January 4, 2022
Spain's 5 Best Pride Events for 2022 - Madrid, Barcelona and More!
READ TIME: 3 MIN.
Looking to get out and see some of the world this Pride season? Spain might just be the place to go this year for a warm, welcoming weekend... or two... or several!
Gay travel bloggers the Nomadic Boys offered their take on five irresistible destinations in a country that the site noted is among the most LGBTQ+-friendly in the world.
"With progressive laws, tolerant citizens, hot gay Spanish boys everywhere, and gorgeous weather, each Pride in Spain is truly, a glorious celebration and we love them all!" the site enthused.
Barcelona
Barcelona easily made the list, being – as Nomadic Boys pointed out – "the birthplace of Pride in Spain," starting with a massive protest in 1977 – only two years after the death of fascist dictator Francisco Franco. Spain's return to democracy brought rapid progress for LGBTQ+ people, with the "crime" of being gay stricken from the books in 1978.
Today, Barcelona is a popular destination for people of all orientations and gender identities, but its Pride celebrations are second to none, "[b]ringing together the local LGBT community, friends and allies alike for a weekend of culture, activities and parties," as Travelgay notes.
Gay revelers love warm seaside places and include a large contingent of night owls who love to explore the after-dark options of whatever city they might find themselves in. Barcelona is all of that and more. As misterb&b points out, "the miles of golden beaches and great gay nightlife are just an added incentive" for travel-loving gays tired of being cooped up.
While details about the city's annual celebrations have yet to be announced, "Barcelona Pride is expected to return to its end of June weekend in 2022," Gay Travel 4u reported.
Ibiza
No such uncertainty surrounds Pride on the Spanish island of Ibiza, located off the coast of the mainland in the Mediterranean. This year's celebrations, according to Patroc Europe Gay Guide, will commence on June 10 through June 18.
While Ibiza wasn't on the Nomadic Boys list, both Sitges (located only 35 kilometers from Barcelona) and the Gran Canaria island city of Maspalomas were. Sitges, which the site noted "generally takes place in early June," missed both 2020 and 2021 due to COVID, but the party is a go for this year, according to Gay Sitges Guide. Pre-pandemic, the party was a ten-day affair; this year, it's slated to run half that long, from June 8-12, but those days will be jam-packed with revelry, including a Pride parade, a seaside Pride village, and a host of parties.
Maspalomas
No details are available as yet for this year's events in Maspalomas – which were scrapped last year, thanks to the pandemic – but Gay Maspalomas.com verified that the party is on for 2022 and specified that this year's events will occur across ten days on the early side of the calendar, from May 5-15.
Madrid
Are we saving the best for last? Maybe so: The Spanish capital city of Madrid landed at the #1 spot on the Nomadic Boys list of Spain's Pride destinations, with the site declaring, "You cannot be a self-respecting gay in this world and not have attended Madrid Pride at least once in your life."
The city's official tourism site agreed. "Madrid is one of the best LGBTQ+ destinations in the world," the site boasts, adding that the city's "annual Pride is a must attend for thousands of people" who travel there from all over the planet.
"The celebrations begin every year on 28 June," the site detailed, adding that while "the majority of activities are held in the Chueca neighborhood, one of Madrid's most cosmopolitan and vibrant areas, Pride is enjoyed across the entire city."
The jewel in the event's crown is the Madrid Pride Parade, which the tourism site called the "largest act of political activism in the LGBTQ+ world" and "the main event" of the annual festivities.
"This march runs every year on the first Saturday in July," the site specified.
¿Habla the international language of fun? If so, a passport, awareness around COVID-safety protocols (which these events will have in place), and your most flattering wardrobe choices are your key ingredients for a frolicsome return to the world... the world of Pride!
