Traveling gets its gay ante upped on our global tour of the year in Pride. See which cities you’d like to visit and make plans.
By Matthew Holley
Hopefully,you’ve already checked out our all-access pass to this year’s NYC Pride. Amazing. But if you’ve ever desired Pride outside the good old USA some of the world’s biggest and baddest festivals start now and run straight through summer, including the epic World Pride, which hits Madrid this year.
Your passport will be more worn out than a queen’s wig after a three-hour set when you finish reading this article. Hop on and travel with David Atlanta as we take you through a whole world of Pride.
European Snow Pride
Tignes, France
March 18-25
europeansnowpride.com
Well, it’s this weekend (top photo), so if you’re reading this, you’re probably not there. That means you have maximum time to start planning for next year now. Snow Pride gathers thousands of randy snow rabbits for Europe’s most incredible winter festival. It is an almost sinful gay ski week taking place in the world class and snow-blanketed resort of Tignes, in the Espace Killy.
Rendezvous include: Giant Pool Party in Le Lagon, Tignes’s 5000sqm aquatic spa center, après-ski with DJ sessions and performers on a hot-tub terrace at the bottom of the slopes, and piano-bar and cabaret evenings in the lounges of Tignes’ first class hotels.
Gay Pride Maspalomas
Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain
May 4-14
gaypridemaspalomas.com
Maspalomas Gay Pride is the second largest gay event in Spain following Madrid. For one week, indulge your inner fantasies of cultural, political activities and exotic drag shows all while ensconced with thousands of Spanish men on one tiny island.
When the parade hits the main square of the Yumbo Center, the acts, shows and dance parties flood into the street all night.
Puerto Vallarta Pride
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
May 21-28
vallartapride.com/en/home
Nestled between the lush Sierra Madre and the majestic Pacific Ocean, this paradise welcomes LGBT communities from all over the globe to take part in eight-day festivities. Look for non-stop concerts, entertainment, films, fun, partying and the fabulous parade.
Rome Pride
Rome, Italy
June 6-11
romapride.it
Prepare to meet your Roman centurian ready to slay you with Rome’s annual Pride. The parade is a mixture of fun parties with a serious agenda of equal rights for gay men and women in Italy.
Concerts, dance events, drag competitions, sporting and cultural events takes place across the city against the backdrop of the Piazza della Repubblica and Piazza Venezia.
Amsterdam Fetish Pride
Amsterdam
May 25-28
amsterdamfetishpride.com
It’s not quite Amsterdam’s official Pride, but the Fetish Festival offers numerous bars, clubs, shops, restaurants and more indulging in events like Ascension-Day, the Mister Leather Amsterdam election, RECON’s Full Fetish, XXX Leather, BLUF Workshops, Fetish Flea Market, Fetish Dinner and more.
Shanghai Pride
Shanghai, China
June 15-18
shpride.com
Take a break from your European Pride excavation and travel across the waters to get a taste of the oriental. Shanghai Gay Pride is the largest Pride festival in Asia. Shanghai delivers exotic culture, heavenly cuisine, even a film festival, and of course cute boys you’ll want to stuff in your carry on.
Pride in London
London, England
June 24-July 9
prideinlondon.org
Get ready to get cultural like a queen during the day, and party like a prince by night. London’s Pride brings the traditional parade and several massive parties all over town.
World Pride / Orgullo
Madrid, Spain, June 23-July 2
madridorgullo.com
Pride – or Orgullo in Spanish – in Madrid is the biggest and most popular Prides in all of Europe. The parade is attended by 1,500,000 people every year. The street parties at Plaza Chueca attract roughly 300,000 people. After the Saturday parade, which travels through the center of the city, Pride goes on with an outdoor, all night party at the park of Lago.
Amsterdam Pride
August 4-6
pride.amsterdam
Now that you have let your freak flag high during Amsterdam’s Fetish Festival, keep it flying higher at one of the biggest Pride events in the world. Get lost in a series of circuit parties, street parties and the world’s only gay Canal Parade.
See over the top boats and floats by day, and we all know what happens in the bars of Amsterdam after the sun sets. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. For the amazing Rhine de Voux river cruise experience to shoot your Amsterdam Pride into the stratosphere, pick up our print edition for a full preview of all they have to offer, and visit rhinedevoux.com.
For more Pride celebrations across the U.S. and around the world, visit gaypridecalendar.com.