Pride Amsterdam

Pride Amsterdam is the city's annual LGBTIQ+ festival, organised by Stichting Pride Amsterdam. It started in 1996 and has grown into a nine-day festival, with events across the city ranging from parties and film screenings to sport, debates and culture. The 2027 edition runs from Saturday 31 July to Sunday 8 August 2027.

The best-known event is the Canal Parade, a boat parade through the canals on Saturday 7 August 2027 from 12:00 to 18:00. I amsterdam describes about eighty boats, from small LGBTIQ+ foundations to staff networks of large employers, each decorated around the year's theme. The route runs from Oosterdok via the Nieuwe Herengracht, the Amstel and the Prinsengracht to Westerdok, and you watch it from the quays and bridges along the way. Entry is free.

This edition

The festival opens on Saturday 31 July 2027 with the Pride Walk, which traditionally ends at Pride Park in Vondelpark. The street parties follow on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 August, and a closing party ends the festival. Pride Amsterdam says the 2027 theme and participant regulations will be published in mid-December 2026, and the boats taking part are announced at a kick-off event on Saturday 13 February 2027. Many locations and start points are still to be announced, so check the official events page before you travel.

Amsterdam hosted WorldPride from 25 July to 8 August 2026; this page covers the annual Pride Amsterdam.

• Pride Walk (Saturday 31 July, from 11:00): organised by the Homomonument, it traditionally finishes at Pride Park in Vondelpark. The start location is still to be announced.
• Pride Park (Saturday 31 July, 12:00–22:00): two stages at the Vondelpark Open Air Theatre, the Rainbow Market, Sport Pride and activities from Junior, Youth and Student Pride.
• Open Air Film Festival: two evenings of LGBTIQ+ films on Mercatorplein, with 400 seats and screenings from about 21:00.
• Street parties (Friday 6 and Saturday 7 August, 16:00–23:59): run by Amsterdam's LGBTIQ+ bars and venues; locations to be announced.
• Canal Parade (Saturday 7 August, 12:00–18:00): the boat parade from Oosterdok via the Nieuwe Herengracht, Amstel and Prinsengracht to Westerdok.
• Closing Party: the finale of the festival; Pride Amsterdam says more information will follow.

• Canal belt along the Prinsengracht: you can walk to the Canal Parade route, which is car-free on parade day, and to the Homomonument and Pink Point near the Westerkerk.
• Around the Amstel, Rembrandtplein and Reguliersdwarsstraat: I amsterdam lists these among the city's main LGBTIQ+ areas, close to the Amstel stretch of the parade and the street parties.
• Amsterdam-Oost near Amstel station: Pride Amsterdam suggests walking from Amsterdam Amstel station to Theater Carré, where there is plenty of space to watch the parade.
• Amsterdam-Zuid and around Vondelpark: near Pride Park on the opening Saturday, and metro 52 from Zuid takes you to Vijzelgracht, close to the Prinsengracht, in about 10 minutes.

Fly into Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS). Trains run up to eight times an hour from the station under the terminal to Amsterdam Centraal and take about 17 minutes. The Amsterdam Airport Express bus (397) runs to Museumplein and Leidseplein about every 10 minutes during the day. You can check in and out with a contactless bank card or phone on trains, trams, buses and the metro, so you don't need to buy a ticket in advance.

On Canal Parade day (Saturday 7 August 2027), Pride Amsterdam advises travelling by train to Amsterdam Centraal, or to Amsterdam Amstel and walking to Theater Carré on the Amstel. From Centraal or Zuid, GVB metro 52 (the Noord/Zuidlijn) gets you to Vijzelgracht, a short walk from the Prinsengracht, in about 10 minutes. Expect large crowds and allow extra travel time. In 2026 NS ran more and longer trains on parade day and advised not to wait for the last train home, which is often very busy. Check the NS and GVB journey planners on the day for changes.

Don't drive. The parade route is car-free and parking is banned along it from 00:00 to 23:59 on parade day, and parts of the centre close to traffic. If you have to come by car, park on the edge of the city and continue by tram, bus or metro. Many usual bike parking spots in the centre are restricted during Pride (look for yellow signs), and bikes left there can be removed.

For more on the city, see our Amsterdam guide.

Flight delayed or cancelled on the way? See our Travel Disruption guide for your rights.

The Canal Parade is free to watch from the quays and bridges, and Pride Amsterdam says its main events are free. Pride Park in Vondelpark is also free entry, according to I amsterdam. Some events in the wider programme are run by other organisers and may be ticketed; check each event's page.

Watching from your own boat: you need a Pride Vignette to moor along the route with a boat of up to 10 metres. Sales open on 1 July 2027 at 12:00 through the official Pride Vignette page. Vignettes are personal (one per person, with ID checked on the day) and can't be refunded or resold.

Accessible viewing area: a free entry ticket, by advance registration; the form will be published on the organiser's site.

Sailing in the parade is for organisations, not individual visitors: LGBTIQ+ groups, venues, networks, companies and public bodies can apply from 4 January to 1 February 2027, and the selected boats are announced on 13 February 2027.

Timing: the Canal Parade runs from 12:00 to 18:00, and the quays fill up well before the first boats arrive. Allow extra time for travel and for walking between viewing spots.

Toilets and water: Pride Amsterdam publishes a map of toilets, bins and water points. You may have to walk further or queue for paid toilets. Public urination is banned in Amsterdam and carries a €140 fine.

Food and drink: licensed bars and snack vans along the route sell drinks and food. Under-18s are served only soft drinks and alcohol-free cocktails at Pride events.

Noise and litter: amplified music on moored boats and on the banks along the route has not been allowed since 2019. Use the rubbish bags handed out and the bins along the route.

Photography: the organiser films and photographs its events, and by attending you agree that you may appear in its images.

Pride Amsterdam publishes an accessibility page. It is part of the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower scheme and works with Roze Gebaar, and you can filter the events agenda by sign language interpreter, loud music, strobe lights and accessible toilets.

Canal Parade: a fenced section of quay is set aside for visitors with disabilities and one companion, with accessible toilets and seating as close to the water as possible. Entry is free but you must register in advance; the form will be published on the organiser's site.

Pride Park (Vondelpark): paved paths, accessible toilets, several entrances near public transport and a sign language interpreter for the main-stage speeches.

For questions or help, contact Pride Amsterdam through its contact page. Schiphol, NS and GVB offer travel assistance; see the I amsterdam Schiphol transport guide for links.

The FCDO warns that pickpocketing and bag-snatching are common in central Amsterdam, around Amsterdam Centraal and on trains and trams to and from Schiphol, so keep your bag closed and in front of you in crowds. Anyone aged 14 or over must be able to show ID; British nationals should use their passport.

If you watch from a boat, the Pride Vignette house rules say not to jump into the water or swim, not to throw anything at the parade boats and not to use sound systems. Pride Amsterdam supports the Celebrate Safe campaign, which gives tips on partying safely, including drug-testing options.

• Before you go, read the UK government's FCDO travel advice for the Netherlands (entry requirements, safety and local laws).
• Flight delayed or cancelled on the way? See our Travel Disruption guide for your rights and live alerts.