The captivating and energetic capital of Spain, Madrid, hosts the busy Madrid Gay Pride (also known as LGBT Pride) in late June, just after the busy Barcelona Gay Pride, although many pre-Pride events take place earlier, kicking off a next week (full dates are June 29-July 3, 2016). Most of these parties and celebrations take place in the city’s Gay Village, the Chueca district, which is a short walk from the city center. The main day of Gay Pride in Madrid is Saturday, July 2, 2016, it is when the Gay Pride Parade of the city takes place, followed by the Madrid Gay Pride Festival, which takes place in the central Plaza de Colón, from 6:30 pm to night.
Keep in mind that Madrid is only one year away from organizing one of the biggest LGBT events, World Pride 2017: the dates are from June 23 to July 2.
Note that near Barcelona on the Mediterranean, Sitges Gay Pride takes place a couple of weeks before the Madrid event, in mid to late June.
Madrid Gay Resources
Additionally, many gay-popular restaurants, hotels, and shops cater heavily to LGBT visitors during this time. Check out gay resources, such as the GoMadrid.com gay site, the helpful GayMadrid.com site, and Patroc.com’s online guide to Gay Madrid, for details on the local scene. Also take a look at the excellent GLBT site produced by the city’s official tourism organization, Tourism Madrid.
