NYC Pride is the grandmother of love
and equality, with diversity in the DNA of the Big Apple. Yet as
Gotham marks the golden jubilee of the LGBT rights movement and
plays host to WorldPride, its 2019 celebrations are set to be more
flamboyant and more fantastic than ever. It’s estimated that three
million people will partake in a month-long calendar of events that
spans parties, political rallies, street fairs, lectures, family
activities and more. Highlights include PrideFest fair in Greenwich
Village, a rally at The Stonewall Inn on 28 June and, two days
later, the NYC Pride March during which thousands will line the
streets to cheer along more than 80 floats and 350
organisations.

Austria legalised same-sex marriage in January
this year, so there’s extra reason to celebrate as its capital sets
the stage for EuroPride 2019. “Together and Proud” is the theme of
this year’s love-filled fortnight, which is expected to draw over a
million visitors from Europe and beyond. Between beach parties and
hanging out in Wienzeile – the epicentre of Vienna‘s queer scene – you’ll be
able to visit the EuroPride Village and watch the
parade which circles Ringstrasse on 15 June
for free. Don’t miss the official Pride afterparty at The Circus
Club.

When London‘s
first Pride parade was held in 1972, 2,000 people attended; in 2018
more than one million filled the capital’s pavements. Around 60
events – including Pride’s Got Talent, comedy shows and the Pride
in London 10k – will take place ahead of the main
parade on 6 July
that threads through the West End. UK Black Pride takes place the
following day, celebrating queer people of colour. Get your diary
out: the city’s first Transgender Pride Festival has been announced
for September.

Making the most of Tel Aviv‘s liberal nightlife,
thriving arts scene and beach culture, this Pride festival serves as
the Middle East’s biggest gathering of the LGBTQ+ community. Invest
in a TLV19 Pride Pass, which grants holders access to many of the
week’s festivities, and make a beeline for Meir Park for live
music, drag shows and speeches, as well as the kick-off of the main
parade on 8 June. The route ends at the beachfront Charles Clore
Park, where partying goes on well into the small hours.
Temperatures will be around the 30°C mark. Expect to see a lot of
Speedos.

Rivalled only by New York for the crown of biggest Pride parade,
São Paulo is a fiesta of sexual diversity. In fact, Grindr users
have voted its parade the best in the world. Yet as Brazil’s
political climate veers to the right, this year’s carousing feels
somewhat profound. On 23 June the parade – which has previously
attracted some three million people – will start at the Museu de
Arte de São Paulo before tracing the 2.8km Avenida Paulista to the
city’s historic downtown area. Partying go-tos include
“gaybourhoods” Frei Caneca and Largo do Arouche, and The Week
nightclub.

Pride Toronto originated in 1981 in
protest against raids on the city’s gay bathhouses. Today, the
Great White North ranks among the countries most protective of
LGBTQ+ rights. As the Ontario capital raises both the rainbow and
transgender flags on its city hall’s podium roof, the pervailing
attitude of acceptance is reflected in a line up of diverse events,
including a Dyke March, Trans March, a Shabbat dinner, get
togethers in the Royal Ontario Museum and the traditional Pride
parade that snakes through the city to Yonge-Dundas Square. In town
for a wild one? Head to the TreeHouse Party for an all-day rave
featuring drag queens and DJ sets from The Black Madonna – proceeds
go The 519, the city’s LGBTQ+ centre.

With over 200 contingents and exhibitors – think: Dykes on
Bikes, BDSM groups and LGBTQ+ allies – San Francisco hosts one of the
US’s largest Pride celebrations outside New York City.
Debauchery begins on the Friday before the parade, with the
country’s biggest Trans March taking place around Mission Dolores
Park. On the Sunday of the parade many people open their homes in
the The Castro neighbourhood, creating a vibe that’s not dissimilar
to an enormous, rainbow-hued street party. If leather, latex and
kink rank among your turn-ons, postpone your visit until 29
September when the open-air, clothing-optional Folsom Street Fair
takes over SoMa.

Attracting over two million attendees, Madrid Pride – also known as Orgullo
Gay de Madrid (MADO) – is one of Europe’s most
exuberant LGBTQ+ festivals. A week of open-air concerts,
conferences, exhibitions, sporting events and parties include a
high-heel race, a water fight, a Mr Gay España competition and
tours of Chueca – the city’s gay capital. On 6 July the main parade
will work its way from Atocha Station to Plaza de Colón. Hold your
breath for tight-trousered bullfighters and fabulous flamenco
drag.

Held a week after the Lesbisch-Schwules Stadtfest – Europe’s
largest queer street festival held in Nollendorfplatz – Berlin‘s Christopher Street Day has grown
from 450 participants when it began in 1979 to around one million
people. Named after the New York street in which the Stonewall
riots took place, the parade sets off from Ku’damm and ends with a
rally at the Brandenburg Gate, where there’s a variety of musical
performances and talks. Berlin’s diverse nightlife is naturally a
big draw here, but there are plenty of queer-friendly events
happening throughout summer. Gay Night at Zoologischer Garten?
Alpaca my bags.

Street parties, film festivals, athletics, art and
thought-provoking speeches – there’s a rainbow of events during
Pride season in the Dutch capital. It’s small wonder
when you consider the Netherlands’ progressive attitude towards
LGBT rights; same-sex relationships were legalised here in 1811,
more than 150 years before England and Wales. Amsterdam’s USP is
undoubtedly the Canal Parade, taking place on 3 August, during
which around 80 elaborately-decorated vessels carry queens of queer
on a four-mile route from Amstel to Prinsengracht.

2019 marks the 20th anniversary of Pride in Iceland. To celebrate, Hinsegin Dagar – translating as “Queer Days” – will
run for 10 days instead of six, making the most of the country’s
long summer days and midnight sun. Attracting 100,000 people, it’s
small fry on the global Pride stage, but stands out as one of the
country’s most popular events, being attended by nearly a third of
Iceland’s population. Keep your eye on the Hinsegin Dagar website
for a full programme of events.

When it comes to Pride celebrations in the UK, Brighton is unparalleled, having previously pulled in
big names such as Britney Spears, Sister Sledge and Boy George.
This seaside city knows how to throw
a gender-bending party. The all-singing, all-dancing Pride
Community Parade is a carnival of colour – literally, there’s a
50m-long rainbow flag. Preston Park is transformed into a
playground of stages and dance tents as LoveBN1Fest and Pride in
the Park take over – Queen of Pop Kylie will be headlining this
year. Alternatively, head to Kemptown for the Pride Village Party.
It’s as much fun as you can have with your clothes on.

When Pride season ends, head Down Under to keep the party going
at one of the world’s most famous LGBTQ+
festivals. It’s a far cry from the city’s first march in 1978,
which ended in arrests and police brutality. While the parade on 29
February will steal headlines, other attractions include speed
dating events, theatre shows, the Strictly Kaftan Party and Queer
Art After Hours, an evening of DJ sets and art tours led by drag
queens at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.