Athens Pride 2026: parade, dates & history

Dates and details about Athens Pride 2026 are still TBC.

Athens Pride 2026 will mark the 21st year of the annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community on the Greek capital! The main event, which is the Pride parade, is expected to draw over 40,000 participants from across Greece and beyond.

The Greeks all but invented homosexuality as we know it, so we owe them a lot. In the ancient world, the great love poet Sappho wrote immortal verses to her female lovers. In more recent times, Mykonos has emerged as the world's gayest island. Greece may be a conservative country but it knows a thing or two about how to be gay in style!

Athens Pride Parade

The parade itself represents the heart of Athens Pride, beginning at the iconic Syntagma Square in front of the Hellenic Parliament and winding through downtown Athens. Following the parade, the square transforms into a concert venue featuring performances by popular artists, drag queens, and DJs, with rainbow-painted pedestrian crossings (courtesy of the Attica Region).

What makes Athens Pride particularly meaningful is its evolution from a small gathering of approximately 500 people in 2005 to one of Europe's significant Pride events.

Exploring Athens' Gay Scene

Athens’ gay scene is centred in the districts of Gazi and Psyrri, where you'll find buzzing bars, open-air clubs, and cafés that keep the energy high well into the early hours. Popular venues like Shamone, BeQueer, and Sodade2 are local institutions. During Pride week, the city comes alive with rainbow flags, pop-up events, and rooftop parties that spill out into the streets, especially around Monastiraki and Thisseio, where the Acropolis glows in the background.

For hotel reservations, please see our list of top hotels Athens for gay travelers.