Two weeks after the attack on Pride celebrations in Berlin, we joined the WorldPride March Amsterdam 2026. Daan and I walked hand in hand, carrying a Progress Pride Flag. Around us, tens of thousands of people filled the streets of Amsterdam, marching for LGBTQ+ rights, visibility, and the freedom to live openly. These are some of our favorite moments from the demonstration and what it felt like to return to the streets after the attack on Berlin Pride.
Marching for Love & Standing Up Against Hate
The decision to join was not an automatic one. We had been in Berlin when the attack happened and had passed the area where it later took place on our way back to our hotel. A few days later, we spoke at the memorial gathering at Amsterdam’s Homomonument. Berlin was still on our minds when we traveled to Amsterdam-Zuid for the WorldPride March on August 8, 2026. Still, staying home did not feel right.
We wanted to be there with our community. We wanted to hold hands in public, carry our flag, and walk through the city without allowing fear to decide what we can or cannot do as a gay couple.
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What Was the WorldPride March Amsterdam 2026?
The WorldPride March Amsterdam 2026 took place on Saturday, 8 August, the final day of WorldPride Amsterdam. Tens of thousands of people joined the peaceful demonstration, which focused on LGBTQ+ human rights, visibility, and solidarity with all members of the queer community worldwide.
Participants gathered in Amsterdam-Zuid, right next to Martin Luther King Park, before walking towards Museumplein. The march was organized as a public demonstration for the right to be yourself, to live freely, and to feel safe.
That message was visible throughout the afternoon. People arrived with friends, partners, relatives, colleagues, and chosen family. Some had traveled from other parts of the Netherlands or abroad. Many brought flags, handmade posters, and messages about freedom, equal rights, and world peace.
The route led through Amsterdam with people of different genders, skin colors, ages, and body types walking side by side. There was music, singing, and dancing, but there was also a clear political reason for being there. Pride remains a place where queer people can be visible together and call for equal treatment.
WorldPride March Amsterdam 2026: Route, Time, and Participants
The gathering started at 3 pm on President Kennedylaan, next to Martin Luther King Park in Amsterdam-Zuid. At 4.30 pm, the WorldPride March began its route towards Museumplein, where the WorldPride closing program continued later that day.
| WorldPride March Amsterdam 2026 | Information |
|---|---|
| Date | Saturday, 8 August 2026 |
| Gathering time | From 3 pm |
| March start | 4.30 pm |
| Starting point | President Kennedylaan, near Martin Luther King Park |
| Route | President Kennedylaan, Rijnstraat, Van Woustraat, Ceintuurbaan, Roelof Hartstraat, and Van Baerlestraat |
| Finish | Museumplein |
| Distance | Approximately 3.5 kilometres |
| Participants | Tens of thousands |
No official final number of participants has been published. News reports described the turnout as tens of thousands of people.
We Marched Hand in Hand for Love, Visibility, and Freedom
Berlin was still present in our thoughts when we arrived at Martin Luther King Park. Large Pride events had always felt joyful to us, yet it was impossible to ignore the fears that followed the attack two weeks earlier in Berlin Tiergarten.
From the first moment, though, the march felt safe.
Streets along the route were closed to traffic, and police officers were clearly present. Extra security measures during WorldPride Amsterdam gave us a safer feeling about being out in public again. We did not see or experience any negative reactions directed at (queer) people taking part in the demonstration. With every meter we walked together, the uncertainty we had carried with us became smaller.
The people around us helped create that feeling. Flags from across the LGBTQ+ community were everywhere, from rainbow flags to Progress Pride flags and flags representing different identities. Many participants had made their own signs. Others came with nothing but a friend’s hand in theirs. We met friends, acquaintances, and familiar faces along the route.
Several people approached us because they had heard our speech at the Homomonument. They told us that the words had stayed with them and that the memorial had given them comfort in the days after Berlin. Hearing this was emotional. A speech can feel small when you stand alone in front of a crowd, trying to find the right words. On the streets of Amsterdam, people reminded us that it had meant something to them. Every person who speaks up, listens, joins a march, carries a sign, or supports someone else can have an impact.
By the time we reached Museumplein, the fear that had been present at the beginning of the day had changed. It had not disappeared completely, but it no longer took up all the space.
From Berlin to Amsterdam: Why We Did Not Stay Home
On 28 July, several thousand people came together at Amsterdam’s Homomonument to remember the victims of the attack on Pride celebrations on 25 July in Berlin. The gathering brought members of the LGBTQ+ community, activists, allies, and city representatives to Westermarkt. We were also invited to speak at the memorial. Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema was also among the speakers. Flowers, candles, and rainbow flags surrounded the Homomonument, while people stood together in silence and listened to the words shared from the stage.
There was grief that evening. There was anger too. Many people were also trying to understand what it meant to return to public queer spaces after such an attack. For us, the answer became clearer during those days. We did not want to retreat from the places where we meet, celebrate, protest, and live openly. WorldPride gave us an opportunity to be present with thousands of other people who had reached a similar conclusion.
Of course, we do understand that a Pride march cannot undo violence. It cannot take away the shock of Berlin or guarantee that every queer person will feel safe. But joining the WorldPride March felt like a decision to keep living openly. We walked because people before us had made space for our rights. And because future generations deserve to inherit that space too.
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Hate Is Never the Answer to Hate
The attack in Berlin has been reported as Islamist-motivated. It needs to be investigated fully, and violence against LGBTQ+ people needs to be named clearly and treated with the seriousness it deserves.
In the days after the attack, we also saw attempts to use the pain of the queer community for another purpose. Right-wing accounts responded to Karl’s posts by blaming refugees, Muslims, and entire communities. Some suggested that queer people had brought violence upon themselves because they did not oppose refugees. The Volkskrant documented these reactions after Karl shared that he had been in Berlin.
We reject this.
- One radicalized person does not represent all Muslims. Refugees are not responsible for an attack carried out by an individual. Turning grief into collective blame creates more fear, more division, and more danger for people who already face discrimination.
- Religious freedom matters. The freedom to be queer matters. The freedom to live without violence or harassment matters. A democratic society must protect all of these rights at the same time.
- This does not mean looking away from Islamist extremism. It also does not mean looking away from right-wing extremism, fascism, antisemitism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, or any ideology that denies people their dignity and safety.
For us, democracy includes antifascism. It means defending human rights, equal treatment, democratic institutions, and the rule of law. It means refusing to accept movements that decide some people deserve fewer rights because of their sexuality, gender identity, religion, background, or origin.
Hate cannot be the answer to hate. The speakers at the Homomonument made that message clear. And that stayed with us throughout the WorldPride March.
Pride Marches Are Still Necessary
Walking through Amsterdam made one thing clear again: Pride marches are still needed.
Not every queer person can hold hands in public without thinking about possible reactions. Not every LGBTQ+ person can come out safely at home, at work, or in school. In many countries, queer people face discrimination, restrictive laws, criminalization, violence, or even death.
Pride creates a visible place for people who are often told to stay quiet. It gives people the chance to meet others, find support, and see that they are not alone. It also asks governments, businesses, and institutions to take responsibility for equal rights and safety.
The large turnout in Amsterdam formed part of a wider response across Europe. After the Berlin attack, several Pride events in Germany reported more participants than in previous years. Braunschweig, Nuremberg, and Essen were among the cities where turnout grew, with people joining marches for queer rights and solidarity. This matters because fear can make people withdraw from public life. Seeing more people turn up sends another message:
Queer people and their allies are still here. We still want equal rights. We still want to live openly.
Public & Political Support Matters
The events around WorldPride Amsterdam also showed the value of visible political support.
At the Homomonument, Mayor Femke Halsema, who even hugged us after our speech, stood with the queer community after the attack in Berlin. Her presence mattered to many people in the crowd, including us. Her presence showed that the city recognized the fear and grief felt by LGBTQ+ people and chose to be present.
During the WorldPride Human Rights Conference, we also met Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten. As the first openly gay head of government in the Netherlands, he opened the conference and spoke about LGBTQ+ rights and safety. His government announced an annual €7.5 million investment over the next three years to improve the safety of the queer community.
Meeting him during WorldPride felt different from hearing another carefully worded statement. He was there. He spoke openly about the issue. And his government announced concrete support.
Queer people need this kind of leadership. When rights and safety are under pressure, vague words are not enough. Political leaders need to listen, speak up clearly, and act.
WorldPride March vs. Canal Parade: What Is the Difference?
The WorldPride March and Amsterdam’s Canal Parade were two different events during WorldPride Amsterdam 2026. Both brought LGBTQ+ people and allies together, but they have different histories, formats, and purposes.
Pride marches have their roots in activism. One year after the Stonewall uprising in New York City in 1969, the first Pride march was held to remember the people who had resisted police violence and to demand equal rights. In the Netherlands, the first large LGBTQ+ demonstration took place seven years later. It developed into Roze Zaterdag, the annual Dutch Pride demonstration that has been held in different cities since 1979.
The WorldPride March continued this tradition. On Saturday, 8 August 2026, tens of thousands of people walked from Amsterdam-Zuid to Museumplein in a peaceful demonstration for LGBTQ+ human rights, visibility, and solidarity. The official WorldPride program described the march as a demonstration of visibility, solidarity, and resistance, calling for everyone to be able to live freely and love who they choose.
Amsterdam’s Canal Parade has a different origin. The first Canal Parade took place on 3 August 1996, when Amsterdam Pride was still called Amsterdam Gay Pride. It was organized by Gay Business Amsterdam, a group of gay hospitality entrepreneurs, as a celebration of the city’s freedom and diversity. The idea was connected to Amsterdam’s preparations for the Gay Games in 1998, and the boat parade was initially only planned for three editions. Its success turned it into an annual event, one of the biggest in modern Dutch culture.
Today, the Canal Parade is Amsterdam Pride’s most recognizable event. Around 80 boats travel through the historic canals, carrying LGBTQ+ organizations, community groups, companies, artists, activists, and allies. It is often the most photographed part of Amsterdam Pride and attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators.
During WorldPride Amsterdam 2026, the Canal Parade took place on Saturday, 1 August. One week later, the WorldPride March brought people onto the streets. The Canal Parade celebrated queer visibility on the water. The WorldPride March gave people a place to demonstrate together for equal rights, safety and freedom.
More Amsterdam Travel Articles:
- Canal Parade 2026 in Amsterdam: Queer Highlights from the WorldPride Stadium
- Homomonument & Pink Point: LGBTQ+ Pride & Queer History in Amsterdam
- Queer Market in Amsterdam: LGBTQ+ Shopping at World Pride 2026
- Black Pride Amsterdam: Queer POC events during WorldPride 2026
- Amsterdam Bear Community: Bear Bars, Clubs, and Events for Gay Bears Traveling
- Amsterdam gay cruising guide 2026: saunas, bars & outdoor spots for men
- Guide for Gay (Nude) Beach in Amsterdam – Zandvoort
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Our Takeaway: Love Needs Visibility
The WorldPride March Amsterdam 2026 will stay with us for many reasons.
We will remember walking hand in hand with our Progress Pride Flag. We will remember the conversations with people who had heard our speech at the Homomonument. We will remember the feeling of becoming calmer as the march moved through the city.
Berlin had shown us how quickly a safe and joyful Pride space can be attacked. Amsterdam showed us thousands of people continuing to walk together anyway.
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Love does not win by itself. It needs people who speak up, show up, and protect each other’s rights. For us, that is what Pride means.
Interested in our LGBTQ+ travels, queer outdoor experiences, ski weeks, or other destinations in the mountains? Then browse our travel guides or send us a message if you would like personal recommendations. You can also follow us on Facebook, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram.
We would love to connect with you! Karl & Daan.
Important Note: This article was made possible in close collaboration with WorldPride Amsterdam and Booking.com. Even so, our opinions and texts are, as always, based on our very own personal experiences. All photos and videos were created by us unless otherwise credited.