It looked funny, but behind Amsterdam’s successful attempt to organize the WorldPride of 2026 is years of work.
There was something jolly about it: the delegation of the Pride Amsterdam Foundation attended the annual InterPride conference in Dutch costumes last weekend. Four hundred people, all active as Pride organizers, decided in the city of Guadalajara who can organize the Pride of 2026.
And the competition was fierce: Orlando, a city in the US state of Florida, was extremely confident. “They thought they had already got the loot.” Lucien Spee, director of the Pride Amsterdam Foundation, only manages to suppress a smug smile. “But we were well prepared.”
slick clumsiness
Because behind the costumes and plush clogs – wooden ones were too heavy in the luggage – is a slick presentation and years of lobbying. It bid book contains dozens of statements of support from organizations and large companies. The voting members of InterPride were impressed: with 59 percent of the vote, Amsterdam has a strong mandate.
Now that the win is in, Amsterdam can get ready for a mega event of fifteen days. “The first week is basically like a regular Pride,” Spee says. In addition to a party, he also promises room for activism, culture and debate. The second week focuses on a human rights conference.
Many program components will take place on the Museumplein. “We want to build a WorldPride Village there, with pavilions and a large stage. We will also hold the large human rights concert, which will be broadcast live.”
Additional visitors
Even more than with a normal Pride, the WorldPride guarantees thousands of extra visitors. Spee: “We are counting on 50,000 to 150,000 more people.” That is a challenge for the city, also acknowledges Touria Meliani, alderman for Events. “I am also thinking of the major renovations to the quays at the moment. But as a city, we have proven that we can handle these kinds of events.”
Spee has a number of plans in mind to offer all those people a place to sleep. “I am thinking of an appeal to Amsterdammers to offer your sofa to a visitor. We also did that with the Gay Games in 1998.”
Organization
It is not yet clear whether the Pride Amsterdam Foundation will organize the WorldPride. The municipality is currently in talks with three parties about the organization of the Amsterdam Pride for the period 2024-2027. The foundation has been organizing the Pride since 2014 and is one of the candidates. Alderman Meliani hopes that the three parties can work together. The talks about this are still ongoing.