GBT Pride month is a time to come together and celebrate the diversity of sexual orientations and gender identities. It is a time when we can reaffirm our commitment to the pursuit of equality and inclusivity, which translates, for example, into the organisation of parades, marches, and other festivities in several countries throughout the summer.
At Coverflex, we are remote - so today we highlight the LGBT Pride celebrations that are scheduled for 2023 in the cities where Coverflexers usually work from!
Madrid, Spain
Spain has been celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community with LGBT Pride parades since 1977, and Madrid hosts the annual MADO ("Madrid Orgullo") in the gay neighbourhood of Chueca. Here, you can celebrate with well-known DJs and drag queens during the last week of June and the first week of July.
The highlight of the celebration is the annual LGBT pride parade, which features floats every year that travel through part of the city, from Atocha station to Plaza de Colón.
Pride parade: Saturday, July 1st, 2023
London, England
London is the host city for UK's largest LGBT gathering - "Pride in London" - with the parade scheduled for the first Saturday of July, 2023. The event, which takes place annually, has a family-friendly atmosphere, with dedicated areas for those bringing children. Throughout the city different stages are set up, where live performances will take place all through the day.
Pride parade: Saturday, July 1st, 2023
Berlin, Germany
The Christopher Street Day Pride Parade has been held since 1979 in Berlin, which is for some the most gay-friendly city in Europe. This parade takes place in front of the Victory Column, followed by the Dyke March and afterparties. Those who have celebrated this day in Berlin say it is an unforgettable celebration of LGBT Pride.
Pride parade: Saturday, July 22nd, 2023
Stockholm, Sweden
EuroPride, an international pan-European event dedicated to LGBT Pride and organised by a different European city every year, has been held in Sweden three times in three decades. The Run For Pride, however, takes place every year in Stockholm's Haga Park. There is also Stockholm Pride: the largest LGBT Pride celebration in Scandinavia, which usually has around 500,000 participants.
Between the 31st of July and the 5th of August, 2023, you can head to Pride Park to listen to music, watch performances by different artists and enjoy night parties. You can also expect lots of family-oriented activities. 2023 marks the 25th anniversary of the LGBT Pride celebration.
Pride parade: Saturday, August 5th, 2023
Amsterdam, Netherlands
In Amsterdam, LGBT Pride is usually celebrated between the end of July and the beginning of August, in key locations around the city such as the Vondelpark and the canals. In 2023, LGBT Pride is celebrated in Amsterdam between July 22nd and August 6th. The first week is organised by Queer Amsterdam and the second week by The Pride Amsterdam Foundation.
In 2022, Amsterdam's Pride theme was "My Gender, My Pride". It was intended to foster conversations around gender identity and the right of all people to self-determination, amplifying and multiplying voices when it comes to this topic. The 2023 theme has not yet been confirmed.
The Pride Walk takes place on July 22nd, and the parade on the Canal Parade takes place on the 5th of August, in which a series of elaborately decorated boats make their way through Amsterdam's canals.
Pride parade: Saturday, July 22nd, 2023
Rome, Italy
LGBT Pride is celebrated in Rome from the 6th to the 12th of June, 2023, and the LGBT Pride parade features floats that go from Piazza della Republicca to Piazza Venezia. Gay Street, Rome's queer neighbourhood overlooking the Colosseum, is a must-visit: it is a highly social pedestrian street - 300 metres long - with shops, bars, and accommodation.
Pride parade: Saturday, June 10th, 2023
Milan, Italy
The programme of events (which as yet has not been announced) for LGBT Pride 2023 in this city aims to showcase LGBTQIA+ culture through theatre, dance, art, and film. The LGBT Pride parade, which is scheduled for June 24th, takes place in the city centre.
Pride parade: Saturday, June 24th, 2023
Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona, Spain's second largest city, will celebrate LGBT Pride in 2023 between June 23rd and July 15th. For now, the programme has not yet been released. Barcelona is one of the safest destinations in Europe for LGBTQIA+ residents and visitors. You can expect a warm welcome throughout the city, but particularly in L'Eixample (affectionately known as "Gayxample"), around the iconic Plaça Catalunya. Happy hour in the bars starts around midnight.
Pride parade: Saturday, July 15th, 2023
Lisbon, Portugal
In 2023, LGBT Pride will be celebrated in Lisbon between June 17th and June 24th. Gay Pride Lisboa hosts the "Pride Village", a free-entry outdoor party featuring stands, bars, a stage, DJs, and a dance floor. The event takes place at Terreiro do Paço throughout the whole day.
The Arraial Lisboa Pride, which also takes place in Terreiro do Paço and which entrance is also free, is the largest event of the LGBTQIA+ community and association in Portugal. It gives visibility to this community since 1997, in a unique moment of celebration of LGBT Pride. In 2023, Arraial Lisboa Pride will take place on June 24th.
Pride parade: Saturday, June 17th, 2023
Porto, Portugal
Porto Pride started in 2006 and has become one of the most important LGBT Pride events in Portugal. More than 7,000 people were part of the last parade.
During the LGBT Pride weekend there are several cultural events, parties, and activities. The LGBT Pride march starts at Praça da República and ends at Jardim da Cordoaria. Most of Porto's gay bars host parties after the LGBT Pride festival.
Pride parade: Saturday, July 8th,2023
São Paulo, Brazil
São Paulo's LGBT Pride parade brings colour to the city's streets every year in June. São Paulo's LGBT Pride began in 1997, with around 2,000 participants. Today it attracts three to five million people a year. Guinness World Records considered São Paulo's LGBT Pride parade the largest in the world for at least 10 years (2006-2016).
The LGBT Pride parade crosses Paulista Avenue every year. The motivation for the organisation of this parade remains the collective struggle for a fairer and more inclusive society, which recognises equal rights and condemns any form of discrimination on the basis of age, sexual orientation, gender, or ethnicity.
While the official programme takes place over five days, the city fills up with colour three weeks before the final weekend, with concerts, dance shows, fairs, street markets, and queer debates and plays.
Pride parade: Sunday, June 11th, 2023
