Let your rainbow flag fly: The top 50 Pride celebrations around the world

Pride has always been a time to celebrate identity and love, and after a long two years without in person events, LGBTQ+ celebrations are “back, back, back again” in both major destinations and charming towns around the world. Every year, Pride festivities attract millions of participants, showcasing the inclusiveness and diversity of their respective communities, and celebrating what it means to live with pride in 2022. This month also marks 53 years since the Stonewall Riots, which many consider to be the beginning of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement – and as the fight for equal rights continues, global events like Pride are more important than ever. 

Destinations around the world are set to show their pride as events kick off across multiple continents –  and many are eager to travel and take part. According to a new study conducted by GAY TIMES – which surveyed more than 15,000 LGBTQ+ people around the world on how the community approaches travel – nearly two-thirds of respondents have continued to embrace traveling abroad as restrictions eased throughout the pandemic. Over 60 percent of the community also seek out LGBTQ+ experiences, like Pride celebrations, while traveling.¹

LGBTQ+ people face varying challenges and obstacles when traveling abroad. It’s often not enough to understand local laws on LGBTQ+ rights, but also the social perspective from citizens – which often varies from city to city in any given country. On the other hand, data from this GAY TIMES study shows that LGBTQ+ people often travel to embrace themselves and their identity – knowing this can sometimes be easier when away from home. After speaking with our audience on their own travel plans, we’re expecting a significant increase in LGBTQ+ travel around Pride this summer. Many Pride protests and celebrations have been cancelled since 2019 and queer travellers are ready to take part again.

Tag Warner, CEO, GAY TIMES

As these vibrant celebrations return, and to help make this year’s Pride celebrations especially unique, Airbnb is sharing the top 50 liveliest and trending global Prides that are coming back with a rainbow bang:

With Pride kicking off and summer arriving at long last, LGBTQ+ travelers can take advantage of a new way to search via Airbnb Categories, launched last month. Categories — like Lakefront, Cabins, Islands, OMG!, Luxe and Amazing Pools -– make it easier to discover millions of unique homes you never knew existed in places you may have never known to exist, helping to spread tourism outside of typical Pride destinations. 

Creating a world of acceptance

While travel is a clear priority for the LGBTQ+ community, challenges are still present. According to Gay Times, two-thirds of respondents of their survey said they are worried about their LGBTQ+ identity when traveling, and nearly 65 percent say they cannot find LGBTQ+ travel information easily when searching for a destination. More so, over 70 percent do not find LGBTQ+ destination information trustworthy online.⁶

Airbnb’s belief in connection and belonging extends to every facet of our community – including our non-discimination policy and our community commitment that all Hosts and guests must agree to before using the platform. 

Airbnb has been recognized by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) as a top place to work for LGBTQ equality, and we’re committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable company where anyone can belong. We continue working hard to find ways to support our LGBTQ+ employees, including: 

• As of 2020, our US and Canada-based employees have the option to identify their gender identity and sexual orientation as part of their demographic data. This will help us better represent, recognize and understand the identities of our employees, and we will continue to expand our definitions of diversity. 
• Airbnb was among more than 40 major employers who joined HRC and Freedom for All Americans in calling for lawmakers in states across the country to oppose dozens of bills that target LGBTQ people, and transgender children in particular. 
• We celebrated the US Supreme Court’s June 2020 ruling to protect LGBTQ+ workers, after signing the HRC-led friend-of-the-court brief in support of these cases in 2019. 
• We signed on to an amicus brief led by the HRC in the Supreme Court case of Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, supporting the City of Philadelphia’s ability to enforce non-discrimination laws and ensure foster children have every option for a safe and loving home.

We are so proud and thankful for the hard work the AirPride and Trans@ employee resource  groups do to make Airbnb a great place to work for LGBTQ employees. AirPride’s mission is to celebrate the diversity of gender identity and sexual orientation and empower Airbnb to be a positive force for both its own LGBTQ+ employees and the world. The mission of Trans@ is to support trans and gender non-conforming employees and advocate for improvements to Airbnb that will benefit the trans community.