Grab Your Rainbow Flag: 5 Fabulous Destinations To Sashay Away To

Pride week is coming to Amsterdam in the first week of August. The Amsterdam Canal Pride will turn the city pink and glittery. To celebrate love and diversity all over the globe, we dived into a few LGTBQI+-friendly destinations. We have selected some fabulous things for you to do and see in five wonderful cities. So? What are you waiting for? Pack your bag, grab your flag, and go!

São Paulo

São Paulo is one of the most gay-friendly cities in Latin America. *Tongue pop*

  • Explore Frei Caneca, also known as “Gay Caneca”, the LGBTQI+-friendly section of the Consolação neighbourhood, with a great shopping mall. Largo do Arouche is another gaybourhood to enjoy.
  • While you’re there, visit O Gato, one of the original gay bars of the Frei Caneca strip.
  • Dance the night away in gay clubs like A Lôca, especially on Thursdays, visit Blue Space for the best drag shows and don’t miss The Week Club.
  • In June, Pride takes over the city, with São Paulo’s Pride Parade as its highlight. It’s one of the biggest and best parades in the world!

Sao Paulo

Washington DC

Perhaps not the Gay Capital of America, but this city has got some cool events and places we have to share with you. Come on Washington DC, let’s get sickening!

  • Every Tuesday preceding Halloween is the annual 17th Street High Heel Drag race. A hundred or so Drag Queens will show off their outfits whilst racing down the street. How fierce!
  • Across the Potomac River, in Arlington, the Signature Theatre hosts Pride Nights. On select Friday nights the Signature stages a number of cutting-edge performances that you’ll want to see!
  • Sports fan? You can’t miss the Night OUT series. Team DC hosts several LGBTQI+ community events at several Washington sports clubs. For instance the Washington Wizards, DC United, and Washington Capitals.
  • The city is also serious about their Pride celebrations! In May it celebrates DC Black Pride and Capital Trans Pride, in June you can go there for the Capital Pride. And in July there’s Youth Pride! So no more excuses! Get your cucu to DC!

Washington pride

Curacao

This island may be small, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be bored. Come through Curacao!  

  • If Amsterdam Pride didn’t last long enough for your taste, Curacao hosts its own Pride each year in September. Curacao Pride lasts for five days and there are plenty of parties and get-togethers during those days where you can show your pride for your community.
  • Each week, there’s a LGBTQIAP happy hour at the Floris Suite Hotel. If you’re more into voguing the night away, the hotel also regularly hosts parties.
  • Not only does Curacao have its own Curacao Pride, it also annually hosts the Miss Gay Curacao Competition and the Curacao Drag Show Competition serving some charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent!
  • Also something to look forward to: the Curacao Carnival. One of the largest and longest Carnival spectacles in the Caribbean. You don’t want to miss it!

Carnaval Curacao Parade

Chicago

Chicago has hosted over 50 Pride Parades so far. Time to experience one yourself!

  • Chicago has a vibrant gay bar scene! Boystown, the first LGBT neighbourhood of America in East Lakeview, is full of bars to fit every interest. Try Sidetrack, Progress Bar or Elixer Lounge.
  • Millennium Park is an outdoor marvel. Check out the “Bean.” We know you want that selfie in the mirror!
  • Chicago is full of great museums. Explore the Art Institute with its Modern Wing or the Chicago History Museum.
  • Also worth visiting: the annual installation ceremony for new members of the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame doesn’t have a physical facility, but does exhibit at several museums in Chicago.
  • Honouring more than 25 icons, the Chicago Legacy Walk is something to remember. Not to be confused with the Hall of Fame, the Legacy Walk wants to be more about using national figures to pass along culture and history.

Chicago Bean

San Francisco

We can’t leave out good old San Francisco, the Gay Capital of America!

  • You cannot miss the Castro neighbourhood, the heart of San Francisco’s gay community. Learn more about gay rights movement in the GLBT History Museum, enjoy a lovely movie in the Castro Theatre or have a naughty, sprinkled cookie at Hot Cookie!
  • The city has been voted LGBTQI “Marriage Mecca”. So maybe pack some golden rings too?
  • It’s an oasis for drag clubs! Trannyshack, Sunday’s a Drag or the actual Oasis, it’s time to lip-sync for your life.
  • At midnight, sing your heart out and throw your popcorn at the live shadow-cast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, for example in the Clay Theatre. Let’s doooo the time warp agaaaain!
  • The day before Pride, get loose at Pink Saturday, one of the year’s biggest public parties!

San Francisco Castro

Looking for some European realness instead?

June is America’s pride month, but if you want to join a protest, educate yourself and/or celebrate some more, Europe still has a lot of pride weeks on offer for you!

  • Berlin & Belfast Baby! Join the pride celebrations in July.
  • Lots of choices in August: Prague, Hamburg, Stockholm, and of course Amsterdam!
  • Bask in the open mentality of the Danish people in Copenhagen, also in August!
  • Belgrade, EuroPride host 2022, celebrates Pride in September!

Always a good idea:

  • Visit the ‘Rainbow parade’ in Vienna!
  • Vamos a España and enjoy Valencia’s culinary highlights. Also try the Aqua de Valencia cocktail. Lovely.
  • Want to see a show at Fashion Week? With four Fashion Weeks a year, Milano is your place to go!
  • London is always a great idea!
  • Read our blog about 5 fab European city trips!

Inspired? We’ll start our engines and see you on board! 

XOXO Anne-Linde & Renée

Posted by:   Renée Penris  | 
Join the conversation Show comments

Elsje Vreugdenhil

I’m sorry to see KLM getting involved in politics. Your business is to provide travel for everyone, and not to promote one lifestyle over another. Do you warn your customers about the dangers of the lifestyle you are promoting? May God have mercy on you.

Jacob Kroon

Your reply is worthless. This has nothing to do with politics. This has to do with people that live a life like you do, and everyone can decide how to live. Being LGBTQ+ is not a “lifestyle”. We are born this way baby! You are promoting your ideas here right now, which is the same.
Thank you KLM for including everyone! And thanks to all the wonderful LGBTQ+ people that make KLM such a wonderfull company! Can’t wait to fly to San Francisco in beautiful sky blue again!!

Gerard

Wow.
Elsje Vreugdenhil, feel free to join the Amsterdam Pride coming saturday, to exchange thougts. Although you should be warned about the danger of falling in love with the gay community.
Peace out, ✌

Jeremy

Oh Elsje – what a shame to read such a reply. I always thought that the Netherlands was a country where liberal and tolerant values were the core of the politics. I think you are completely missing the point as far as promoting lifestyles go.
Should KLM also warn about the dangers of flying, of getting to/from the airport? Maybe they should also warn of some of the intolerant people that apparently still exist in the Netherlands?
As Gerard writes, perhaps it would be good for you to join the gay pride this week (yes, it’s not only about the parade) and weekend – and find out what’s really about!

Tim

During uncertain times like these, it’s an absolute blessing to see companies speak out with a message of love and acceptance, Elsje. Shame you can’t do the same. It’s a pity that your apparant religion and ‘God’ are preventing you from being a truly loving individual that treats other with respect. Plus how could you be bitter about such a great deal on plane tickets?

EMUAKPEJEKESSENA

HI LOVE EMUAKPEJEKESSENA KLM

Ozgur

Love klm

B.J. Zonneveld

Hallo
Nu de KLM reclame maakt voor meerdere Pride events zouden de LHBTI werknemers onder de KLM vag mee kunnen doen aan bv de Pride at the Beach parade volgend jaar in Zandvoort

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