Belfast, Bergen, Hull, Malta and Rotterdam running for EuroPride 2023

The shortlist has been announced of the Prides bidding to host EuroPride in 2023.

Belfast Pride (UK), Bergen Pride (NO), Pride in Hull (UK), Malta Pride (MT) and Rotterdam Pride (NL) are all bidding to host Europe’s most significant LGBTI event in three years’ time. Whichever Pride wins will take on the mantle from EuroPride 2022 in Belgrade, Serbia.

EuroPride has been hosted in a different European city every year since 1992, and has featured diverse cities including Warsaw (2010), Riga (2015) and Belgrade (2022).

Stein Runar Østigaard, EuroPride Coordinator for the European Pride Organisers Association – which licences EuroPride – said:

“The ambition of the teams in Belfast, Bergen, Hull, Malta and Rotterdam is admirable and I look forward to seeing their bids when they are delivered to us in August. I am excited to see how they will take the history of EuroPride forward and I wish all five organisations the very best of luck.”

Kristine Garina, President of the European Pride Organisers Association, said:

“We are of course all aware of the impact of the COVID19 pandemic on Pride organisers around the world but we must stay focused and united. It’s great to see Belfast Pride, Bergen Pride, Pride in Hull, Malta Pride and Rotterdam Pride looking beyond the current situation and all bidding to deliver an outstanding EuroPride in 2023.”

“I look forward to seeing the bids from all five Prides, and I am sure we will see human rights and the fight for LGBTI equality at the heart of each bid. We are living in troubling times and Pride is a vital opportunity for us to come together and stand as one.”

All five bids will be presented at the AGM of the European Pride Organisers Association in Oslo in October, and each European Pride member will have one vote.

The announcement of the winner is expected on Saturday 3 October.