Amsterdam Pride 2026 is part of a historic two-week celebration: WorldPride Amsterdam 2026, the first time WorldPride has been co-hosted with Amsterdam Pride. Week one (25 July – 1 August) covers the Amsterdam Pride programme below. Week two (2–8 August) brings the global WorldPride programme, closing with the WorldPride March and Closing Concert on Saturday 8 August. See our WorldPride 2026 page for our guide for the second week.
The festival opens on 25 July with flagship events running simultaneously across the city.
The annual Pride Walk steps off at 11am from Dam Square, marching through the heart of Amsterdam and finishing at Pride Park in Vondelpark by 3pm. This community-first event is organised by Homomonument. It's colourful, emotional, and open to all. This year's pride walk carries extra significance as the opening of WorldPride, with international groups joining from across the globe.
From midday to 10pm, Vondelpark becomes a ten-hour open-air festival. The Vondelpark Open Air Theatre hosts two stages of live music and performance, with the line-up announced closer to the event. Across the park: the Rainbow Market (community stalls, giveaways, and information booths), Sport Pride (boxing, yoga, pilates, cycling, chess tournaments), Junior and Youth Pride areas (drag contests, face-painting, crate-climbing), and Fetish@Pride, a daytime fetish space in the park celebrating leather, BDSM, and latex culture alongside the broader community.
The Canal Parade is Amsterdam Pride's defining moment, a procession of elaborately decorated boats sailing through the city's canals from 12pm to 6pm, with an audience of more than 300,000 spectators lining the banks. The 2026 route runs from Oosterdok through the Nieuwe Herengracht and Amstel, along the Prinsengracht, and out to Westerdok. Boats are decorated by community organisations, corporations, and embassies, and the atmosphere is joyful and emotional in equal measure.
This year's Canal Parade features something entirely new: a WorldPride Stadium built directly on the Prinsengracht between Leidsestraat and Spiegelgracht, with approximately 10,000 seats. The parade boats pass straight through the stadium, described by the organisers as a once-in-a-lifetime experience for both the boats and the audience. The Prinsengracht will be car-free and closed to non-vignette boats for the entire day.
There are two ticket types. Seat Only tickets include a seat in the stadium; food and drinks are available to purchase inside. All Inclusive tickets include a seat, music up to the first boat, and food and drinks. Seat Only: Early Bird €35 · Regular €50 · Late Bird €65. All Inclusive: Early Bird €200 · Regular €250 · Late Bird €275. Discounted tickets and Stadspas tickets are also available. Buy tickets at pride.amsterdam.
Fetish Pride runs a dedicated programme through Pride Week rooted in the principle that radical visibility for the leather, BDSM, latex, uniforms, and pup play communities is non-negotiable within Pride. The programme emerged from close collaboration with Amsterdam's local fetish scene. Events this year include a Fetish Concert with Queer Notes (Sunday 26 July, 11am-1:30pm), a community talk on the history of leather and rubber culture (Monday 27 July, 2pm-10pm), and Shibari bondage demonstrations (Tuesday 28 July, 8pm-10pm). The fetish community is also strongly represented on the Canal Parade boats.
Trans Pride runs a community-driven programme of events throughout the full festival, films, cultural gatherings, wellbeing days, and celebrations organised by and for the trans community. Events are spread across different venues and neighbourhoods, reflecting that trans people are a natural and full part of Amsterdam's urban life. Check the current calendar at pride.amsterdam for the full Trans Pride schedule.
Amsterdam Pride week flows directly into WorldPride week (2–8 August). Museumplein becomes the WorldPride Village (free, daily from midday), there's the Human Rights Conference at Beurs van Berlage (5–7 Aug), ticketed concerts on 4 and 6 August, and the WorldPride March and Closing Concert on Saturday 8 August. See our WorldPride 2026 page for the full week two programme and tickets.
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is one of Europe's best-connected hubs, flights arrive from across the world. The train from Schiphol to Amsterdam Centraal runs every few minutes and takes approximately 15 minutes. From Centraal, trams and the metro reach all parts of the city. The canal ring, Vondelpark, and Museumplein are all best explored on foot or by bike, bicycle rental is available everywhere and cycling is the natural way to move around Amsterdam. Note that large sections of the centre will be car-free on Canal Parade day (Saturday 1 August).
Book well in advance as Amsterdam fills up entirely during Pride Week and canal ring hotels are among the first to go. For the Canal Parade, the Jordaan and canal ring areas put you within walking distance of the parade route and the WorldPride Stadium. Amsterdam's gay nightlife is concentrated on Reguliersdwarsstraat and Warmoesstraat. If you're staying for the WorldPride closing weekend, the Museumplein area in Oud-Zuid is well-positioned for the Closing Concert.
Amsterdam Pride 2026 is part of WorldPride Amsterdam - culminating in the Canal Parade on 1 August 2026 with a 10,000-seat stadium on the Prinsengracht. One of the world's great Pride events, running 25 July to 8 August.
