Thousands Of People Paraded Down Amsterdam’s Canals In The First Canal LGBTQ Pride In Two Years
After two years of cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Amsterdam finally hosted its world famous 25th Canal Pride Parade this year.
After two years of cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Amsterdam finally hosted its world famous 25th Canal Pride Parade this year.
80 carefully decorated boats filled with dancing participants waving rainbow flags, balloons and umbrellas sailed down the Dutch capital’s canals on Saturday Aug. 6.
People sang, danced and waved pride flags in feather, glitter, and leather outfits on the boats to celebrate the LGBTQ rights.
The audience was packed, with thousands of people gathering along the canal and bridges to watch the flotilla, according to The Washington Post.
Under the theme of “My Gender, My Pride”, the parade served as the highlight of nine days of Pride events in Amsterdam.
“We are looking forward to a special edition where ‘being who you are and loving who you want’ is the norm and the struggle for equal rights is the message,” Amsterdam Pride director Lucien Spee de Castillo Ruiz said ahead of the parade, Reuters reported.
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema also attended the event, leading a dance on the deck of the Amsterdam City Council boat the front of the parade, according to NOS.
“Originally this was gay pride, but today you see hundreds of thousands of people regardless of whether they’re gay or straight or whatever, and that is so fantastic,” Jonas van der Kaaij Olsen, a 53 year old attendee told Reuters.
“I missed it, and I think everybody missed it,” Chas, a 42-year-old woman watching the parade, told Reuters.
