Is gay pride month celebrated in other countries? Where are some of the biggest events?
Pride month is celebrated around the world and the biggest celebrations are not just restricted to those in the US, which are held in June.
Pride month begins on Saturday, 1 JuneJune 1, with celebrations planned worldwide. Two of the largest events in the US traditionally take place in New York and San Francisco.
While the events in the US may be the most well-known to Americans, plenty of other countries host huge Pride parties. Check out some of the biggest here.
São Paolo
The Brazilian city only hosted its first Pride in 1997 but can now boast more than 3 million participants yearly, making it the largest Pride event in the world.
The parade is the second-largest event in the city after the Grand Prix Formula One Brazil. Sao Paulo Gay Pride always takes place on the Sunday after the Corpus Christi annual holiday.
Madrid
Madrid, the host of Europe’s largest pride celebration, held its first event in 1978, just three years after the end of the Francisco Franco dictatorship. This historical context underscores the event’s significance, which drew nearly 2 million people in 2019. The city’s Chueca district serves as the hub of the gay community, and the local metro stop is adorned with LGBTQ+ art.
Madrid’s Pride Parade will take place this year on Saturday, 6 June.
Berlin
The Berlin event is hosted annually and coincides with the anniversary of the Stonewall riots in the US on the 28th of June. This year, the city’s Pride Parade will take place on 27 July, a month after the kick-off event on the anniversary of the Stonewall Riot.
The German city is well known for its liberal social attitudes, evident in the number of alternative nightclubs. Techno music is Berlin’s most popular nightclub genre and has deep-rooted links to the LGBTQ+ community.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam Pride, typically held in the first week of August, is unique among Pride events. It originated not as a protest march for LGBTQ+ rights in the Netherlands but as a celebration of the community. This reflects the country’s social acceptance, as the Netherlands was the first in the world to legalize gay marriage. The event’s focus on celebration rather than protest sets it apart from other Pride events. Taipei
The largest city on the island of Taiwan hosts the largest pride event in Asia. It was the first Asian state to legalize gay marriage in 2019. The event will take place on the last Saturday of October.
Amsterdam will host their Pride Parade on Saturday, 27 July, the same day those in Berlin will be marching.
Sydney
The biennial event WorldPride returned in 2024, bringing the LGBTQ+ celebration to the Southern Hemisphere for the first time. The festival took place in the New South Wales state capital from 16 February to 3 March. Sydney Pride is the earliest hosted event on this list. The main attraction is the Sydney Mardi Gras Parade, where multiple floats make their way up a 1.1-mile route.