Summer is approaching and with it LGBT+ pride marches! Where to go to them in the Czech Republic and Slovakia? - DYKKA.com
Sunshine, partying, music, dancing, lectures and chilling? Sure, we can find all of that at LGBT+ pride festivals and parades in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Opening discussions and education about issues such as same-sex marriage or gender marking on citizenship certificates is also an important part. We also remember victims of violence and HIV. It is the month of the fight against homophobia. Find out more about the history of prides in our article .
These parades and festivals are currently taking place in several cities and we will introduce them one by one:
Prague Pride : The largest and probably most famous LGBT+ festival in the Czech Republic traditionally takes place in August in Prague and culminates with a parade through the city on the second Sunday of August. The fact that this is a truly magnificent parade is proven by the fact that up to 60,000 people took part in this march in 2022. The history of this festival dates back to 2011, when its first year and the first march through Prague took place, from Republic Square to Střelecký ostrov.
Pilsen Pride : Pilsen, the fourth largest city in the Czech Republic, also has its own pride march. The first year took place here in September 2017, and participants set off on a route from Mlýnská strouha to the former paper mill on the banks of the Radbuza River. Like the Prague one, the Pilsen one also offers an accompanying program in the form of lectures, discussions, HIV testing and much more.
Ostrava PRAJD : You can also go to the LGBT+ festival in Ostrava. It has been taking place here since August 2019, but it is not limited to the last month of school holidays. As stated on its website, the association that organizes this festival holds meetings on various topics throughout the year. Their purpose is to build civic engagement in LGBT+ topics.
Most Pride : The Most festival and pride march are the youngest on the Czech scene. The first year took place only in 2022, but the organizers plan to organize another one. At the first one, visitors could participate not only in the march, but also in speeches by mostly local activists, dating games and musical accompaniment.
Rainbow PRIDE Bratislava : The Bratislava Pride Festival and Parade is the oldest in the Czech-Slovak territory: it has been taking place since 2010. And although it did not take place at all in 2015 (the reason was the campaign for a nationwide referendum on marriage in Slovakia), it returned in full force the following year and it will probably be no different this year.
Rainbow PRIDE Košice : Rainbow events are also held in Košice, the second largest city in Slovakia. According to media reports, only 30 people arrived at the first edition in 2013, but this did not prevent the organizing team from continuing the festival, and in recent years the Košice pride parade has boasted several hundred participants.
PRIDE Banská Bystrica : Banská Bystrica has had its own LGBT+ festival since June 2019. The first year was held there under the name BB PRIDE: Transition to Equality, with a parade from Dolná Street to the Záhrada cultural center. Since then, the festival has been held in Banská Bystrica every year, but we will have to wait for information about this year's one.