Celebrate Copenhagen Pride in 2023

Copenhagen Pride is Denmark’s largest annual Human Rights festival, held every year in August. Copenhagen Pride 2023 will last nine days, just like in 2022, and has the theme Come Together. Lots has been achieved when it comes to rights and equality but there is plenty more to reach for, and with this year's theme a lot more can be gained.

This year, from 12 to 20 August, Copenhagen will again celebrate Pride throughout the city. City Hall Square (Rådhuspladsen) will be transformed into Pride Square, an inclusive and welcoming area with food stalls, bars, two areas for performances and, on the 18^th and 19^th a main stage for Drag Night and the big Pride show concerts. 

Copenhagen Pride consists of various interconnected programmes with a focus on Human Rights, Culture, Pride Art, Youth Nights, Shows and of course the Parade. Not to miss venues, along with Pride Square include the Debate Tent on Regnbuepladsen, a place to go for debates, conversations and quizzes, and Vartov, where you can join in different workshops. And Grand Teatret will screen several LGBTI+ films over the course of Pride.

On Saturday 19 August, the Pride Parade takes over the streets of Copenhagen. The Parade will start at Frederiksberg City Hall, from where thousands of people, who take part in the parade will make their way via Pile Allé, Frederiksberg Allé and Vesterbrogade to City Hall Square. This year, Copenhagen Pride is the first Pride in the world use only 100% electric vehicles during the Parade.

The Danish capital is actually one of the most gay-friendly places in the world. For instance, Denmark was the first country to legalise same-sex relationships, and there is nothing to stop gay and lesbian couples from getting married or adopting children. But there are those, a small but loud group of people, who wish to halt the progress that has been made and even reverse it.

This is why it is so important to Come Together in 2023 and show that those people are the minority. That the hateful and destructive stories from nationalists, the far right, evangelical Christian groups, gender critical and 'anti-woke' movements are incorrect and need to be challenged. Copenhagen Pride sees the need to Come Together and invites all those within the LGBTI+ community and its allies to join their voices.

Copenhagen first organised a Pride in 1996, though smaller pride events were held in Copenhagen from the early 1970s. From 2015 the city also saw Copenhagen Winter Pride, which focuses on getting close to each other indoors, with a programme that offers a wide range of debates, lectures and activities that give the LGBTQIA+ community the opportunity to meet and socialise.