Rotterdam Pride
After a year of organizational and financial challenges, Rotterdam Pride is set to make a strong return in 2025. The event aims to bring back the full-scale festival and parade, ensuring a vibrant and inclusive celebration for the city’s LGBTQIA+ community and its allies.
Rotterdam Pride Date
Rotterdam Pride typically takes place in September, different from many other pride events around the world, which are often held in June to remember the Stonewall Riots. The primary reason for this timing is to avoid conflicts with other major pride celebrations in the Netherlands.
When is the Rotterdam Pride taking place in 2025?
In 2025, the event is scheduled for Saturday, September 27.
Saturday 27 September is the Pride Festival on Willemsplein, with performances, talks, a Queer Campus and more.
From 19 to 28 September, there will be plenty of events throughout the city.
What is the main party at Rotterdam Pride?
Not to be missed is the main party starting 11 pm to 6 am. Get ready for an open-minded dance party at the VRIJE VOLK party at Now&Wow Club (Maashaven Zuidzijde 1, 3081 AE Rotterdam). , particularly in Rotterdam. Originating as a festival, the event is celebrated for their diverse and inclusive atmosphere.
The club is just across the bridge from the pride festival so you can smoothly transition from the street party to the club.
Rotterdam Pride Route
📍Start: Stationsplein
🏁 End: Willemsplein
The walk will be a 3.5 kilometer march through Rotterdam from Stationsplein to Willemsplein to stand up for equal rights, visibility and acceptance of LGBTIQA+ people in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and worldwide.
Rotterdam Pride Starting Time
People will start to assemble at 10:30 AM, while speeches start: 11:00 AM and the march itself .starts: 11:30 AM. The expected arrival time at Willemsplein is 1:00 PM.
At Willemsplein will also be the pride festival, taking place from 1PM to 11PM, with a lineup packed with local talent and international queer icons.
Rotterdam Pride Key Facts
When did Rotterdam Pride first take place?
The gay scene in Rotterdam has a long history, dating back to the Cosmo Bar, which opened in 1937. It became a vital, safe space for a diverse community, though it eventually closed in 2016.
In 2014, Rotterdam Pride was officially founded to create an inclusive city for all. The event began with a Pride Walk that was both a celebration and a protest.
A pivotal predecessor to Rotterdam Pride was the Keerweer Parade, started in 2006. The parade, which started as a festive gathering with performances from famous Dutch artists, gradually evolved into a powerful statement of pride, ultimately serving as the catalyst for Rotterdam Pride as we know it today.
What is the theme of Rotterdam Pride this year?
Queertopia: Queertopia imagines a Rotterdam where queer people are not on the sidelines, but at the heart of cultural innovation and social change. A city where we create, rebel and transform