Where Are the World’s Largest Pride Events Held

Where Are the World’s Largest Pride Events Held?

If you’re looking to attend a Pride event, it pays to know where some of the largest ones in the world take place. You might live surprisingly close to one! If you don’t, maybe you could plan a vacation around attending such an event. Below we’ve rounded up the largest Pride events in the world for you to choose from.

 

New York City

 

It’s no surprise that New York City boasts the world’s largest Pride event, seeing as this is where Pride marches got started. The first Pride march was held in New York City on June 28, 1970. It was held on the first anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, in which members of the gay community protested a violent police raid on one of the local gay bars, the Stonewall Inn. 

 

The point was to march a year after the uprising to show the world that the gay community has a right to be who they are without fear of being arrested – to promote equality and acceptance.

 

Some 5 million people attended the New York Pride march in 2019, making this the largest and most well-known Pride event globally.

 

Other Areas with Large Pride Events

 

São Paulo: This diverse city in Brazil has the largest Arab, Italian, Japanese and Portuguese diasporas. It also hosts one of the world’s largest Pride events. Their parade attracts around 4 million attendees.  

 

Madrid: This center of art and culture in Spain holds a Pride festival that attracts about 3.5 million people.

 

San Francisco: This city has always been known as a home of gay activism, with a vocal and supportive gay community. Its Pride parade/festival attracts around 1.7 million attendees.   

 

London: London’s Pride parade had 1.5 million attendees in 2019. In September 2019, the city also hosted the world’s largest Bi Pride celebration. 

 

Cologne: This large city in Germany has a parade that has topped 1.4 million visitors.

 

Toronto: For Canadian people who want to attend a large Pride event, this local festival attracts some 1.2 million people. 

 

Chicago: The Windy City boasts a Pride parade that has grown to attract over a million people. 

 

Berlin: This is another large-scale Pride parade in Germany, attracting about one million people. 

 

Rome: This Pride festival attracts around one million attendees.   

 

Ways to Show Pride

 

Whether you are going to a Pride event or not, there are still plenty of ways to show Pride and support the community.

 

One way some people show Pride is to do their hair a special way for Pride month. Many people adopt gender neutral hairstyles. In fact, 63% of All Things Hair readers stated that traditionally masculine or feminine hairstyles have become more gender neutral. One of the most direct examples is short styles that include some area of buzz cutting. Some people also dye their hair in fun, brightly colored rainbow shades, mirroring the colors of the Pride flag.  

 

You might also consider giving to charities that support LGBTQIA+ activism, as well as showing Pride support on social media.