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EuroPride comes to Malta in September 2023. Earlier this year at the annual Pride event in Valletta, Rhonda Carrier had a sneak preview of the fun in store
Valletta on a sun-drenched Saturday afternoon in September, and all human life is here: hotpant-clad men with angel wings and rainbow flags, gyrating their hips with cheeky grins; drag queens and dancing grannies; young parents with children in strollers; and even a scene-stealing dog on the front of a float whose speakers belt out the gay anthem You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real).
I’ve come to the Unesco-listed Maltese capital to experience the glory that is Malta Pride. It seems to be a little-known fact that this former British colony in the heart of the Med – just a three-hour flight from the UK – has the most progressive gay rights in all Europe, according to the ILGA-Europe Rainbow index.
From its small beginnings in 2004 with a handful of participants, Malta Pride has grown to attract hundreds of revellers – even the islands’ prime minister Robert Abela is among those partying in the streets with us in 2022. But next September the event will crank up another gear when Malta plays host to EuroPride – a pan-European event hosted each year by a different city, picked for having an existing LGBTI Pride event and/or a strong LGBTI community.
Tolene Van Der Merwe, UK director of the Malta Tourism Authority, says: “The Maltese Islands are an incredibly welcoming destination, not only to the LGBTQI+ community but to everyone. EuroPride will be the biggest Pride celebration Malta has seen – we’re expecting over 30,000 visitors to attend during the 10-day period.”
When we arrive on the Friday night, Malta has already been celebrating Pride for a few days with various community activities. But Pride Week comes into full force over the weekend with a riotous Pride party on the Friday night, and an exuberant Pride march with dancers and floats pouring through the city centre, an evening concert and an After Pride party all on the Saturday. It’s definitely one to pack the sparkly party outfits for.
But perhaps my favourite Pride event comes on the Sunday night, with a special regatta featuring teams decorating dghajsas (local wooden boat-taxis shaped like gondolas) with balloons, streamers, tinsel and blow-up unicorns for a leisurely tour of the harbour, followed by dancing under the stars by the water’s edge at Senglea’s Le Regatta bar.
One of my fellow partygoers on the fam trip, Ian Richardson, business development manager at Merlin Travel Group, tells me: “We are proud to be able to join in with the community and their allies at this magnificent celebration. With so many gay-friendly bars, restaurants and events in Malta, it’s no wonder LGBTIQ+ travellers have an amazing time.”
In between these colourful celebrations, we have time to take in some of the many scenic highlights of Malta. An easy way to pack in some sights is a tour of the Three Cities of Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua with Rolling Geeks, using self-drive electric cars guided by pre-programmed GPS systems.
These fortified cities were built by the Knights of St John when they arrived in 1530, and their palaces, churches, forts and bastions are even older than Valletta’s. Also worth seeing are their restored townhouses and the superyacht-lined marina with its waterfront restaurants.
For those who need recovery time, Malta has fabulous beaches. Or you could book your clients a spot at the glam Cafe del Mar and let them do as we do – indulge in a Sunday lunch of cocktails and gourmet treats at the iconic beach club with its DJ music and cabana-ringed pool.
The Cafe del Mar group was founded in Ibiza, and indeed with its gay-friendly party scene, beach clubs and the nightclubs of Paceville in St Julian (where we are staying at the sleek Hilton), Malta strikes me as a surprisingly tempting alternative to Ibiza for a girls’ weekend away. Gone is my long-held view that the Maltese islands are purely for elderly travellers and a place for pursuing life’s more placid pleasures.
Add to the mix a growing wine tourism scene and fabulous dining, and you have all the makings of a perfect destination. So next year, we’ve already agreed, my girlfriends and I will be heading not to the Balearics but to Valletta and EuroPride. I’m already choosing my outfits.
Book it: Chillimix has a hosted EuroPride in Malta package, departing 11 September 2023, including seven nights’ B&B, flights, transfers, an exclusive Drag Boat Party and a Night with the Knights Party from £1,099pp. chillimix.com; europride2023.mt
Agent training: A new training module specifically for EuroPride has been added to the Malta Training Programme, alongside existing LGBT+ content, while Peter Green, trade trainer at the Malta Tourism Authority, will be visiting agents to carry out dedicated sessions. For info, contact peter.green@visitmalta.com or visit malta-training.com
17 February – 5 March 2023: Sydney WorldPride 2023: This will be the first time the global event has come to the Southern Hemisphere. The 2023 event is particularly significant as it will coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first Australian Gay PrideWeek, and the fifth anniversary of marriage equality in Australia. It’ll also mark 45 years since Sydney held its first Mardi Gras parade. Sydney is expecting 500,000 attendees at the official events (including a concert headlined by Kylie Minogue) and tens of thousands of international visitors to fly over for the citywide celebrations. Premier Holidays is offering tailor-made packages, adding optional self-drive extensions to a four-night Sydney city stay. premierholidays.co.uk/campaigns/sydney-worldpride
19-25 June 2023 – San Francisco Pride: A huge celebration with a parade, rallies, a main stage, and community-run stages and events. sfpride.org
26 June 2023 – New York Pride March: The oldest in the world, started in 1970 to commemorate the Stonewall Riots of 1969, which marked the beginning of the modern Gay Rights movement. nycpride.org
21-23 July 2023 – Berlin Christopher Street Day Parade: With LGBTQ-related events, from film screenings to boat parties, accompanied by the smaller Kreuzberg Pride with its more local vibe. csd-berlin.de/en/
29 July-6 August – Pride Amsterdam: One of the Netherlands’ largest annual public events, centred on the unique Canal Parade, with lavishly decorated boats and barges with onboard DJs. pride.amsterdam/en
