EuroPride | |
---|---|
Status | Active |
Genre | LGBTI pride event |
Date(s) | Midyear |
Frequency | Annual |
Location(s) | Europe |
Inaugurated | 1992 |
EuroPride is a pan-European international event dedicated to LGBT pride, hosted by a different European city each year. The host city is usually one with an established pride event or a significant LGBT community.
For up to a month, numerous sporting, artistic and human rights events are staged throughout the host city. EuroPride usually culminates during a weekend with a traditional Mardi Gras-style pride parade, live music, human rights conference, special club nights, and an AIDS memorial vigil.
EuroPride was inaugurated in London in 1992, attended by estimated crowds of over 100,000. The following year, Berlin hosted the festivities. When Amsterdam hosted EuroPride in 1994, it turned into a financial disaster, leaving debts of approximately 450,000 euros. In 1996, EuroPride moved to Copenhagen, where it enjoyed strong support from city leaders. The organisers were successful on all fronts but not able to achieve a financial surplus.
Paris hosted EuroPride in 1997. The festival had numerous commercial sponsors and was widely hailed as a success. During the parade, over 300,000 people marched to the Bastille. Stockholm was the host city in 1998. London was to host EuroPride again in 1999, but the event was canceled when the organisers went bankrupt.
In 2000, WorldPride took place for the first time and, as has happened each time since, when WorldPride is in Europe, no separate EuroPride takes place. The event took place in Rome and was well-attended by LGBT people from all over the world. After initially supporting the event, city leaders pulled their support just days before due to pressure exerted by the Vatican, which was organising its Great Jubilee.
Vienna hosted the 2001 EuroPride, drawing large crowds from Central Europe. In 2002, Köln (Cologne), Germany, held the then-biggest ever EuroPride; officials estimated crowds to number well over one million. EuroPride was hosted by Manchester in 2003, and Hamburg in 2004. [1] Oslo hosted it in 2005, with Ian McKellen as the guest of honour.
London hosted the event in 2006, organising a two-week festival culminating in a parade on the final day (1 July) in which marchers were invited to walk down Oxford Street, one of the city's busiest shopping streets, the first time they had been legally allowed to do so. The parade was attended by Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, Conservative MP Alan Duncan, human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, and the first transgender MEP, Italian Vladimir Luxuria.
Following the parade, events were held in three of the capital's squares: a rally in Trafalgar Square addressed by Ian McKellen, and entertainment in Leicester and Soho Squares. EuroPride 2006 marked the first time that London's main pride rally and entertainment areas were staged within the city itself, rather than in open parks.
In 2007, Madrid hosted EuroPride, which took place in Chueca, the capital's gay village, during the last week in June. Madrid was chosen because of the gay marriage and gender identity laws Spain had passed during the previous two years. More than 1.2 million people attended the final parade as it passed through the downtown streets of Alcalá, and Gran Vía, ending up at Plaza de España. For the first time, Madrid City Hall contributed financing to the MADO (Madrid Orgullo) organisation. In addition, a private event, the Infinitamentegay Party, took place in Casa de Campo Park.
In 2008, the Stockholm Pride organization [2] organised EuroPride for a second time, held from 25 June to 3 August in Stockholm, a decade after hosting EuroPride 1998.
Zurich hosted EuroPride in 2009 with a month-long roster of events from 2 May to 7 June, culminating in a parade through downtown Zurich on 6 June. [3]
The 2010 event was held in Warsaw, Poland. [4] Organisers prepared multifaceted events between July 9 to 18. The Parade took place on July 17. It marked the first time this pan-European LGBT celebration took place in a former communist country. The Warsaw EuroPride formulated, as its main theme, a demand for legalisation of same sex civil partnerships. [5]
In 2011, EuroPride returned to Rome. Hosted by Claudia Gerini, the parade closed with a performance and a speech by Lady Gaga at the Circus Maximus. That year one million people took part. [6]
The 2013 EuroPride was in Marseille, France from July 10–20, [7] focusing on gay marriage in France and celebrated the biggest gay wedding in Europe [8]
The 2016 EuroPride returned to Amsterdam. UK singer/songwriter Tara McDonald sang her single "I Need A Miracle" which was chosen as the EuroPride anthem and was remixed by Gregor Salto. [9] [10] [11]
There was no EuroPride in 2017 as WorldPride took place in Madrid.
In June 2019, President of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen became the first head of state to address a EuroPride parade. [12] [13]
The European Pride Organisers Association, which licences EuroPride and owns the trademark, has decided that a WorldPride event held in Europe also automatically carries the title of EuroPride.
The first WorldPride was held in Rome in 2000 (see above). The second WorldPride was held in Jerusalem in 2005–2006.
London, also hosting the 2012 Summer Olympics, beat out competing candidate, Stockholm, in the fall of 2008 to hold WorldPride 2012, which was held from 23 June to 8 July.
WorldPride 2017 was held in Madrid, and WorldPride 2021 was held in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Madrid's EuroPride 2007 was the most well-attended event at the time, with an estimated 2.5 million visitors. This huge attendance was not only a success for Madrid, but for the whole LGBT Spanish community, due to the celebration of the change of terms in the laws related to gay marriage and adoptions.
Madrid was one of the first Spanish cities celebrating the legalization of gay marriage, with the support of all political parties, even the conservatives in the Government, headed by the ex-mayor of the city, Alberto Ruíz Gallardón from Partido Popular.
Due to these and other advances in same-sex freedom and social progress, Madrid was chosen in 2012 to host WorldPride 2017.
Edn | Year | Location | Organization | Theme | Dates | Pax |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | 1992 | London | — | 100,000 [14] | ||
2nd | 1993 | Berlin | — | |||
3rd | 1994 | Amsterdam | — | approx. 120.000 | ||
- | 1995 | Not held | ||||
4th | 1996 | Copenhagen | Copenhagen Pride Association | — | approx. 35,000 | |
5th | 1997 | Paris | — | |||
6th | 1998 | Stockholm | — | |||
- | 1999 | Not held | ||||
7th | 2000 | Rome | Circolo di Cultura Omosessuale Mario Mieli - [15] | In Pride We Trust | 1 July – 8 July | approx. 500,000 |
8th | 2001 | Vienna | — | |||
9th | 2002 | Cologne | Kölner Lesben- und Schwulentag e.V. (KLuST) | Cologne celebrates diversity | 15 June – 7 July | approx. 1,200,000 |
10th | 2003 | Manchester | Marketing Manchester | — | 15 August - 25 August | approx. 37,000 [16] |
11th | 2004 | Hamburg | Hamburg Pride e.V. | Love breaks barriers | 4 June – 13 June | approx. 500,000 |
12th | 2005 | Oslo | Europride Oslo As | — | 18 June – 27 June | 70–100,000 |
13th | 2006 | London | — | 600,000 [17] | ||
14th | 2007 | Madrid | Spanish LGBT Collective Organization | Now Europe, Equality is possible | 22 June – 2 July | approx 2,500,000 |
15th | 2008 | Stockholm | Stockholm Pride Agency [18] | Swedish Sin Breaking Borders | 25 July – 3 August | approx 80,000 |
16th | 2009 | Zürich | EuroPride 09 Organising Association [19] | Celebrating 40 years with Pride | 2 May – 7 June | approx 100,000 |
17th | 2010 | Warsaw | Equality Foundation (Fundacja Równości) | Freedom, equality, tolerance! | 7 July – 17 July | approx 8,000 - 15,000 [20] [21] |
18th | 2011 | Rome | Circolo di Cultura Omosessuale Mario Mieli [22] | Build Your Pride! | 2 June – 12 June | approx. 1,000,000 |
19th | 2012 | London | Pride London | — | 23 June – 8 July | — |
20th | 2013 | Marseille | LGP Marseille | L'Europe en marche pour l'égalité - Europe on the move for equality! | 10 July – 20 July | — |
21st | 2014 | Oslo [23] | Oslo Pride AS | — | 20 June – 29 June [24] | — |
22nd | 2015 | Riga [25] | LGBT and their friends association MOZAĪKA | Be the Change! Make History! Changing history is hot! | 15 June – 21 June | approx. 5,000 [26] |
23rd | 2016 | Amsterdam [27] | Stichting Amsterdam Gay Pride | JOIN our freedom, feel free to join us! | 26 July – 7 August | approx. 560,000 [28] |
24th | 2017 | Madrid [29] | Spanish LGBT Collective Organization | For the LGBT rights over the world | 23 June – 2 July | approx. 3,000,000 [30] [31] |
25th | 2018 | Stockholm and Gothenburg | Stockholm Pride & West Pride (Gothenburg) | Two Cities, One Festival - for a United Europe | 27 July – 19 August | approx. 60,000 [32] |
26th | 2019 | Vienna | HOSI Wien | Visions of Pride | 1 June – 16 June | approx. 500,000 [33] |
- | 2020 | Thessaloniki [34] | Not held due to Covid pandemic [lower-alpha 1] | Welcome to the future, where everyone can join | — | |
27th | 2021 | Copenhagen | Copenhagen Pride and Copenhagen 2021 | You Are Included | 12 August – 22 August | |
28th | 2022 | Belgrade [35] | Belgrade Pride | It's time | 12 September – 18 September [lower-alpha 2] | approx. 10,000 [39] [40] |
29th | 2023 | Valletta | Malta Pride | Equality from the Heart | 7 September – 17 September | over 38,000 [41] |
30th | 2024 | Thessaloniki [42] [43] | Thessaloniki Pride | Persevere - Progress - Prosper | 21 June - 29 June | approx. 27,000 |
31st | 2025 | Lisbon | ILGA Portugal, Variações, rede ex aequo, AMPLOS | 14 June – 21 June | ||
32nd | 2026 | Amsterdam | Pride Amsterdam | 25 July – 8 August | ||
33rd | 2027 | Turin | Torino Pride | 18 June - 16 June |
The European Pride Organisers Association (often shortened to EPOA or EuroPride) owns the EuroPride trademark and licenses its use to one Pride organisation each year.
Pride organisers from across Europe discussed the creation of a European network at conferences of InterPride and the International Lesbian & Gay Association (ILGA) in the early 1990s, and the first formal meeting of EPOA was convened in Copenhagen in 1995.
EPOA is a small organisation with eight elected board members, all of whom serve with Pride organisations in Europe. It has no paid staff, and has its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. The board meets several times each year, often holding a meeting in a city holding its Pride event that weekend.
Any Pride organisation can become a member of EPOA upon payment of a membership fee. This gives the organisation voting rights at the Annual General Meeting, including on votes on future EuroPride bids. Membership to EPOA automatically makes a Pride a member of InterPride, its international equivalent. EPOA has more than 130 members across Europe.
The president of EPOA since October 2023 is Ukrainian human rights activist, Lenny Emson.
A pride parade is an event celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) social and self-acceptance, achievements, legal rights, and pride. The events sometimes also serve as demonstrations for legal rights such as same-sex marriage. Most occur annually throughout the Western world, while some take place every June to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, which was a pivotal moment in modern LGBTQ social movements. The parades seek to create community and honor the history of the movement. In 1970, pride and protest marches were held in Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco around the first anniversary of Stonewall. The events became annual and grew internationally. In 2019, New York and the world celebrated the largest international Pride celebration in history: Stonewall 50 - WorldPride NYC 2019, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, with five million attending in Manhattan alone. Pride parades occur in urban locations worldwide, incl. cities or urban areas in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Israel, Japan, Mexico and the United States.
Stockholm Pride is an annual LGBT pride festival held in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. Since the start in 1998, Stockholm Pride has grown. In 2014, some 60,000 participated and 600,000 followed the parade at the streets.
Christopher Street Day (CSD) is an annual European LGBTQ+ celebration and demonstration held in various cities across Europe for the rights of LGBTQ+ people, and against discrimination and exclusion. It is Germany's and Switzerland's counterpart to Gay Pride or Pride Parades. Austria calls their Pride Parade Rainbow Parade. The most prominent CSD events are Berlin Pride, CSD Hamburg, and CSD Cologne in Germany, and CSD Zürich in Switzerland.
Brighton and Hove Pride is an annual LGBT pride event held in the city of Brighton and Hove, England, organised by Brighton Pride, a community interest company (CIC) which promotes equality and diversity, and advances education to eliminate discrimination against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBTQ) community.
Taiwan Pride is the annual LGBTQ pride parade in Taiwan. The parade was first held in 2003. Although joined by groups from all over the country, the primary location has always been the capital city of Taipei. The parade held in October 2019 attracted more than 200,000 participants, making it the largest gay pride event in East Asia. As of 2019, it is the largest in Asia ahead of Tel Aviv Pride in Israel, which is the largest in the Middle East. Taiwan LGBT Pride Community, the organizer of Taiwan LGBTQ Pride Parade, holds the parade on the last Saturday of October.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in Turkey face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents, though the overall situation is considered to be less repressive when compared to most other Muslim-majority countries.
Pride in London is an annual LGBT pride festival and pride parade held each summer in London, England. The event, which was formerly run by Pride London, is sometimes referred to as London Pride.
Moscow Pride was a demonstration of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people (LGBT). It was intended to take place in May annually since 2006 in the Russian capital Moscow, but has been regularly banned by Moscow City Hall, headed by Mayor Yuri Luzhkov until 2010. The demonstrations in 2006, 2007, and 2008 were all accompanied by homophobic attacks, which was avoided in 2009 by moving the site of the demonstration at the last minute. The organizers of all of the demonstrations were Nikolai Alekseev and the Russian LGBT Human Rights Project Gayrussia.ru. In June 2012, Moscow courts enacted a hundred-year ban on gay pride parades. The European Court of Human Rights has repeatedly ruled that such bans violate freedom of assembly guaranteed by the European Convention of Human Rights.
Baltic Pride is an annual LGBT+ pride parade rotating in turn between the capitals of the Baltic states; Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius. It is held in support of raising issues of tolerance and the rights of the LGBT community and is supported by ILGA-Europe. Since 2009, the main organisers have been Mozaīka, the National LGBT Rights Organization LGL Lithuanian Gay League, and the Estonian LGBT Association.
Manchester Pride is a charity that campaigns for LGBTQ+ equality across the United Kingdom, predominantly in Greater Manchester. The Charity offers dialogue, training, research and policy analysis, advocacy and outreach activities focusing on LGBTQ+ rights.
WorldPride is a series of international LGBT pride events coordinated by InterPride; they are hosted in conjunction with local LGBT pride festivals, with host cities selected via bids voted on during InterPride's annual general meetings. Its core events include opening and closing ceremonies, a pride parade, and an LGBT human rights conference.
London LGBT+ Community Pride is a Community Interest Company that was formed at the end of 2012 to bid for the right to run London's main gay pride festival in the wake of the significantly "scaled back" WorldPride London 2012 event and was awarded the contract on 18 January 2013 by the Mayor of London.
The Paris Pride is a parade and festival held at the end of June each year in Paris, France to celebrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) people and their allies. The parade starts each year at Tour Montparnasse and ends at Place de la Bastille. After the parade the party continues in the gay district Le Marais.
Equality Parade is an LGBT community pride parade held in Warsaw since 2001, usually in May or June. It has attracted at least several thousand attendees each year; 20,000 attendees were reported in 2006, following an official ban in 2004 and 2005. In 2018, there were 45,000 attendees. In 2019, there were 50,000 attendees and then powering up to 80,000 in 2023. It is a member of EPOA and InterPride.
There have been pride parades in South Africa celebrating LGBT pride since 1990. South African pride parades were historically used for political advocacy protesting against legal discrimination against LGBT people, and for the celebration of equality before the law after the apartheid era. They are increasingly used for political advocacy against LGBT hate crimes, such as the so-called corrective rape of lesbians in townships, and to remember victims thereof.
The Hamburg Pride Celebration, usually known as CSD Hamburg, is a parade and festival held at the end of July each year in Hamburg to celebrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) people and their allies, as part of international LGBTQ pride and Christopher Street Day festivities. Since 1980, the event has been held each year. Hamburg Pride is one of the many gay and lesbian organized event in Hamburg. Its aim is to demonstrate for equal rights and equal treatment for LGBT people, as well as celebrate the pride in Gay and Lesbian Culture.
Madrid Pride, popularly known in Spanish as the Orgullo Gay de Madrid or La Noche de Patos and its acronym MADO, is the annual LGBT pride festival hosted at Chueca neighbourhood in the centre of Madrid, during the weekend immediately after June 28, International Day of LGBT Pride.
Vienna Pride is a celebration that takes place in the Austrian capital every year in support of equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) people. It includes the Austrian pride parade, the Rainbow Parade which takes place on the Vienna Ring Road, (Ringstraße), at the end of the festival.
Kristīne Garina is a Latvian activist who was one of the founders of the LGBT organization Mozaīka in Riga and serves as its chairman of the board. She is the current president of the European Pride Organisers Association, the Brussels-based organization which plans events for EuroPride.