After Rome (2000), Jerusalem (2006), London (2012) and Toronto (2014), Madrid hosts the most important event for the LGBT+ community globally, this Saturday, July 1.
Madrid has officially started the celebrations for WorldPride 2017, after an opening ceremony that took place in the Teatro Calderon.
This edition of WorldPride, Madrid commemorates 40 years since the first LGBT+ protests in Spain; 30 years since Chueca was named the epicentre for the community and Pride; 20 years since the first Pride Parade that united political protest with celebration and 10 years since EuroPride was last celebrated in the city. Moreover, Madrid is the first Spanish-speaking capital to celebrate WorldPride.
2017 offers a historic opportunity to share Madrid’s values as a diverse, plural, inclusive and involved city, whilst it reinforces Spain as the reference nation in the liberty and defense of LGTB+ individuals’ rights.
Three million people are expected to visit Madrid to join this year’s festival called ¡Viva la vida!
A huge program of activities will be taking place in Madrid all this week until Sunday, July 2. These will include an international human rights conference, open air concerts, performance stages, parties, art, culture, sports offering a great festival to celebrate, discuss and show diversity, culminating in the main event, the World Pride Parade on Saturday, July 1, which will be the world’s largest Pride parade ever!
WorldPride Madrid is supported by the City Hall of Madrid, the Regional Government of Madrid, The Tourism Association of Madrid (ATM) and Madrid Destino.
Amongst others, these are some of the contents and highlights WorldPride, 2017.
♦ Madrid Summit, a world-wide Human Rights Conference (June 26 to 28 in the Autonomous University of Madrid).
More than 200 activists, politicians, and leaders in the fields of culture and education from more than 45 countries across 6 continents will come together to spark an international debate on LGBT+ specific Human Rights and strengthen the foundations of this global movement.
The summit has been structured to explore and contemplate all areas of day-to-day life in which LGBT+ people experience discrimination and unequal treatment.
The conclusions of the conference will be contained in the Madrid Summit Declaration which will act as source of reference and serve as a strong commitment to the future of our shared fight for and defence of LGBT+ human rights across the world.
♦ WorldPride Parade. The climax of the WorldPride 2017, Festival takes place Saturday July 1 (from 5pm till midnight) in the centre of Madrid, starting at Atocha Station and ending in Plaza de Colón where a main stage will welcome all the participants with music and the reading of the manifesto of freedom, inclusion and diversity. More than two million people are expected to attend the parade.
♦ International Cultural Festival (Muestra T, La Culta y la Oculta) and the exhibition Subversives, 40 years of LGBT activism
The WorldPride Madrid International Festival will stage more than three hundred activities, including theater, music, dance, literature, cinema or arts to make “a reflexive approach to activism and the celebration of diversity, from a cultural standpoint”.
In support of this, a great number of institutions, cultural centers and state museums such as Thyssen Museum, the Prado, the National Museum of Decorative Arts and the Museum of America have developed specific exhibitions for the Pride celebrations.
The cultural program of WorldPride Madrid embraces three cultural festivals: La Culta, la Oculta and Muestra-T.
One of the main initiatives is the exhibition Subversives, 40 years of LGBT activism (CentroCentro at Cibeles Palace), a historic journey through 40 years of activism in nine themes and more than 200 pieces, both originals and reproductions.
♦ WorldPride Park. A specially designed location will host community stalls and LGBT+ global human rights associations, giving them the opportunity to connect with a large and diverse crowd from around the world. A community space open to everyone with a program of activities for children, families, neighbours and visitors. A celebration of diversity for the whole family.
♦ WorldPride Festival: free open air concerts, cultural and ludic activities in five scenarios across the centre and other parts of the city.
Some of the renowned national and international artists that have confirmed they will be appearing include: Ana Torroja, Ania, Azucar Moreno, Baccara, Barei, Camela, Carmen Paris, Cintia Lund, Conchita Wurst, Dani Umpi, Accelerated Diabetics, Fleur East, Ivri Lider, Kate Ryan, Le Klein, Loreen, Los Quintana, Marta Sánchez, Mirela, Nuria Fergó, OBK, Olé Olé, Ray BLK, Rebeca, Rosa, Roser, Rozalén, Ruth Lorenzo, Sharonne, Soraya, The Weather Girls, Whigfield and 99 Souls. The Brazilian musician, Carlinhos Brown will close the festival on July 2.
Special programming has been planned in different districts around the city, organised by Madrid Town Hall; and other activities organised by the LGBT+ associations fabric of Madrid, such as an LGBTQI+ VIH Conference 2017 and LGTB+ Sport Competitions.
On July 2, 2017, Madrid will hand over the WorldPride baton to the city of New York, where the world-wide LGBT+ communities will celebrate in 2019 the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall events that gave birth to the LGTB+ movement.
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