A different celebration of Pride in Barcelona
June is not only the beginning of the most exciting season of the year, but it is also Pride Month. This is an incredible celebration of LGBTQ+ people that every year brings around 400,000 visitors to the Catalonian capital, Barcelona. This city is one of the most inclusive cities in Europe for LGBTQ+ people. Therefore, the June celebration transforms the city into a glitter-filled party. The annual celebration of 2020, this year, would have been taking place from the 25th – 27th of June.
Due to the current Coronavirus pandemic, the government has placed strict restrictions on large gatherings of people. However, the organisers of Pride in Barcelona felt they could not let down the community. In their eyes, it was necessary to continue the celebrations of the anniversary of Stonewall. As a solution, they have decided to offer instead a virtual Pride event.
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The history of Pride in Barcelona
Just like every city in which Pride takes place, Barcelona celebrates the anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York. These riots were originally led by a trans-woman and black activist, Marsha P. Johnson. They were also the stepping-stones in battling against the exclusion of LGBTQ+ people in society. Historically, this event marks beginning of the fight for Gay rights. June 28th of 1969, the story of LGBTQ+ people changed forever. Every consecutive year since, it continues a need for celebration as a result of this incredible impact which is commemorated globally.
Pride was celebrated in Spain in 1977 for the first time. As a consequence of Stonewall riots, around 4,000 people gathered on the iconic “Las Ramblas” street in Barcelona. These individuals united to protest for their rights and freedom. However, it ended in a violent clash between protestors and authoritative figures. At this time in Spain, there were many pre-existing laws and regulations that prohibited protests of this manner. Thankfully, this never discouraged the community, who year after year continued manifesting for their acceptance in society. A result of this; Barcelona is still one of the most LGBTQ+ friendly and inclusive cities in Europe and ultimately, the world.
Pride Now in Barcelona
In 2019, the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots was celebrated internationally. The hashtag #WeAreFamily blew up across all social media and demonstrated the inclusivity within the movement for all those who chose to be a part of it. People travelled from all over the globe to come together and celebrate, from parades to various activities that lit up Barcelona’s sky in rainbow lights.
2020 has unfortunately implemented many restrictions on our usual celebrations and Pride has sadly been no exception to this. “El Dia De Orgüllo” in Spain will only encourage revolutionary new methods for celebrating. Whether this be the Sitges carnival or multiple gay bars and rainbow flags that fly high around the city. What we can promise, is that Barcelona continues to be an inclusive, LGBTQ+ friendly city, not only in June, but spreads and encourages love and equality all year round. We can see this in the multiple bars, nightclubs, festivals and beaches, that constantly demonstrate Barcelona’s LGBTQ+ community.
Location
Pride is celebrated all over the city. However, the l’Exiample district is the “go to” area to experience the pride celebrations.
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