Pride Amsterdam, 6 day festival in early August
Pride Amsterdam runs from 27 July until 4 August 2024
Pride Amsterdam is one of the most popular gay pride celebrations in the world. Thousands come to Amsterdam every year to be part of the magical and colourful celebration that takes place over 6 days and has well over 300 events and activities running across the city.
In 2024 the theme of Pride Amsterdam is Together. “TOGETHER in Pride. For ourselves and for others (quoted from Pride Amsterdam website).
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links to companies and services we trust. If you purchase something after clicking any link, then we will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you (policy page).
Pride Amsterdam is a colourful spectacular celebration that involves the whole city. Various events run through the 6 days including Pride Park, Pride Walk and the famous Canal Parade.
Visiting Pride Amsterdam
When is Pride Amsterdam
Every year it is celebrated at the start of August. In 2024 it starts on 27 July and ends on 4 August 2024.
Getting around
Most of the events are spread out across the city, so although you will know they are happening, they may not affect the day to day travel, other than more people making their way there. So, you will be able to use whichever form of Amsterdam public transport you prefer (or walk or cycle).
There are though main events which are in the centre of the city which are much bigger, so will draw a lot of crowds and may affect public transport provisions. It’s not recommended to travel by car, especially for the Canal Parade. Amsterdam is not a great city for cars anyway, but during the Canal Parade the entire Prisengracht is car free. You are much better coming in by train if outside of Amsterdam, or walking and using the metro if you are staying in Amsterdam.
Main events at Pride Amsterdam
There are a few well known key events during the Amsterdam Pride festival.
Canal Parade
The Canal Parade runs along the Oosterdok, Nieuwe Herengracht, Amstel, Prisengracht and Westerdok canals. Every year entrants submit their boat concepts and only the best 80 are invited to the world-famous parade. This event is one not be missed with visitors lining the canal edges to enjoy the amazing designs of the boats and carnival atmosphere.
The 2024 Canal Parade starts at 12pm at Oosterdok on Saturday 3 August 2024.
Pride Walk
The Pride Walk starts with a demonstration in Dam Square from 11am until 12pm. Then from 12pm the walk takes place until 1pm. The exact route and date has yet to be confirmed, but you can look for updates on the Pride Amsterdam site.
Pride Park
Vondelparc, a beautiful and large park in the museum quarter of Amsterdam (close to Van Gogh Museum) hosts Pride Park. From 12pm until 10pm, the park hosts activities as diverse as open air theatre, sports, arts, Youth Pride, multiple performances and much more. The exact schedule of events and date will be confirmed nearer the time. Pride Park takes place on 27 July 2024.
Closing Party
Hosted at Dam Square, the Pride Amsterdam closing party takes place on 4 August 2024. The event is scheduled to run from 2pm until 11pm.
What else is on during Pride Amsterdam
The main events draw crowds in their thousands, but there are also lots of other events happening throughout the festival and throughout Amsterdam. These include open air cinemas, nightclubs, theatre, photo exhibitions and competitions, music, pride at the beach (Zandvoort), exhibitions, street parties, comedy, and even a canal swim in the Amstel.
You can see a list of all the planned events at the Pride Amsterdam website.
Where to stay in Amsterdam for Pride Amsterdam
Amsterdam is a compact city with an excellent public transport network. It has buses, the famous trams, the canals and a metro (underground/subway). However, you’ll also find a lot of people just like to walk from place to place enjoying the beautiful city or use a bike. Whichever transport you prefer, you’ll find it easy to get around Amsterdam.
The reason we say this is because it does not matter too much where you stay in Amsterdam, as it is easy to get from place to place fairly quickly. If you want to experience more than just the festival then staying in central Amsterdam or in the museum district will put you in the heart of the city near a lot of the biggest attractions.
We have a whole section on where to stay in Amsterdam, along with our hotel recommendations for Amsterdam. You can also use our Amsterdam map which lays out some of the biggest tourist attractions, so you can work out what else you might like to see and enjoy whilst visiting.
