One of the largest LGBT events in Portugal. The Lisbon Gay Pride (also known as Marcha do Orgulho LGBT) takes place in June each year at Jardim do Principe Real.

This year, Lisbon Pride transforms into EuroPride 2025 with Lisbon chosen as the host city for Europe's largest annual pride event! Lisbon Pride 2025 and EuroPride 2025 are distinct yet interconnected events. Lisbon Pride, also known as the Marcha do Orgulho LGBTI+ de Lisboa, is the city's annual LGBTQ+ celebration. In 2025, Lisbon has the honor of hosting EuroPride, Europe's largest pan-European LGBTQ+ event, which encompasses and expands upon the traditional Lisbon Pride festivities.

Lisbon Pride

Lisbon Pride 2025

The Marcha do Orgulho LGBTQ+ de Lisboa is scheduled for Saturday, June 21, 2025. Lisbon Pride, known locally as "Arraial Lisboa Pride," transforms the Portuguese capital each June into a vibrant celebration centered around the historic Terreiro do Paço square, where colorful crowds gather. What distinguishes Lisbon Pride is its distinctly Portuguese character, incorporating elements of traditional santos populares (popular saints) festivals that occur during the same month, blending political activism with the warm, community-oriented atmosphere of these traditional celebrations. Participants experience a uniquely Lisboeta celebration where fado music might share space with drag performances, where grilled sardines (a June festival staple) are served alongside rainbow flags, and where the city's spectacular riverside setting provides a stunning backdrop.

Lisbon Pride History

Lisbon Pride emerged in the mid-1990s during Portugal's post-dictatorship period, when the country was still reconciling with decades of conservative Salazar-era repression that had severely limited LGBTQ+ visibility and rights. The first marches were small, brave gatherings organized by a handful of activist organizations in a society where homosexuality had only been decriminalized in 1982 and where Catholic influence remained strong.

Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, the celebration grew steadily alongside Portugal's remarkably rapid evolution on LGBTQ+ rights, which culminated in the country becoming one of the world's earliest adopters of marriage equality in 2010 and comprehensive transgender rights legislation in 2018. This relatively swift progress from post-dictatorship conservatism to progressive leadership on LGBTQ+ issues gives Lisbon Pride a unique historical context.

The event has grown from those modest beginnings into one of Southern Europe's most significant Pride celebrations, gaining institutional support from the Lisbon municipality and becoming an important cultural fixture.