The first WorldPride in the Southern Hemisphere

WorldPride celebrates and advocates for the LGBTQIA+ community across the globe through a range of parades, festivals and other cultural activities.

WorldPride is an international event that celebrates and promotes the rights of LGBTQIA+ individuals.

The first WorldPride was held in Rome in 2000. Organisers posit that the event attracted approximately 250,000 people in a march to the Colosseum and the Circus Maximus, two world-renowned ancient sites in the city. They reported that this was one of the largest public gatherings in the city for decades. Alongside the Parade, the Festival included a range of activities and celebrations such as a fashion show, conferences, and leather dance.1

Each instalment of WorldPride has been held at a different location, representing an opportunity to highlight the diverse global LGBTQIA+ community.

Licensed by the international organisation InterPride and hosted by a country-specific member organisation, WorldPride presents an opportunity for potential host cities to bid to host upcoming WorldPride instalments.

The previous and upcoming WorldPride celebrations are presented below (Figure 1).

In 2021 and for the first time in its history, WorldPride was held in two locations, Copenhagen (Denmark) and Malmo (Sweden).

It coincided with the EuroGames and other activities held in the area. The event was held on two key LGBTQIA+ anniversaries in Denmark: 70 years after the world’s first successful genital reconstructive surgery (1951) and 50 years after Denmark’s chapter of the Gay Liberation Front was founded (1971).2

Sydney is the 9th city to win hosting rights and the first in the Southern Hemisphere. A central feature of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras’ bid was to celebrate and support LGBTQIA+ communities across the Asia Pacific region.