I’d never say no to a pool party. Even if it’s an inflatable pool.
But there’s something special about festivals that take place near the coast or, better yet, right on the beach. There’s the cool sea breeze. There’s the temptation to strip down to Speedos. There’s the opportunity to skinny dip.
Here are 15 gay seaside parties and festivals happening in 2025. If they are not happening right at the waterline, they are happening pretty darn close.
Circuit Festival Asia
May 30 to June 1, 2025
Pattaya, Thailand
Presented by Barcelona-based circuit party masters Matinée Group, along with White Party Bangkok, this is easily one of the biggest and sexiest gay parties in Asia. This year’s four main events feature DJs from all over the world, playing in the colourful and gay-friendly Thai beach town. The legendary Sunday night party is held right on the private beach of Zign Hotel Pattaya (555/65 Moo 5, 12 Naklua Rd., Banglamung, Chonburi, Thailand).
Fire Island Bear Weekend
June 5 to 8, 2025
Fire Island, New York
Held at Cherry’s on the Bay (158 Bayview Walk, Cherry Grove, New York) and other Cherry Grove venues, this fest defines bears pretty broadly—expect a lot of bearded otters. The highlight is the Mister Fire Island Bear contest. The Dworld Underwear Party on Sunday is not part of the festival but is a bonus reason to make the trek by train and ferry.
Lisbon EuroPride 2025
June 14 to 22, 2025
Lisbon, Portugal
The 31st edition of EuroPride—a supersized version of a regular Pride—takes place in Portugal’s coastal capital. Last year’s event, in Thessaloniki, Greece, attracted 27,000 attendees. With DJs, drag entertainers and pop stars like Spain’s Melody, it will be a thrilling pan-European party. Though Lisbon is not exactly on the beach, you can get to the nearby gay nude beach, Beach 19—aka Praia de Bela Vista—easily by public transit.
Palermo Pride
June 16 to 21, 2025
Sicily, Italy
Though not an especially huge Pride festival, Palermo’s got heart, history and easy access to some fantastic Mediterranean beaches. The parade route starts close to the waterfront, then proceeds through the historic centre where an array of performances take place on the main stage. If the beautiful architecture is getting on your nerves, the main beach, Mondello, is a 10-minute drive from the city centre. Those prepared to venture farther out by about 30 minutes, to Barcarello, will find themselves on a gay-friendly, clothing-optional beach.
St. Pete Pride
June 28 and 29, 2025
St. Petersburg, Florida
The home of Florida’s largest Pride, with more than 100,000 attendees, is a quintessential waterfront city. There are large white-sand Gulf of Mexico beaches on the west side, then serene sea walks and parks on Tampa Bay on the east. So after a couple of days of partying in the Grand Central District, which runs along Central Avenue between 16th and 31st streets, catch some rays on the coast of your choice.
Read our insider’s guide to St. Pete’s here.
Marseille Pride
July 3 to 5, 2025
Marseille, France
Though Nice has the more glamorous reputation, France’s second-largest city—and its largest on the Mediterranean—is better at letting its hair down and having a raucously good time. The Saturday parade ends at L’Hôtel de Ville, and it’s there where concerts and performances take place in the city’s port area.
Read our guide to Marseille here.
Bone Island Bear it All Weekend
July 9 to 13, 2025
Key West, Florida
The name of the festival is a naughty gay wink to the name the Spanish gave the Florida Keys, Cayo Hueso. This twice annual nudist event (the other one is held in December) brings together gay men who love to let it all hang out. Though there are usually more than a dozen Bone Island parties, it’s a very relaxed affair.
Beefmince Brighton
July 12, 2025
Brighton, UK
Brighton hosts several seaside editions of popular London events, but this megaparty, for guys who are beefy, bearded and bearish, is special because of the venue, Shelter Hall, right on the beach at the foot of West Street. How gay is Brighton? Its Pride Festival (August 2 and 3, 2025) claims to be the biggest in the U.K.
Pride on the Beach Orgullo en la Playa Manuel Antonio
July 19, 2025
Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
Though it’s the Pride festival in Costa Rica’s capital, San Jose, that brings out the crowds, this one-day party in the country’s most gay-friendly resort area is a more easygoing, sun-kissed affair. After all, the theme for 2025 is “sunglasses.” Wear your wildest pair to fit in.
Sydney Leather Festival
July 17 to 27, 2025
Sydney Australia
This Down Under celebration of the leather, fetish and kink community was founded in 2023, though it’s changed its name a couple of times since then. Most of the events are in the Oxford Street gay village area. Yet visitors should have enough time to slip out to Bondi Beach for some sunbathing or, better yet, the clothing-optional Lady Bay Beach.
Vancouver Pride Festival
July 25 to August 3, 2025
Vancouver, British Columbia
Starting in the Gay Village of Davie Street, the parade heads down to Beach Avenue and Pacific Street, then proceeds along False Creek to the main festival site at Concord Pacific Place. Which is to say that all the natural beauty of this water-everywhere city might distract you from the parade itself. Menagerie, a big-room gay dance party series, usually takes place during Pride.
Barcelona Circuit Festival
August 9 to 17, 2025
Barcelona, Spain
Nobody does spectacularly gay mega parties quite like Matinée Group, which has put on parties in more than 50 countries since it was founded more than 20 years ago. This Circuit Festival itself dates back to 2008. This year there will be 12 parties over nine days, featuring more than 30 DJs from around the world. You’re unlikely to find more shirtless men per square inch anywhere else in the world. The biggest party, the waterpark party, is not at the beach, but you’ll be getting wet one way or another.
Xlsior Mykonos
August 21 to 26, 2025
Mykonos, Greece
This massive circuit party series squeezes a lot of muscly man meat, top promoters and global DJs onto a small beach-encircled Greek island. The result is explosive. With 30,000 attendees, most of whom seem to spend the rest of the year at the gym, there’s a lot of eye candy.
Southern Decadence
August 29 to September 1, 2025
New Orleans, Louisiana
This Nolo Labour Day tradition dates back to the 1970s and occupies a unique place in American gay culture—it’s somewhere between a circuit party, Pride, a coming-out ball and Mardi Gras. Events take place in the French Quarter and at other spots throughout the city, never too far from Lake Pontchartrain.
Malta Gay Pride
September 5 to 14, 2025
Valletta, Malta
Five islands plunked into the middle of the Mediterranean—you don’t get more seaside than Malta. In the last couple of decades the country has gone from somewhat cold to LGBTQ+ culture to being on the vanguard of celebrating queerness. If the sea views from the Pride venues in the capital aren’t up to your standards, hop on board the Navigayt Boat Party.
