When Karl attended CSD in Dresden for the first time in 2002, something began that has stayed with him ever since. Back then, he stood on the sidelines as a young man and saw for the first time what queer visibility could mean. Pride had faces, voices, and a power that resonated with him for a long time. In June 2026, that path led us back to Dresden Pride as Couple of Men. Back to the city where so much began for him. It was a reunion with familiar moments and a community that carries queer life in Dresden into the city openly, warmly, and powerfully. Dresden presents itself as vibrant and full of encounters, and is bidding with a dedicated community to host EuroPride 2029.
– paid collaboration with Visit Dresden –
Dresden, the city then and now
A great deal of volunteer passion has gone into the queer life of the Saxon state capital over the past years. During our visit to CSD Dresden Pride 2026, we could feel why this city could fill a European Pride with attitude, openness, and warmth. The region around Dresden is a place full of biographical traces for Karl. This is where he grew up. This is where the first steps of his own coming out took place.
And this is where the first awareness grew that queer life can have a place in one’s own world and in an open-minded society. The silhouette of the old town, the bridges over the Elbe, the light on the sandstone facades, and the bustle in the Neustadt district: all of it feels familiar and new at the same time. Many moments still carry these memories today. The stories keep bubbling out of Karl again and again.
And yet the view of the city has changed over the years. Dresden is a city with a rich history and a dynamic spirit. That is precisely what makes it so exciting as a Pride location. This mix showed itself in a special way during the CSD Pride weekend. Historic backdrops met rainbow flags, young queer voices, long-standing commitment, everyday life, and political demonstration. The city felt open to encounters.
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Karl’s first CSDs in Dresden
The first CSD (or Pride) is often unforgettable. For Karl, that was 2002 in Dresden. Back then, questions and feelings that had basically been his entire life were still in flux. Words to describe who he was were often still missing. And yet this day brought immediate clarity. On the streets, people were visibly, bravely, and naturally taking up their place.
It wasn’t just the flags or the music. It was the feeling that there are other like-minded people out there. People walking similar paths and showing themselves. People making it clear in public spaces that queer life happens here, whether holding hands in a shopping mall or two men or women kissing in the park. For a young man searching for orientation, such a moment can be life-changing.
What began then on Dresden’s streets still carries weight many years later. That first CSD became an inner reference point. It stood for the possibility of not having to walk one’s own path alone and, at the same time, marked the beginning of a long connection with the LGBTQ+ community, visibility, and activism. In the years that followed, Karl’s activist and social work began. He got involved in a school project on education and even helped organize parts of the CSD in Dresden. He wanted his work to make a difference. A wish that continues to this day.
Back on the same streets
Being back in Dresden for Pride 2026, twenty-four years after that first CSD, felt special. Some places carry memories so clearly that they come flooding back immediately. A glance at the Elbe. A walk through the city center. Voices, colors, footsteps on bridges and squares. Past and present were often very close together this weekend. This time we were there together as a married couple, with cameras, many conversations, and the wish to capture this day exactly as it felt. As a return. As moving forward. As part of a story that is bigger today than it was then.
Karl tells stories about encounters with special people, his volunteer work for Gerede e.V., and his first partners. Our shared photo with our Pride flag in front of Dresden’s old town stands for a rocky yet colorful path. From the young man who experienced Pride for the first time in 2002 to a life in which visibility, love, and queer stories naturally have their place.
CSD Dresden Pride 2026 in pictures
CSD Dresden Pride 2026 was full of scenes that stick in the memory. Rainbow flags in the wind. Signs with clear messages. Laughing faces. Hugs. Groups of friends. Families. Community organizations. Drag artists. People from Dresden and guests from the surrounding area. Plus, this special backdrop between a historic city and a present-day movement.
Especially beautiful was the diversity of encounters. Young queer people for whom Pride is part of their own journey. Older community members bringing history and experience. Families with children experiencing CSD in Dresden together. Associations and initiatives that often form the year-round foundation for visibility and exchange. Artists, performers, and supporters who give the day color, attitude, and energy.
The weather, the light, and the movement through the city also made many moments special. Although it rained at first, the demonstrators didn’t let it dampen their spirits. Pride thrives on big images and small gestures. A brief glance. A hand on a shoulder. Two people smiling at each other. A group dancing together. It’s precisely these details that capture the mood of a Pride day so beautifully.
Why Pride must stay visible right now
CSD Dresden Pride 2026 took place at a moment when visibility carried special weight. In Saxony and in many parts of eastern Germany, there is intense debate about how open, diverse, and supportive society wants to be today. Queer people experience support, strong networks, and growing normalcy in many places. At the same time, it’s clear that democratic values, social cohesion, and the safety of marginalized groups are actively under attack in large parts of the state.
This development reaches far beyond Saxony. Queer rights are under attack worldwide and remain at the center of political debates. Trans people in particular experience, in many countries, how heavily their realities are discussed, regulated, and politically instrumentalized. This is precisely why Pride remains important, as lived visibility in public, as a space where people show themselves, strengthen one another, and jointly make clear that diversity belongs to society.
In Dresden, exactly this was palpable on the streets. This CSD had warmth, clarity, and attitude. It showed a community that comes together, supports one another, and remains visible in public space. This attitude sends a strong signal for an open society, one that, unfortunately, is not a given. Achievements in equality still need to be defended.
EuroPride 2029 in Dresden, a city with something to tell Europe
Dresden is bidding to host EuroPride 2029, currently the only confirmed candidate city for Europe’s biggest LGBTQIA+ event. This idea felt very concrete over the weekend. The city brings a lot to the table that defines a European Pride: history, symbolic power, cultural depth, an engaged queer community, and a location that places Dresden at the center of exchange in Europe.
2029 will mark 40 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. This historical reference gives the bid significant weight. Dresden stands for memory, transformation, and the question of how people and societies come together. A EuroPride in Dresden could build precisely on that. It could show how queer visibility, democratic culture, and European connectedness belong together.
For many international guests, Germany in a queer travel context is mostly associated with Berlin. Dresden offers a different perspective. The city shows how vibrant, creative, and warm the community is, even outside the more well-known German metropolises.
Therein lies a lot of power. A EuroPride in Dresden would bring guests to a beautiful city and draw attention to a region where visibility, cohesion, and dialogue can mean a great deal for an open-minded attitude within society.
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From the first CSD to our own mission
What began in 2002 with a first Pride moment continued to develop over the years. From personal experience, the desire to get involved grew. This included community work, activism, encounters with queer organizations, and the feeling that visibility makes a difference in society.
That is also where our joint work later emerged from. Couple of Men grew out of the idea of combining travel, personal perspectives, and queer stories. For us, places come alive through the people who shape them. Traveling, for us, means making stories visible, sharing experiences, and showing spaces where queer life happens and is safe.
Reading tip: Best in Travel LGBTQ+ Storyteller Award from Lonely Planet
Dresden today as a queer travel destination
Anyone visiting CSD Dresden Pride also experiences a city that’s excellent for a longer stay. The old town with its historic buildings, museums, and riverside paths, the Neustadt district with cafés, bars, small shops, and creative energy, plus the Elbe, the bridges, and sweeping views over the city. All combine into a mix that makes Dresden so special.
Reading tip: Our Dresden LGBTQ+ Travel Guide
For queer travelers especially, the appeal often lies in this combination. Dresden is culturally rich, easily accessible, and, during Pride weekend, noticeably carried by the queer community. Many impressions sit close together: a morning walk along the Elbe, Pride on the streets during the day, conversations, encounters, and summer light in the city in the evening. That creates a city experience that stays with you.
Anyone visiting Dresden for the first time quickly discovers how versatile the city is. Anyone returning often sees even more. Between architecture, history, queer community, and lived openness, a feeling of closeness emerges. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons this CSD felt so powerful for us.
What stays with us from this weekend
At the end of this Pride weekend, what remained above all was a feeling of connection. Between memories and the present, city and community, between a first CSD in 2002 and a shared path in 2026. Some stories can only be fully understood with some distance. This is one of them for us.
Dresden showed this weekend just how much Pride can move within a city. Visibility creates closeness. Community creates spaces. Stories connect people across years. That is precisely where the power of such days lies. They stay with you.
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Looking ahead to EuroPride 2029, Dresden has a lot to tell Europe. About history. About transformation. About cohesion. And about queer visibility. And about people who shape their city with openness, attitude, and heart. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for CSD e.V. Dresden in their bid for EuroPride 2029, as they remain the only city currently in the running.
Feel like more of our LGBTQ+ travels, queer outdoor adventures, Pride trips, or other mountain destinations? Then browse our travel guides or write to us if you’re looking for personal tips. You can also follow us on Facebook, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram. We look forward to connecting with you! Karl & Daan.
Important note: Our gay trip to Dresden was made possible in close collaboration with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Visit Dresden. Nevertheless, our opinions and texts, as always, are based entirely on our own personal experiences. We took all the photos and videos in this article.