Pride Around the World: Where to Celebrate in 2023

Pride season is upon us! Between June and September each year, Canada’s LGBTQIA+ community and its allies come together for special gatherings, demonstrations and a whole lot of good times. While Pride events occur in almost every capital city of our own country, there’s also plenty of opportunity for you to celebrate outside Canada’s borders — from New York and Amsterdam to Taipei. 

Which parties, parades and festivals will you be attending this year? To help you decide, we’ve created a schedule of the top Pride events from around the world.

• São Paulo, Brazil
• New York, New York
• Toronto, Ontario
• Madrid, Spain
• Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Reykjavik, Iceland
• Taipei, Taiwan
• Bonus! 3 more Pride events to get excited about

Wednesday June, 7 – Sunday, June 11, 2023
São Paulo Gay Pride officially only lasts for five days, but the celebration tends to be much longer — concerts and performances, cultural fairs, street markets and more take over the city for the three weeks leading up to the parade.

Speaking of…did you know that the São Paulo Gay Pride Parade is one of the largest in the world? Groups flock from all over Brazil, South America and elsewhere to experience it! In fact, anywhere between 3–5 million people attend each year. Expect captivating music, extravagant floats and incredible costumes. 

After the parade, the party will continue well into the night at São Paulo’s many nightclubs. We recommend staying in Jardins, so you can be close to all the action.

Thursday, June 1 – Friday, June 30, 2023
One of the world’s most iconic Pride events happens in New York, the city where Pride was founded. The first Gay Pride March was held in 1970 to commemorate the Stonewall Riots and has since become an annual civil rights demonstration — and colourful celebration — for the LGBTQIA+ community. Each June, the streets of Manhattan fill with approximately 4 million rainbow-clad activists and allies.

In addition to the Pride March, a series of other NYC Pride events take place throughout the month, including Pride Island. Join the crowd at the Brooklyn Army Terminal for a night of dancing, lights and music, and a special performance by Christina Aguilera. The PrideFest street fair is also returning this year, featuring exhibitors, food and fun activities for the whole family.

Since New York has one of the highest concentrations of LGBTQIA+ people in the world, you can expect to find a party around every corner, from Greenwich Village and Chelsea to Brooklyn and beyond.

Flamboyant fun, perky parties and scintillating spectacles — Pride Toronto is a vibe. (And we couldn’t leave it off the list!) 

Throughout the entire month of June the city takes on a colourful hue as its diverse community celebrates solidarity through music, conferences and three incredible public displays: the Trans Pride Rally, the Dyke March and the massive Toronto Pride Parade.

Aside from the marches, the biggest attraction is the annual Street Fair in the Church-Wellesley Village. Toronto’s gay district is home to a vibrant community centre, parks, bars, restaurants and stores that cater to the LGBTQIA+ crowd, and for three days this year you can stroll through the car-free streets, browsing wares and sampling delicious food from local vendors. It’s also worth attending if you love historic architecture; houses and apartments in the area date back to late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Friday, June 23 – Sunday, July 2, 2023
Madrid might just be the best city for Pride in Europe. The annual celebration is one of the largest of its kind, attracting over 2 million visitors with its amazing parties, stunning parade and more — including a pet-friendly Feathers & Paws event, a High Heel Race and the latest edition of Mr. Gay Pride Spain.

As the city has evolved, Madrid’s gay neighbourhoods have grown; the local government estimates the LGBTQIA+ population to be around 500,000. Make sure to check out Malasaña, La Latina and Lavapiés, and remember to stay hydrated! The Madrid Pride occurs during the peak of summer.

Tuesday, August 1 – Sunday, August 6, 2023
The Netherlands knows how to do Pride differently! Exhibit A: the Amsterdam Pride Canal Parade. On the first Saturday of August each year, hundreds of colourful boats take to the UNESCO-listed canals for a water-ful (see what we did there?) celebration like no other.

Of course, that’s not all there is to enjoy. Pride Amsterdam typically runs for six days, giving you plenty of opportunity to attend exhibitions, cultural performances and sporting events. Plus, there are endless parties happening on the city’s most popular streets — including Reguliersdwarsstraat, Zeedijk, Warmoesstraat — and the banks of the Amstel River.

Tuesday, August 8 – Sunday, August 13, 2023
Reykjavik Pride has become one of Iceland’s most vibrant and popular events, filled with queer cruises, gay walks, a family festival, concerts, gallery openings, dance parties and, of course, the annual Reykjavik Pride Parade.

Reykjavik Pride was first celebrated in 1999 with a group of just 1,500 people, and it was promptly decided that they would hold a similar event in the city every year after. Today, the colourful celebration attracts over 100,000 visitors from around the world. 

In addition to being an incredibly progressive, liberal and welcoming city (Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, the world’s first openly gay head of government, served as Prime Minister from 2009 to 2013), Reykjavik is a captivating destination with beautiful design, a rich history, and a burgeoning nightlife scene. 

Sunday, October 22 – Sunday, October 29, 2023
There’s a reason Taipei Gay Pride is one of the biggest Pride events in Asia: Taiwan is known for having some of the most progressive lesbian, gay and bisexual rights on the continent. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender characteristics has been banned since 2004. Not only that, but Taiwan was the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage at the state-level.

As such, Taipei has a vibrant party scene for the LGBTQIA+ community to explore. There’s a large number of gay bars and dance clubs surrounding the Red House and Ximen area, as well as in the Wanhua District. The fact that this Pride event coincides with the Halloween weekend makes it all the more fun.

In Canada, we’re accustomed to celebrating Pride in the throes of summer — but you can keep the party going almost all year round by hopping on a plane to these destinations in the early months of 2024:

Dates to be announced
While Copenhagen Pride typically occurs in August, an additional celebration — Copenhagen Winter Pride — takes place every year in February. LGBTQIA+ culture is embraced 365 days a year in Copenhagen, but there’s something extra special about seeing the city covered in snow, glitter and rainbow flags. 

Friday, February 16 – Sunday, March 3, 2024
The biggest Pride event in Oceania happens in Australia with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, a colourful explosion of self-expression and love. Make sure to catch the Sissy Ball, the country’s largest vogue ballroom event.

Thursday, February 1 – Thursday, February 29, 2024
Auckland Pride takes place throughout the month of February, meaning there’s a weeks-long agenda of LGBTQIA+ events for you to choose from. We recommend Pride in the Square, a two-day event featuring community groups, DJs, drag artists and musicians and, of course, the Pride March. 

Ready to wave your rainbow flag at a 2023 Pride event? Check out our flight deals or get in touch with a travel consultant to start planning your trip.