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LGBTI+ Pride events change lives. They empower people, showing that they are loved, valued, respected and part of a community. EuroPride 2025 takes place
in Lisbon, Portugal from 14-22 June 2025.
For almost thirty years, the European Pride Organisers Association has supported and advocated for the LGBTI+ Pride movement in Europe. Their members are the Pride organisations that organise events throughout the year, and they have 100 member organisations in more than 40 countries. They are working to support Pride organisers in hostile environments, so that EuroPride can be enjoyed each year in different cities throughout the whole of Europe. | |
EuroPride 2025 will take place, for the first time, in the beautiful city of Lisbon. More than a celebration, this event is an important statement of LGBTI+ visibility, unity, and resilience. They have loads of Concerts, Shows, Talks, Art Exhibitions, Cultural and Social Events during a whole week of gay themed activities throughout mid-June. |
Announcing EuroPride in Vienna
Photo: Simon Legner (User:simon04) CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons |
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The singer Melody has an energetic presence and a powerful voice. She represented Spain at the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest although just like the UK
entry sadly she didn't make it into the left hand column, when the results were announced. She is however gearing up to set the EuroPride stage on fire
blending her distinctive brand of Latin pop with flamenco rhythms, so she can deliver a message of strength, authenticity, and Pride.
The EuroPride Stage will be at the heart Praça do Comércio, Lisbon’s iconic riverside square with capacity for 140,000 people. You'll be able to enjoy spectacular concerts, shows, and performances, along with food, drinks, merchandising, arts and crafts. One of the main highlights of the week will be the LGBTI+ march on Saturday 21 June. It starts at Saldanha and parades down the iconic Avenida da Liberdade, ending at Terreiro do Paço (Praça do Comércio). The celebration filled with vibrant colors and messages of love, equality, and pride continues with a night of music and festivities on and around the EuroPride Stage. | |
Host cities of EuroPrideEuroPride is held in a different European city each year. Pride Amsterdam will hold the title of EuroPride in 2026, when they will also stage WorldPride in the city. This follows the convention in which each WorldPride held in Europe - Rome 2000, London 2012, Madrid 2017 and Copenhagen 2021, was also awarded EuroPride status. |
EuroPride in London - Photo: Fæ
CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons |
| Here's a full list of all the cities that have hosted EuroPride since it first began in 1992 in London. And get ready for 2027 when we'll be going to Torino in Italy to enjoy another year of EuroPride. | |
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The History of EuroPridePublic outrage at European integration is certainly nothing new. In the early 1990s the way in which the European Union sought to ease movement of people within its borders became major news. It was a cause of concern to human rights activists, not least those concerned with the repressive regimes faced by LGBTI+ people in many European nations and beyond. | |
Two men kissing in the street during Pride Photo: mediamasmedia |
Organisers of London’s Pride event worried about the way in which LGBTI+ people outside the UK were being discriminated against.
They decided to designate the 1992 Pride event as the first ever "Euro Pride" to try and demonstrate London’s support for LGBTI+ people throughout Europe.
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The summer of 1992 was a time of significant change in Europe. The ink on the Maastricht Treaty was almost dry, paving the way for the foundation of the European Union. Presidents Bush and Yeltsin had declared the Cold War to be over, the break-up of Yugoslavia was underway, and the world’s focus was on the forthcoming Olympic Games in Barcelona. In the LGBTI+ world, the fight against the epidemic of HIV and AIDS was at the forefront of people’s minds, highlighted by the tribute concert for Freddie Mercury that had taken place at Wembley in April. But for a small group of LGBTI+ activists, their efforts were focused on an event that would develop to shape LGBTI+ equality and human rights for many years to come.
More than 100,000 people joined the first EuroPride, with a march through the streets of central London followed by a huge concert in Brockwell Park, south London, headlined by performers including Boy George, Lily Savage and Holly Johnson. Bars from London’s ‘gay scene’ opened their own bars in the Park. HIV and sexual health organisations were present alongside merchandise stalls, LGBTI+ businesses, and a People of Colour tent – a ground-breaking move thirty years ago. | |
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So as we celebrate this Pride month and enjoy yet another EuroPride in Lisbon, take a moment to thank the pioneers of our movement who paved the way for
all the incredible progress of the LGBTI+ movement since. Happy EuroPride!
Find out more about Lisbon as a gay destination in OutUK's OutGoing Feature on Lisbon. |
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The Progress Pride Flag created by Daniel Quasar |
OutUK has several other features which celebrate our Pride including:
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