Pride parades around the world are a celebration of love and acceptance, and attending them can be a powerful experience for both queer individuals and allies. For queer individuals, attending a Pride parade can be affirming and empowering, providing a sense of community and support. For allies, attending a Pride parade demonstrates solidarity and shows support for the LGBTQ+ community. Pride parades also serve as a powerful reminder of the ongoing fight for equal rights and inclusion, and of the progress that has been made towards achieving those goals.

The diverse and beautiful experience of Pride events across Europe is reflected in testimonials from our pirate community. The range of voices highlights the importance of creating an inclusive and safe community, while also acknowledging the challenges faced by marginalized groups. This serves as a reminder that while Pride events can be joyful and celebratory, we must also stay vigilant and aware of political issues impacting the LGBTQ+ community.

For the next Pirate Diary entries we have interviewed some of our Pirates about their experience in different Pride Parades around Europe.

Levi: “I’ve been to the BP Pride twice, once in 2022 and once in 2021 and it’s not just a huge party, but also standing up for your own values. It really means a lot for someone living in Hungary, to see such an openly queer and supporting crowd on the streets of Budapest. This is my favorite thing, that it takes more courage to openly be who you are in Budapest than in other Western European countries, still a lot of people take the risk of stigmatization and have a good time. The attitude towards anti-pride protesters is to throw kisses and flowers at them.”

Joe: “It was my first time attending the Pride march in Budapest, but I have been to the city itself many times. My favourite thing about Budapest Pride was the community feeling of it all, it’s smaller than the other parades I have been to but it still has the upbeat celebration atmosphere. Also, given that Hungary is unfortunately progressing backwards in terms of LGBTQ+ rights, the parade felt more meaningful as a way of standing up for the rights many people don’t enjoy in the country.”

“I’ve been to Birmingham Pride 4 times now and it’s gotten better every single time. From a personal standpoint, I’ve grown in confidence and found LGBTQ+ friends along the way, so it’s made the whole experience a lot more enjoyable for me. There are amazing drag performances and local legends like Black Peppa: their performance this year was incredible. It’s always very interesting to speak to the older members of our community and hear their stories and struggles about how we got to where we are today.”

Stay tuned for more insights behind the scenes at HolidayPirates Group!