The best Pride celebrations in Europe, from DJs and drag queens in Lisbon to street parties in Stockholm

Independent

a day ago

With Pride season fast approaching, you might be wondering where to head to for sequins, sunshine and serious fun this summer. Expedia's Summer Travel Outlook survey recently revealed that 54 per cent of LGBT+ Brits plan to attend a Pride event this year. For city breaks, the travel booking site found that Amsterdam, Paris and Barcelona were the most sought-after destinations, while London, Brighton and Manchester were considered the most LGBT+ welcoming in the UK by those surveyed.
So, where are the best parties, celebrations and events taking place in Europe? From Berlin to Brighton, these cities are proudly wearing the rainbow flag this summer. So if you plan to party hard this Pride season, choose one (or more) of these headline events.
Lisbon
When: 21 June 2025
Unlike Madrid, Berlin and other Prides with huge international followings, the Portuguese capital's Arraial Lisboa Pride flies under the queer radar; but that's set to change with it being upgraded to this year's EuroPride (the continent's highest-profile Pride event).
Even with this boost in its fortunes, Lisbon Pride remains on the smaller side. The advantage is that, unlike better-known Prides that sprawl across their host cities, Lisbon keeps things convenient and compact. The focus falls squarely on waterfront Praça do Comércio, which stages an open-air party that's plenty of fun without being chaotic: all the DJs and drag queens you might expect, but balanced with laid-back Lisbon flair.
Later, head up to the Bairro Alto neighbourhood for the afterparty; then retreat to the adjoining Principle Real to bed down at The Vintage: a boutique hotel whose rooftop bar is a great place to unwind with post-party cocktails.
Madrid
When: 6 July 2025
If you subscribe to the mantra 'go big or go home', Madrid Pride (Orgullo Madrid) is for you. Held each year in early July, this is Europe's largest Pride event, drawing upwards of two million revellers to the Spanish capital. Perhaps that's no surprise – after all, Spain is one of the continent's most LGBT+-friendly travel destinations – but there's a sizzling sense of energy that makes Madrid Pride unique.
The week-long event takes over the city centre with concerts, cultural happenings and sideshows such as the High Heel Race, culminating with a massive parade (and an even larger afterparty). The Chueca gaybourhood is the celebration's beating heart, so do yourself a favour and stay as close to the action as possible.
Choose Axel Hotel Madrid (the Axel chain was created specifically for the LGBTQ+ community) for its rooftop swimming pool and speakeasy-style basement bar.
Berlin
When: 26 July, 2025
Though smaller, Berlin's Pride (or CSD, which stands for Christopher Street Day) is in some ways even wilder, as you might expect from a city where all-night parties are a way of life. The event is a powerful mix of parade, demonstration and celebration, where the festive atmosphere is rooted in activism and calls for safety, acceptance and equal rights.
Staged each July, CSD attracts hundreds of thousands of people from across the queer spectrum, making it one of the calendar's most diverse Pride events, and, given that this is a country where nudity is second nature, pretty much anything goes in terms of what to wear.
As for where to stay, choose one of the 30-odd hotels that subscribe to Visit Berlin's Pink Pillows initiative and are particularly sensitive to LGBT+ guests' needs. Hotel Oderberger in the lively Prenzlauer Berg district is an excellent option.
Brighton
When: 2 August 2025
Beachy vibes meet big-name acts at Brighton Pride, which is Britain's biggest, best and brightest LGBT+ event. This year's headliner, Mariah Carey, follows international icons such as Christine Aguilera, Britney Spears and the queen of pop herself, Kylie, all of whom have previously graced the post-parade festival's main stage. Held in the city's Preston Park (where the Pride parade terminates), this year's iteration is a two-day event that promises cabaret and funfair rides as well as credible live music. Brighton Pride is something you need to plan ahead for, though; the Preston Park festival and the Pride Village street party that follows it in Kemptown (the LGBT+ neighbourhood) are ticketed events, and accommodation books up well in advance.
Try The Willows Hotel, a cute and colourful, 14-room boutique option in Kemptown, within stumbling distance of both the party and Brighton's shingle beach.
Amsterdam
When: 2 August 2025
Rather than having its colourful Pride parade take to the city streets, Amsterdam makes use of its greatest asset: its central ring of canals. Lined by elegant Golden Age townhouses that date from the 1700s, these scenic waterways stage a colourful, floating carnival every August. Huge crowds gather along its route; get there early to stake out a decent spot on a bridge or along the water's edge, or go one better and rent a boat from which to watch the parade pass by.
Although Pride itself stretches over a week of street parties, movie screenings and other LGBT+ events, the Canal Parade is its absolute highlight (well, that and the various afterparties, such as the legendary Rapido).
For a real treat, book a canal-facing room at luxurious Pulitzer Amsterdam and watch the parade as it passes down Prinsengracht from your elevated viewpoint, well above the crowds.
Manchester
When: 23 August 2025
In Manchester, the August Bank Holiday weekend wears a rainbow flag. Britain's northern powerhouse doesn't do things by half at the best of times, and its Pride festivities are no exception. Expanding way beyond the city's Gay Village for the whole weekend, it's loud, proud and friendly in that chipper northern way, but there's a serious side too, as attested by the candlelit vigil in Sackville Gardens to commemorate those who lost their lives to HIV/AIDS.
Much more lighthearted is the revelry on Canal Street, at the heart of the Gay Village, where bars spill outside onto the street and there are live acts, cabaret and even a silent disco. Head beyond here to the edgier Northern Quarter for its alternative, pop-up events, after which you can crash at Native Manchester, whose Ducie Street Warehouse location serves excellent coffee and brunch on the ground floor: the perfect hangover remedy.
Stockholm
When: 2 August 2025
With upwards of 30 Pride parades taking place across the calendar (including iterations in Gothenburg, Malmö and even up in Lapland for the Sami community), super-liberal Sweden tips the scales when it comes to LGBT+ celebrations. Stockholm's is the biggest of them all (indeed, it's the largest in Scandinavia) and draws some 50,000 supporters to its parade and colourful Pride Park festival, all packed with creativity, community spirit and an ABBA-heavy soundtrack.
For a deeper experience, Pride House offers a chance to exchange experiences and talk about issues and challenges for the LGBT+ community via workshops, debates and discussions with notable authors. Beyond it all is the sheer magic of enjoying Stockholm during its long summer days, when the waterfront and architecture of Gamla Stan (the historic district) are at their best.
Add extra 'hello, sailor' vibes to your visit by staying at Victory Hotel, a nautical-themed boutique property in Gamla Stan.
Prague
When: 2 August 2025
With Russia's well-known anti-LGBTQ+ approach mirrored by Hungary (which recently enacted a law that has effectively banned Pride gatherings), the situation for Eastern Europe's LGBT+ communities is far less secure than in the West, all of which makes Prague Pride so vital. Since its inception in 2011, the region's leading Pride event has grown to become an essential voice for tolerance, change, acceptance and inclusion.
As well as being a Pride with a purpose, the event appeals because of the scenery: the parade takes in cobbled streets amongst baroque facades, in the shadow of Prague Castle. Sure, the event may not have the stature of western Europe's big-hitters, but its appeal lies in its defiance: this is a union of partying and progress in a region where LGBT+ rights are evolving, which is very much in the spirit of how the Pride movement began.
Stay centrally (close to Wenceslas Square) at Falkensteiner Hotel Prague.