Vienna Pride and Rainbow Parade
Vienna Pride has become not just an institution, but also a symbol of diversity and equality. From May 29 to June 14, the LGBTIQ+ community will take center stage once again. And once again, Vienna City Hall, the city’s official government building, will open for a Vienna Pride conference on May 29. The Pride Village on Rathausplatz will also be a key meeting point for the entire community on the day of the Rainbow Parade (June 13).
Speaking of the Rainbow Parade, 2026 will mark its 30th anniversary. What began in 1996 as a small but impactful demonstration with an estimated 25,000 participants has grown into Austria’s largest demonstration. Now, every year more than 200,000 people gather on Vienna’s Ringstrasse to send a powerful message in support of LGBTIQ+ rights and full equality. Elaborately decorated floats, cool beats and original costumes provide the fun factor.
Pride events
As in previous years, numerous events will take place around Vienna Pride: the Vienna Pride Community Fest and the Pride Vienna Run on Prater Hauptallee (May 30), the Vienna Pride Drag Beach (June 4), the Vienna Pride Happening at the Badeschiff (June 6), and the Vienna Pride Beach Day (June 7). There will also be exciting LGBTIQ+ city tours and walks focusing on women in Vienna, offering an in-depth look at Vienna’s queer history.
Vienna’s drag queens are also set to liven things up when Club Couleur takes place at Das Vindobona on May 28, where drag stars Grazia Patricia and Metamorkid will welcome high-profile guests and get the party started.
Wiener Linien, Vienna’s public transport authority, will also be making a statement in favor of diversity in 2026 – the Progress Pride Flag will once again be hoisted on every streetcar in Vienna during Pride Month in June.
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Andreas Brunner came up with the idea on a trip to New York in 1994, the 25th anniversary of the "Stonewall Riots". The fight for the equality of LGBT people began with them in 1969. This was celebrated in the Big Apple in a big way. Brunner, co-director of QWIEN, was there at the time and so enthusiastic that right away he knew: "We need something like this in Vienna, too." In 1996, the time finally arrived as the first Rainbow Parade made its way along the Ringstrasse. In the video interview, Brunner remembers and reveals how the premiere in Vienna went back then.
Vienna Pride
29.5.-14.6.2026
www.viennapride.at
Rainbow Parade
13.6.2026
www.regenbogenparade.at
