These Are The Best Cities For Pride Celebrations Around The World
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Happy Pride Month, everybody! If you don’t have a rainbow destination planned for June, we know where you should go to celebrate LGBTQ identities and allyship. A new study from Airbnb ranked the most LGBTQ-friendly cities around the world for Pride 2018 based on Pride attendance, nightlife options and the dating scene. Here’s which cities topped the list.
1. New York City
The OG Pride destination (spurred by the famous Stonewall riots in 1969) is still the ultimate spot to visit. There’s the big march from Flatiron to the West Village on June 24, both a celebration and a protest working toward equality, and a bunch of smaller events in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens throughout the month.
2. London
London’s Pride parade is actually in July, extending the stretch of events into another month. The parade fills Trafalgar Square with floats, performances and surprise appearances from some special guests (fingers crossed to spot Sir Ian McKellan!). According to Airbnb’s data, London has the highest per capita LGBTQ Tinder profiles in the world.
3. Madrid
The neighborhood of Chueca in Madrid is Pride central, with a giant parade leaving around the famous Paseo del Prado. Like its counterparts in other major cities, you’ll find dance performances, concerts and dance parties all over the city for the entire week leading up to the parade.
4. San Francisco
Pride in San Fran is a big deal. There are speeches by community thought leaders, VIP-only parties, and the largest Pride parade in the entire United States. It leads through the heart of San Francisco, a city with a vibrant history of LGBTQ activism and cultural hubs.
5. Paris
It’s called Marche des Fiertés in France, but the Pride march brings thousands of people to the Parisian streets. It happens in the neighborhood of Le Marais, where you’ll find some of the best gay bars in the city.
6. Berlin
There are about 200 events for Berlin Pride, including Christopher Street Day. CSD has a march and a main stage area, where there are speeches, performances and concerts.
7. Toronto
Toronto boasts Pride pool parties, parades, all-night dance parties and rallies throughout the month. The Til Sunrise Party takes place on the same island where the first Pride festivities did in 1971 and goes, of course, until sunrise.
8. Chicago
There are a ton of Pride events in Chi-town, but the highlight of the month might be the Pride Parade and rally with celebrity guests and local drag queen celebrities performing.
9. Los Angeles
LA Pride is also a festival, with performances this year by Kehlani, Tove Lo and Icona Pop in West Hollywood Park. You’ll also be able to watch appearances by national drag sensations, such as Monique Heart (of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” fame).
10. Amsterdam
Amsterdam Pride starts a little later in the summer, running from July 28 to August 5. But the Netherlands was the first country in the entire world to achieve marriage equality (in 2001), so they get the early bragging rights that matter.
P.S. Pride isn’t just a party parade — although that part is hella fun for everyone no matter where they fall on the Kinsey scale or how they express their gender identity. You can also find volunteer opportunities, fundraisers or activist events to get involved with the larger movement, which is how Pride came to be in the first place.
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