With a penchant for the colorful and bold, LGBT pride festivals around the globe bring out the best in cities. Glitter, glitz, and never-ending music fill the streets as hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of LGBT people and their allies unite to celebrate their differences and raise a voice of concern for those who cannot.
What’s most important to note about modern-day LGBT pride festivals is their all-inclusive nature, welcoming attendees from all walks of life to join in the celebration. From the birth of the modern gay rights movement on the streets of New York City’s West Village to a pride festival in Brazil that counts attendees by the millions, these are the world’s biggest LGBT pride celebrations.
NYC PRIDE
Where: New York City, New York
There’s arguably no better place to celebrate LGBT pride than in the birthplace of the modern gay-rights movement in the U.S., New York City’s West Village, during NYC Pride. The month-long celebration features multiple events in the city’s five boroughs, but the main event takes place in Manhattan on the last Sunday in June. The Pride March draws a crowd of approximately two million attendees, as over 55 floats representing all aspects of LGBT culture kick off at 36th Street and Fifth Avenue and head south towards Greenwich and Christopher Streets to the iconic Stonewall Inn. Space along the parade route fills up quickly, especially as the streets narrow in the Village, so be sure to arrive early to grab a prime viewing spot.
SAN FRANCISCO PRIDE
Where: San Francisco, California
Now in its 45th year, the annual San Francisco Pride festivities takes the city by storm, offering up the country’s largest LGBT pride celebration, second in the world only to São Paulo, Brazil. More than 20 community-produced stages and venues pop-up throughout the Castro District during the celebration, this year showcasing headline acts including drag icon Lady Bunny, The Voice’s Kat Robichaud, and Morning Gloryville, an immersive morning dance experience. This year’s Pride Parade kicks off at 10:30 am on Sunday, June 28 and extends over a mile down Market Street with over 1.7 million spectators expected to attend.
PRIDE TORONTO
Where: Toronto, Canada
Every year, Pride Toronto brings out the best in the city’s summertime as the ten-day festival colors the city. While last year’s celebration was one for the record books as Toronto played host to World Pride, this year won’t disappoint as hundreds of thousands of LGBT attendees and their allies fill the streets for the Pride Parade, extending from the corner of Church Street and Bloor Street down a mile on Yonge Street. Most events center around Yonge-Dundas Square, deemed Toronto’s Times Square, where international drag sensation Bianca Del Rio will be making an appearance as part of “Drag On!” on Saturday, June 27, along with a special appearance by celebrity host Chaz Bono the prior night.
AMSTERDAM GAY PRIDE
Where: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Let your rainbow flag wave freely atAmsterdam Gay Pride (July 31–August 2, 2015), one of the Netherlands’ largest public events, in a city known for its warm embrace of counter-culture. The Venice of the North uses its city-wide canals to great effect during the Canal Parade, a procession of themed boats overflowing with costumed revelers dancing to disco anthems and electronic beats. The four-mile canal route takes about three hours to complete, as more than seventy large boats inch along to the cheers of nearly 500,000 attendees.
MADRID GAY PRIDE
Where: Madrid, Spain
A magnet in Europe for LGBT pride celebrations, Orgullo Madrid Gay Pride (July 1–5, 2015) is expected to welcome over two million partiers from around the world during its five-day extravaganza, the largest urban event in Europe. Many of the festivities center around Plaza de Chueca in downtown Madrid, with performances throughout the weekend that keep the party hopping, from world-renowned DJs and performance acts yet to be announced. The main attraction, the parade, takes over the city on Saturday, July 4, starting at 6 pm and marching on till 11 pm, finishing at Puerta de Alcalá, when partiers heads to Plaza Colón for an all-night celebration.
SAO PAOLO GAY PRIDE PARADE
Where: São Paulo, Brazil
Though the festivities have come and gone this year, the city is still reeling from the São Paulo Gay Pride Parade earlier in June 2015, which attracted more than two million attendees, making it the largest gay pride celebration in the world. Featuring approximately 20 themed floats decorated with festive dancers and pulsing music this year, São Paulo’s pride parade initially shot to fame in 2006 when attendance swelled to three million, a high bar that has yet to be matched. Take note that the parade route extends 2.5 miles throughout the city center, providing ample spots to take in the sights. The federal government funds the parade, and many politicians attend to provide an important display of support for the LGBT rights movement.
TEL AVIV PRIDE
Where: Tel Aviv, Israel
Tel Aviv, Israel’s cosmopolitan hub, dedicates the second week of June to its Tel Aviv Pridefestival, hosting what has become Asia’s most attended pride parade. Upwards of 180,000 people gathered earlier this June for a parade themed Tel Aviv Loves All Genders. Tel Aviv’s pride week comes alive at Hilton Beach on the Mediterranean Sea, a predominantly gay beach that hosts a rotating party of trailblazing DJs and performers for free. The party continues along the coast at Gordon Beach, Jerusalem Beach, and Alma Beach, where locals and travelers mix and mingle in the sun.
SYDNEY GAY AND LESBIAN MARDI GRAS
Where: Sydney, Australia
Measuring up as New South Wales’s second-largest annual event when it comes to economic impact, partygoers come from far and wide to marvel in the scene of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (February 19–March 6, 2016). Outrageous costumes, massive floats, and international pop stars elevate the party to the stratosphere, attracting crowds by the hundreds of thousands. Previous musical guests have included Dannii Minogue, Nick Jonas, and Rufus Wainwright at the rousing Saturday night party that begins at 10 pm and carries on through the night until past sunrise at 8 am.
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