pride marches being a highlight for many.
San Francisco
When: Late June
Currency: United States Dollar
San Francisco is home to one of the largest and oldest pride marches in the USA and has been run by volunteers since 1970. San Fran has a deep-rooted history of advocacy for the LGBTQI+ community, and this history is celebrated in the annual parade that runs through Market St in the city centre.
Madrid
When: Late June to early July
Currency: Euro
The Madrid Pride celebrations draw nearly two million people each year. Attendees take part in plenty of events across the city including open-air parties, live music and the main parade through Madrid’s main street. Main parties are held in the cities central LGBTQI+ neighbourhoods of Malasana, Lavapies and Chueca.
Berlin
When: Late July
Currency: Euro
Berlin’s pride celebrations are known as Christopher Street Day, named after the street where the Stonewall Riots took place in New York. The parade begins on Kurfurstendamm and ends in front of the Brandenburg Gate, and is essentially a huge street party with revellers drinking, dancing and sweating it out on the streets.
Amsterdam
When: Last Saturday in July to first Sunday in August
Currency: Euro
Amsterdam pride is unique in that the parade takes place on the canals, with over 100 boats transformed into majestic floats that travel through the cities waterways. Amsterdam itself is a very progressive city and was the first city to dedicate a monument to the LGBTQI+ people persecuted by the government.
