The LGTB population is huge
The local government of Madrid estimates the LGBT+ population to be around 500,000. This city and its surroundings has a population just over 5 million. This accounts for about 10% of the entire region. With numbers this large the community simply doesn’t go unnoticed. And beyond the large population, people are not shy to be themselves and be visible in the community. It’s common to see rainbow flags outside of just the gay neighborhood and see LGBT couples and friends all throughout the city expressing themselves without any sense of fear or shame.
Madrid’s Pride is Among the Biggest and Best in the World
Madrid has held its annual gay pride march and celebration now for 40 years and 2017 marks a milestone. Madrid will host the official 2017 World Pride from June 23rd to July 2nd and this event is expected to draw crowds from around the world. As a way to unite the global pride movement, World Pride has now been hosted for more than a decade in various cities around the World including Rome, Jerusalem, London, Toronto and now Madrid. Madrid Pride is already a great experience attracting more than 1.5 million attendees annually. It’s the largest pride event in Europe and the 2nd in the world. The experience is one of a kind and it has the full energy of the entire city behind it. WorldPride is on track to be bigger and better than ever and the city is expecting upwards of 3 million LGBTQA+ people to attend the 10-day event. The pride parade itself is of course the highlight and it’s not just for watching, you can even join in yourself. Simply find your favorite truck playing the best music and take up a spot behind and walk, march or dance your way to the finish.
LGBT Rights and Protections
Spain is known worldwide for being a progressive country and LGBT residents have had many important rights and protections since the early 90’s. Just 10 years before, Spain was recovering from decades of a repressive government under Franco, the dictator that lead the country since the end of Spanish Civil war. But after Franco’s death, Spain changed tremendously in a short period, likely as a result of the repression. Hate crimes and non-discrimination laws have also been on the books since the 90’s. Indeed, Spain was the third country in the world to offer full marriage equality in 2005. There is of course still work to be done but given Spain and Madrid’s history and the its leadership of LGBT equality, it’s still recognized for its great accomplishments for its LGBT citizens.
Annual Events Beyond The Pride
Madrid hosts a variety of LGBT events throughout the year beyond just gay pride in summer. Yes the pride is the largest gay gathering, but you’ll find smaller things happening in spring, summer, fall and winter. For parties, you’ll find the WE Festival twice a year during New Years and gay pride week when thousands of gays visit to partake in a week-long of dance parties hosted by the WE Group, one of Spain’s top organizers of gay parties. Events with a different flare include GayDays Madrid, a LGBT day at the local amusement park in September, the LGBT film festival Lesgaicinemad in November or MadBear, the annual celebration for bears and admirers held in December.
Tons of LGBT Specific Venues
You’ll find more than 200 LGBT specific venues in Madrid including bars, clubs, shops, saunas, hotels and more to keep you busy and entertained throughout your visit. Bars, clubs and saunas are found throughout the city. Nevertheless, most of gay shops, cafes and restaurants are located in and around Chueca. Favorite bars include La Kama, Cazador or LL Bar for drag shows. Popular clubs include Boite, Delirio, Kluster, Baila Cariño and Bearbie. And popular cafes and restaurants are Mama Ines, Café Oliver or Carmencita. Head to Madrid in the summer and you’ll find the gays take over two public swimming pools. One is located at Metro Lago in Casa de Campo and the other is part of the local University Compultense.
Have we convinced you yet why Madrid is the best gay destination in Europe?
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