If you’re visiting Madrid from Friday, June 23rd to Sunday, July 2nd, 2023, you’ll find a welcoming and colorful city. The great Gay Pride Festival attracts thousands of LGBTIQ travelers from all over the world and is one of the most enjoyable events in the capital. The number of attendees grows every year and not only of those from the gay community! It’s a mega-event that defends the freedom of sexual orientation, respect, and equality. Madrid fully supports its most activist festivity, are you joining us?
Credit: Onanymous en Wikimedia
GAY PRIDE MADRID 2023 EVENTS PROGRAM
The events are held in the Chueca neighborhood and in some of the main streets of Madrid. Music, dance, theater, and plastic arts are the driving force during these ten days.
June 28th – Pride Festival Opening
Although there is a festive atmosphere during the previous days, this is the official kick-off of the festivities.
June 29st – High Heels Race
One of the star events of the World Pride. The participants are dressed to their liking (with sports clothes or fancy dresses) but the heels are mandatory, and some of them have heels of up to 15 centimeters!
June 30st – 16st Edition Mr Gay Spain
The most important gay beauty contest in Spain.
July 1st – Pride Parade
July 2nd – Closing Ceremony
MAIN STAGES
Write down the name of these five squares, where a wide musical and cultural program will be staged:
- Plaza del Rey (Chueca)
- Plaza Pedro Zerolo (Chueca)
- Plaza de España
- Puerta del Sol
- Plaza de Colón
Credit: Ted Eytan
DEMONSTRATION AND REINVINDICATIONS
The LGBTIQ community has achieved many of the rights it has fought for. Spain has gone from being a repressive country to one that champions the cause. But there is still much to fight for, and therefore a demonstration is also being held this year.
The “demo-party” of this year promises to be as memorable as the previous ones: full of color, music, joy, glitter and protest banners. The parade starts in Atocha and finishes in Colon, where there will be a stage. There, the manifesto of the demonstration will be read, and there will also be musical performances to entertain attendees waiting for the floats.
The parade starts at 5:30 p.m. and the first to march will be the representatives of the organizations COGAM (Collective of Lesbians, Gays, Transsexuals, and Bisexuals of Madrid) and FELGTB (State Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Transsexuals, and Bisexuals). Later, it’s the turn of other non-LGBT institutions that collaborate and support these communities. This most vindictive part of the demonstration will run until 7:30 p.m.
But from 8:15 p.m. the floats start to appear in a parade of music and color. The last one will leave at 10:45 p.m. and it will be arriving in Cibeles at 12:30 a.m. The first floats belong to institutions and collectives and following these will be the floats of companies committed to the cause. It’s worth going to see them!
Credit: Brocco
BASIC TIPS FOR WORLD GAY PRIDE MADRID
- Accommodation: The city is hyper-busy these days, prices for Airbnbs skyrocket and downtown hotels have almost all beds sold. Do not wait any longer and book in or Cats Hostel Madrid as soon as possible. The best option for groups is a shared room in a hostel. And we mean of course, in Cats Hostels! Have you already checked out our availability?
- Transport: The metro usually runs until 1:30 a.m., but due to the celebration, it extends its schedule until 2:30 a.m. In any case, we recommend you move on foot! Not only because you’ll avoid agglomerations and the underground heat in summer, but because everything is really close. Even if you’re going to different areas, they’re better traveled by foot than by metro. For instance, the Puerta del Sol stop is lines 1, 2, and 3, and Chueca is line 5.
- Demonstration: Our advice is that you show up early and that you watch it from the Atocha area (Cats Hostel Madrid Sol and Cats Hostel Madrid Lavapies are very close if you’re staying with us!) Why? Because most people go to Gran Via area, and those streets are very close to Chueca neighborhood and are very crowded. From Atocha, you’ll be more comfortable, and with more space to walk and take pictures!
We can say that Madrid is more activist than ever, so we know that this year the World Pride celebration will be very exciting. Enjoy the city atmosphere, the open-bars on the street, the buildings decorated with multicolored flags, the shops with special offers, the original outfits, and all the friends you’ll make along the way!
Oh! And if you’re wondering what the best gay clubs in Madrid are, don’t miss our recommendations!