HAPPY MARDI GRAS: Here’s where to celebrate Pride all over the world

A parade entrant poses for the camera in the marshalling area in Hyde Park at the 2016 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras.
By Alexandra Coulton


Pride season has officially started, folks!

With Melbourne’s Midsumma Carnival in full-swing and Sydney’s Mardi Gras kicking off this weekend, Australia’s streets are practically overflowing with beautiful rainbow flags and glitter-adorned revellers.

To help you extend the festivities, Booking.com has put together a list of Pride celebrations around the world.

So get the gang together and get ready to embark on a rainbow world tour!

Or if you’re like us and can hardly afford the entry fee at your local LGBT+ bar, you can still spend your Friday afternoon scrolling through these spectacularly colourful celebrations.

Sydney, Australia

Mardi Gras

This year, the 41st Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras will be held between the 15th of February and the 3rd of March. There’s loads of events within the Mardi Gras Festival such as burlesque shows, pool parties, Queer art and much more. The much-anticipated parade is planned for the 2nd of March and will traditionally start at Hyde Park and ends in Moore Park. The entertainment for the evening is nothing short of amazing, including multi-award-winning Aussie dance stalwart PNAU and pop sensation Kim Petras.

London, UK

2013, London Pride

The London Pride will take place between the 23rd of June and the 7th of July and showcases some of the most inspiring talents and celebrates diversity in the LGBT+ community.

Trek the massive annual London Pride Parade on the 6th of July from Baker Street to Whitehall via Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus, Pall Mall and ending with Trafalgar Square, where there will be live performances and speeches. The event line-up this year includes Ellis-Bextor, Alyssa Edwards, Eurovision finalist SuRie on the Trafalgar Square Stage.

Berlin, Germany

Gayprideparade, Berlin, Germany

The Berlin Pride is also known as Christopher Street Day (CSD), to commemorate the Stonewall Riots in Christopher Street, New York. The first Berlin CSD was held on the 30th of June 1979 and it has grown immensely since then.

More than half a million people come together to celebrate and demonstrate during a colourful parade filled with music and floats. This year’s Christopher Street Day takes place on July 27th, but you might want to come a week earlier for the ‘Stadtfest’ between the 20th and 21st of July in the district Schöneberg. An annual Lesbian and Gay Festival held at the Nollendorfplatz that is becoming increasingly popular.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Amsterdam Gay Pride 2014.

The Amsterdam Pride starts on the 27th of July and lasts until the 4th of August. The Dutch LGBTQ community celebrates their pride with numerous events like street parties, concerts and the Canal Parade.

Popular locations are the Reguliersdwarsstraat, the Rembrandtplein and the Zeedijk. The highlight of the Amsterdam Pride is the parade, which does not take place in the streets, but in the world-famous canals.

During the Canal Parade, 80 fabulously decorated boats will sail through the canals in the heart of Amsterdam. You can cheer them on along the sides, but make sure you arrive early to secure your spot!

Montréal, Canada

Montreal, 20 August 2017: People are holding a giant gay rainbow flag over the street at gay pride parade.

The Montréal Pride – also known as Fierté Montréal – will be celebrating the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Riots, which will add extra importance to the week in Canada.

The celebrations will kick off on the 8th of August and will include parties, sports activities and a big conference. The parade takes place on the last day of the pride, the 18th of August, it starts on Metcalfe Street and ends at Alexandre-DeSève Street where the party continues with the MEGA T-DANCE until the closing ceremony.

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