On Saturday, July 25, the Walk of Pride will gather at Dam Square. From there, the procession moves through downtown toward Vondelpark, where Pride Park marks the finish line. No trucks, no international display. This is the local version: colorful, pedestrians, the city itself as the backdrop.
Gay Monument is organizing the march for the fifteenth time this year. That is no small anniversary. Fifteen years of the same route, the same intention, and yet different each year because the people walking along change. The Gay Monument on Westermarkt Square, the monument that has preserved the memory of LGBTQ+ struggle and solidarity for decades, is behind the organization. That gives the walk a weight beyond a celebratory parade.
The route runs through the heart of the city, along the ring of canals and through the narrow streets of the Center. The exact route is yet to be announced, but the end point is certain: Vondelpark, where Pride Park awaits. Lawn, music, people. After a march through the city, that's exactly what you need.
Fifteen years of the same trajectory, the same intention, and yet different each year because the people who walk along change.
The theme of WorldPride 2026 is UNITY, and that cannot be separated from the reason why the Netherlands is hosting this year: 25 years ago, the world's first legal marriage between two people of the same sex was performed here. That was on April 1, 2001, in the Town Hall on the Amstel River. That milestone colors everything that is happening around Pride this year. As such, this year's Walk of Pride is no ordinary march. It is a commemoration, a celebration and a statement all at the same time, just walking through your own city.