Pride month worldwide: The festivals, parades, and cities leading the celebration

Pride month begins on Saturday, June 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, July 5.

Berlin

This year, the city’s Pride Parade will take place on July 26, 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 LGBTQ+ celebration will take place down under during the month of June, with several events to be held between June 1 - 30.

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