Top 5 Best Pride Festivals

Love, Liberation and Plenty of Rainbows!

While San Francisco and New York’s Pride Parades have now wrapped up, there looks to be no end to the festivities given the amount of upcoming events across Europe, especially as far as the United Kingdom is concerned. Whether you’re gearing up to attend Brighton’s uber-festival later this month or just have a casual interest in the diverse range of jamborees, be sure to check out our picks for the five most spectacular examples of global LGBTQ communities uniting in celebration!

#5: Christopher Street Day

Held in honor of the Stonewall Riots that took place on New York’s Christopher Street, this annual event takes place in various European cities — particularly in Germany and Switzerland. The most prominent city for CSD however is Berlin, as Berlin Pride has become one of the biggest LGBTQ events not just in Germany, but all of Europe. While the month-long series of festivities provides plenty of opportunities to party, CSD also involves many inspiring speeches, political gatherings, and protests. If you miss out on Berlin Pride, don’t worry, because Berlin is a city with a huge LGBTQ community, and queer events take place all year round.

#4: Pride Toronto

While this particular celebration has historically been a ten-day marathon of love and acceptance, 2017 marks the second year in a row that the Pride Toronto festivities have stretched through all of June under the banner of “Pride Month”. The programming includes several concerts, movie screenings, panels, a number of marches and, of course, a vibrant, showstopping parade on the last day. In 2016, Toronto’s parade made history when Canada’s newly elected Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, marched with everyone, making him the first Canadian Prime Minister to march in a Pride event.

#3: NYC Pride

For those of you who want to feel the powerful history of the LGBTQ communtity, NYC is an absolute must to visit. AAs the home of the Stonewall Riots, NYC is hailed as the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ movements, so much so that several Pride events around the world, including the aforementioned Christopher Street Day Berlin, host their celebrations to coincide with the anniversary of Stonewall. On top of having several events throughout the month, it all comes together for the parade on the last Sunday of June where participants march toward the iconic Stonewall Inn. No wonder it draws a crowd of about two million people.

#2: São Paulo Pride Festival

Welcome to São Paulo, Brazil, home of arguably the biggest Pride Festival in the world. On average, the festival is visited by over two million people, though in 2006, the event set a world record with three million attendees! Since its formation in 1999, the APOGLBT – “Associacao da Parada do Orgulho de Gays, Lésbicas, Bissexuais e Travestis e Transexuais” has worked to make this parade a huge success, earning strong support from the local, state and federal government. Many politicians attend and take part in the festivities to show support to the community, with some often even coming together to ride a float!

#1: San Francisco Pride

Billed as the largest LGBTQ event in the U.S., no one does Pride quite like San Francisco. Then again, when your event is the birthplace of the iconic rainbow flag, you know it’s going to be one full of nonstop celebration. The Sunday morning parade features hundreds of LGBTQ friendly organizations that party down Market Street and take over the city’s Civic Center. While it may only be for a single weekend, that weekend draws an astonishing crowd of over a million open-minded individuals.

Be sure to check out the video below to see our picks for the Top 10 LGBT Anthems.