Many Prides around the world take place in June, timed to coincide with the anniversary of New York’s Stonewall Uprising on June 28, 1969, considered by many to be the beginning of the modern LGBTQ2S+ movement.
But can that be the only reason why June is considered the proudest month? Is it a coincidence that late June is when it’s warm and sunny in much of North American and Europe? Can it really be a big mystery why Toronto, for example, doesn’t hold its Pride festival in February, coinciding with the 1981 bathhouse raids that are considered the turning point in the country’s LGBTQ2S+ movement? (Hint: Toronto’s daily temperature in February is an average of -3C.)
I mean, who wants to shiver while they party and protest?
But not everybody in the world gets their best weather in June, July and August. Those in the Southern Hemisphere often have their warmest months in January, February and March, and there are those lucky queers, often close to the equator, who have warm weather most of the year.
And we who live in more northern, more frigid climates, in search of fall and winter Pride festivals, are lucky to have those places to visit when the temperature at home drops. So set aside the idea that June is Pride Month. Here are some places you can visit for Pride when you need a taste of the rainbow.
October
Las Vegas Pride, Nevada. October 11 and 12, 2024. The people behind one of the world’s few nighttime Pride parades know exactly what they’re doing. The unbearably hot days of the Nevada summer are over, and the evenings bring comfortable temperatures that can almost be called cool. But this is Vegas, so there will be plenty of razzle, dazzle and sexiness on display. On the Friday, there’s a pre-parade show at 6 p.m., before the parade through Downtown Las Vegas at 7 p.m. On Saturday, the main entertainment stage is at 4th Street and Bridger Avenue in Downtown Las Vegas; the programming is family-friendly until 7 p.m. (Read our insider’s guide to Las Vegas here.)
Honolulu Pride, Hawaii. October 19 and 20, 2024. The U.S. state of Hawaii is on the same latitude as the Sahara Desert and Mexico City, but because of the Pacific trade winds, it has a tropical climate with summer (kau) from May to October and winter (hoʻoilo) from November to April. The capital’s Pride parade heads down Kalākaua Avenue at sunset, 4 p.m., allowing the evening breeze to cool off all the parading hotties. The entertainment starts immediately after the parade, at the Tom Moffatt Waikīkī Shell (2805 Monsarrat Ave, Honolulu), with programming continuing over the rest of the weekend. Drag is in no short supply.
Taipei Rainbow Festival, Taiwan. October 25 to 27, 2024. This free weekend-long national event takes place in the square around The Red House (No. 10, Chengdu Rd., Wanhua District, Taipei City), a landmark in Taipei’s gay village, and draws upon the DJs, go-go boys, drag queens and other performers that drive Taipei’s queer scene all year long. The October weather is usually pleasantly warm and drier than other months. The biggest Pride celebration in East Asia, it attracted nearly 180,000 attendees last year.
Johannesburg Pride, South Africa. October 26, 2024. Though picturesque Cape Town gets so much queer attention, South Africa’s biggest city, with a metro population of 6.2 million, has the biggest Pride festival in the country—and in Africa—with more than 20,000 taking part. For its 35th anniversary year, the main events will be held in DP World Wanderers Stadium (Corlett Dr., Illovo, Sandton) with all sorts of entertainment. As part of the organization’s broader Pride of Africa project, there will also be an empowerment summit, a gala fundraiser and a “secret venue” event.
Greater Palm Springs Pride, California. October 31 to November 3, 2024. This California resort town’s first Pride celebration was in 1986—it was a dinner and show called Sizzle that didn’t go over very well. Californians are a tough crowd. The first parade was in 1992, with 35 entries. Now spreading the rainbow across the entire Coachella Valley, it’s a four-day party with 225 parade entries heading along Palm Canyon Drive to Amado on the Sunday, and all sorts of events in the downtown park next to Museum Way and in the Arenas District between Indian Canyon and S. Calle Encilia.
November
Buenos Aires Pride/Marcha de Orgullo, Argentina. November 2, 2024. The timing of Buenos Aires’ Pride celebrations point not only to the lovely late-spring weather but also to the anniversary of the founding of Latin America’s (and Argentina’s) first LGBTQ+ organization, Nuestro Mundo, in the city in 1967. Although politics and history remain important for this festival, remember that this is Latin America—the party is fierce, as are the entertainers on the main stages. The parade and street festival brought out an estimated million people last year.
Maspalomas Winter Pride, Gran Canaria, Spain. November 4 to 10, 2024. The Spanish resort town of Maspalomas, located on Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands, off the coast of Africa, has a special role in European gay life, namely providing a warm super-gay beach escape during the wintertime. Scandinavians, Germans and Brits flock there to get themselves a winter tan. So it’s not surprising that its Winter Pride, which turns 10 this year, is just as popular as Maspalomas’ springtime Pride celebrations. The performer lineup for 2025 includes Cascada, Robin S., Ultra Naté and Drag Race UK alum Danny Beard.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. November 19, 2024. Cariocas seem so laid back, you wonder what would get them wound up. Pride celebrations! Though not as big and famous as São Paulo’s Pride festival, Rio’s is a lot of fun and includes performances and parties as well as protest. It’s often outshone, even for LGBTQ+ people, by Carnaval and Rio’s massive New Year’s celebrations, which involves millions of people partying on Copacabana Beach dressed all in white, but it’s a great opportunity to celebrate with the community. Take note, November is usually the wettest month.
January
Melbourne Midsumma Festival, Australia. January 19 to February 9, 2025. Australia’s second-biggest city does things its own artsy way—Melbourne’s Pride festivities are embedded in a 22-day queer arts and culture festival, with a variety of free and ticketed events. If three weeks of performances, exhibits and parties aren’t enough for you, and you really need to participate in capital-P Pride, the annual parade takes place on February 2, 2025, with an estimated 7,400 marchers proceeding down Fitzroy Street in St. Kilda, watched by more than 45,000 supporters.
February
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Australia. February 14 to March 2, 2025. It’ll have been two years since this antipodean city hosted WorldPride and they’re still buzzed. Of course, the flight Down Under is a long one, so visitors will want their money’s worth. With 100 events across 17 days, there’s literally something for everyone, even those who just want to stand jaw-dropped before all the spectacular costumes and floats in the Mardi Gras parade. There are few Prides with this much dazzle on display.
Aukland Rainbow Parade, New Zealand. February 15, 2025. Sydney is not the only queer beauty Down Under. New Zealand’s largest city, with a metro population of about 1.7 million, also has beaches, a bustling Central Business District and Pride celebrations that will have you smiling and dancing. A Pride-like festival called Hero was the thing through the 1990s; the current organization making things happen was founded in 2013. Unlike the name suggests, Pride is a full-fledged festival, with dozens of parties, shows and exhibitions around the city—some official, some by independent organizers—leading up to parade day.
Mumbai Queer Pride, India. February 2025 TBA. India’s biggest city, with a population of more than 12.5 million, hosts a month of Pride events—circuit, literary, artsy, health-oriented, history-minded—leading up to its annual Pride march. Events are all over the place, from Bandra to Juhu Beach and Colaba. The march itself usually starts in August Kranti Maidan (1, Tejpal Rd., Dadi Sheth Wadi, Tardeo, Mumbai), the park where Mahatma Gandhi launched the Quit India Movement, which led to India’s independence, on August 8, 1942.
March
Cape Town Pride, South Africa. March 2025 TBA. The city that’s home to Africa’s only rainbow crosswalk knows a thing or two about throwing a Pride party. More than 30 years after South Africa decriminalized homosexuality, and almost 20 since it legalized same-gender marriage, the city’s queer community continues to grow and celebrate with a variety of events leading up to parade day. The parade itself usually starts not far from the crosswalk and heads through De Waterkant, Cape Town’s LGBTQ+ hub. Not as big as Johannesburg’s, but the vibe and backdrop make it an amazing experience.
