These Are the Most Significant Pride Events Around the World

This year’s WorldPride, an event that travels to various cities, will take place in New York City to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. Events including rallies, concerts, lectures, and exhibits will take place all month throughout the city. The WorldPride Welcome Center at 112 Christopher Street in Manhattan’s West Village will be open for the month of June.

The biggest LGBTQ celebration in the Middle East is Tel Aviv Pride. The festival takes place at Hilton Beach, a well-known refuge for the area’s queer community, in addition to the city’s many gay night clubs, which will host parties throughout the week.

Pride Week in Zurich, which is actually two weeks of events from June 1 to 16th, culminates in Switzerland’s largest city’s Pride Festival, a weekend of concerts, vendors, dance parties, and a parade. This year’s theme is Strength in Diversity.

This year’s Pride Festival in Toronto, the largest LGBTQ event in Canada, will feature a Dyke March, Trans Pride program, drag events, and the popular Pride Parade. The city’s Pride Parade is said to have evolved from a massive demonstration in 1981 after a police raid of four gay bath houses where hundreds of men were arrested.

The first Sao Paulo Pride Parade took place in 1997 when 2,000 LGBTQ activists gathered to celebrate their culture and protest against discrimination. The event has become the largest Pride Parade in the world, with 5 million attendants in 2017.

The first NYC Pride March took place in 1970, a year after the Stonewall Riots, and has grown to see over 2 million attendees every year. The Grand Marshals of this year’s Pride March include the Gay Liberation Front, an activist organization that formed after the Stonewall Riots, the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention service to LGBTQ youth, and Monica Helms, a navy veteran and transgender activist.

San Francisco’s first gay rights march to City Hall took place in 1970, followed by a “gay-in” at Golden Gate Park. The first Pride Parade took place two years later, and in 1976 a group of female motorcyclists gathered at the head of the parade. Now, the Dykes on Bikes are a mainstay of this huge parade and celebration, which sees over 1 million attendees yearly.

One of the largest pride events in Latin America, Mexico City’s Pride Parade is entering its 41st year. In the predominantly Catholic country, Mexico City is continuously on the forefront of queer rights. It became the first Mexican city to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2010.

Holding the record for the second highest Pride Parade attendance is Madrid Orgullo, which had 3.5 million attendees in 2017. The celebration attracts people from all over Europe, as Spain is known as one of the most gay friendly countries in the world. A week of parties and cultural events precede the parade on July 7.

Every year, Cologne holds a Christopher Street Day celebration the first weekend of July. A street festival, political events, AIDS gala, and stage performances take place throughout the weekend, which culminates in a parade with over a million attendees and participants.

A free transgender festival held in Manchester, Sparkle in the Park is a weekend event featuring concerts, comedy performances, workshops, and lectures. It’s open to anyone who identifies as trans, non-binary, or gender questioning, as well as their families, friends, and allies.

Every July, Los Angeles hosts one of the largest LGBTQ film festivals in the world. OutFest has screened thousands of movies from all over the world that share LGBTQ stories and highlight queer filmmakers. OutFest has recently placed the spotlight on underrepresented voices, featuring more directors that are women, trans, and people of color.

Taking place in the first country to legalize gay marriage, Amsterdam’s Canal Pride Festival is a colorful celebration featuring street parties, DJs, a Drag Queen Olympics, and a unique Pride Parade that floats down the city’s canals. Milkshake Festival, an outdoor dance festival dedicated to inclusivity and acceptance, kicks off the opening weekend of Canal Pride.

Asia’s biggest LGBTQ event takes place in the first Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage. What started as a political rally is now a celebration that includes a parade and dozens of street parties. Taipei’s Red District is home to over 20 gay bars and a few gay clubs that will host parties over Pride weekend.

In 1992, 300 people attended the first Pride Parade in Buenos Aires, many of them wearing masks to remain anonymous. Now, the parade has grown to 200,000 participants, who gather in early November to honor the founding of Argentina’s first gay organization, Nuestra Mundo, which was founded in 1967.