Gay pride: CSD celebrations in Germany

Achtung all lesbian globetrotters, get your bags ready: CSD celebrations in Germany are fast approaching.

CSD (Christopher Street Day) is an annual celebration and demonstration held in various European cities for LGBT rights and in memory of the Stonewall Riots in New York in 1969. It is Germany’s– and Switzerland’s– answer to Gay Pride.

This year, CSD celebrations will be held over the next few months in five major German cities: Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, and Frankfurt.

CSD celebrations in five major German cities

The rainbow flag will be flying high this July in Berlin. More than 200 cultural, political, and sporting events will be taking place in Europe’s queer capital during this year’s Pride Weeks.

The month-long festivities will kick off with sporting tournaments at the Respect Gaymes on July 2 and will culminate with the colorful CSD Parade on July 23.

Other highlights of the Pride Weeks include the Lesbian and Gay City Festival on July 16 & 17 (the biggest in Europe) and the Party auf der Spree that will take place on the city’s main river on July 21.

The Dyke March on July 22—the eve of the CSD parade—should be of particular interest, as the demonstration promotes lesbian rights and the acceptance of women who love women in society.

CSD celebrations in Hamburg will be from July 30 until August 7. Events to look forward to include Pride Night on July 30, a three-day street festival starting August 5, and the city’s CSD parade on August 6.

In Munich, the CSD celebrations will be from July 2 until July 10. The city’s CSD parade will start on July 9 and will end the following day.

Also in Munich, on September 18, LGBT folk of all ages and walks of life will meet in the Bräurosl (tent) to celebrate Gay Sunday—the first Sunday of the Oktoberfest.

Germany’s largest CSD street festival will be held in Cologne on July 1 and will end with a demonstration on July 3. The city’s CSD celebrations (June 18 – July 3) will include WomenPride—a two-week festival organized yearly since 2005.

In Frankfurt, CSD celebrations will last three days: July 15 – 17. The city’s CSD parade, which has a reputation for being one of the liveliest in Germany, will be held on July 16.

LGBT tourists and Germany’s CSD celebrations

The local LGBT communities are evidently well-integrated into German society, and CSD celebrations will often attract widespread support and participation—regardless of age, gender, or sexual orientation.

Germany’s gay pride scene is nothing short of legendary: a wealth and variety of exciting experiences certainly await LGBT tourists visiting the country for its CSD celebrations.