Our own Marcus Hunt gives the low down on the top places to celebrate Gay Pride in Europe/the Med this summer
Sitges
Kicking off the pride season on 11th June, the picturesque town of Sitges just outside Barcelona hosts a riotous Pride celebration each year right on the beach. With a huge parade that can’t be missed, you can upgrade to a VIP ticket to have a perfect view of the colourful floats, amazing costumes and sun-kissed bodies. Sitges is easily reachable by train or by transfer from Barcelona airport.
Tel Aviv
This is the same weekend as Sitges so unfortunately you’ll have to choose between the two! Tel Aviv is an extremely liberal city and its world famous Pride weekend is the biggest in the Middle East. Head to the Hilton Gay Beach to get some sun before mixing with one of the friendliest Pride crowds at one of the huge parties where famous Israeli DJ, Offer Nissim, is sure to make an appearance. And if you’re looking to make the most of your first trip to Israel, our package includes tours to Jerusalem, the ancient fortified city of Masada, and the Dead Sea, one of the only seas in which you can float.
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Berlin
Berlin’s Christopher Street Day (CSD) is held to commemorate the Stonewall Riots which occurred on this street in New York in the 1970’s, symbolising the start of the worldwide LGBT rights movement. Up to half a million people will turn out on the streets of Germany’s most liberal city to both celebrate how far we’ve come, and to fight for the rights of those members of the international LGBT community who aren’t so lucky.
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Madrid
This year will be World Pride so one of the biggest around the globe. There is a huge calendar of cultural and political events over a two week period, culminating with the huge World Pride Parade on Saturday 1st July, where over two million people are expected to march and celebrate. Join our package where you will enjoy a walking tour of Madrid’s famous gay district, Chueca, as well as a sightseeing tour of all Madrid’s must-see attractions such as the beautiful Plaza Major, the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) and the Palacio de Cibeles, now home to the Madrid City Council, which will proudly be hanging its rainbow flags to celebrate this city’s diverse LGBT population. No trip to Madrid Pride would be complete without experiencing Spain’s biggest clubbing name, the famous We Party, with the not-to-be-missed event being Saturday night at the colossal Fabrik club. We’d recommend staying in a hotel near the centre of the action on Gran Via.
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Barcelona
Taking place just the weekend after Madrid, you could easily combine both these two prides in an epic ‘Spanish Prides’ holiday. Barcelona’s long-standing LGBT community comes out in force to celebrate its diversity with a huge parade from Praca Espanya to Passeig de Colom on Saturday 8th July. The drag queen high heel race is not to be missed! Barcelona is a fantastic beach city destination in itself so if you, can make a week of it – you can do a tour of Gaudi’s famous modernist architecture, stroll around the gay Eixample district or just relax and soak up the sun on Barceloneta beach.
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Out Of Office have a wide range of partner gay-friendly hotels in each city, so whether you’re looking to go for all out luxury or something a bit more economical, one of our travel concierge team will be able to put a tailor-made Pride itinerary together for you.
