Europride 2023 in Malta, in 2022 in Belgrad

Malta Pride prevailed at the beginning of October with 54% against competitors from South Holland (Rotterdam) and Northern Ireland (Belfast). The pan-European CSD will therefore take place in Valletta in 2023, the capital of the smallest and most LGBTI-friendly EU country. The application from Allied Rainbow Communities and Malta Pride was awarded the contract.

The pan-European Pride event has been held every year in a different European city since 1992. From June to August, the international LGBTQI community celebrates the queer colorful lifestyle, diversity and tolerance with numerous artistic events, music performances and human rights conferences. The conclusion is a colorful parade through the streets of the city.

I warmly congratulate Malta Pride on winning this tender. An application that has emphasized diversity and human rights in particular and has focused on refugees, migrants and other points that are important to the LGBTI community, said Kristine Garina, President of the EuroPride Organizing Committee. “I am looking forward to visiting Malta in three years,” Garina continues.

Furthermore, the European umbrella organization European Pride Organisers Association (EPOA) has determined that the event cancelled this year due to the corona pandemic will be made up for in Thessaloniki (Greece) in 2024. In the years in which the WorldPride is organized in Europe, a separate EuroPride is dispensed with. In 2021, the WorldPride took place in the Danish capital Copenhagen, together with neighboring Malmö in southern Sweden. In 2022, the EuroPride will take place in Belgrade, Serbia.

Back to Malta

Malta looks back on more than 7,000 years of history, yet – or precisely because of this – the small island state always has an eye on the future. In recent years, LGBT issues have gained high cultural acceptance in all areas of society: Malta is the first European country in which the ban on discrimination against people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is constitutionally anchored. In 2014, the registered civil partnership including the right of adoption was introduced. The government continues to work on legal and social improvements for transsexuals and transgender people. Thanks to these developments, Malta has increasingly established itself as a trendy gay-lesbian holiday destination. Thanks to the new winter flight schedule, the LGBT-friendly travel destination is even more accessible in winter: Air Malta flies directly from Vienna six times a week.

Further useful tips on Malta can be found in the corresponding travel guide of the Malta Tourist Office: www.queer.de/docs/lgbt-reiseguide-malta.pdf. Further information on the gay scene in Malta and Gozo can be found at www.gaymalta.com and at gayguidemalta.com.