Paris Pride: A Guide to the Marche des Fiertés

There’s a very good reason why Paris is known as the City of Love. Cute-as-a-picture terrace cafés, sunset views from the top of the Eiffel Tower, moonlit walks along the River Seine… And in late June each year, that love spills onto the streets for the Paris Pride march, one of the largest and most joyful LGBTQI+ events on the planet. Dating back to 1977, this electrifying annual celebration of gay culture attracts upwards of 750,000 people to herald the arrival of summer with a big, bold and vibrant parade – a vivid sea of painted faces with flags waving aloft, all accompanied by bands and orchestras. Here’s how to experience Paris Pride in suitable style. Célébrons l’amour!

Today Pride is a massive, welcoming and big-hearted paean to gay culture, freedom, equality and self-expression in Paris. But life in the French capital was not always so. In the mid-20th century, as witnessed in World War II, homophobia went hand-in-glove with anti-Semitism and racism. Deportation of gay men to Nazi concentration camps was widespread, and in 1942, the Vichy regime introduced discriminatory legislation against homosexuals that was only rescinded in 1982.

In the 1980s, a group of Parisian gays came together to fight for LGBTQI+ rights. Paris Pride was born, and while today it is to all appearances a good-humoured, frenetic street party, the ongoing fight against global homophobia is still a motivating force behind the parade. France may have seen gay marriage legalised in 2013, but not everyone is so lucky. More than a decade later, same-sex relations are still punishable by death in around a dozen countries – a fact that drives Paris Pride ever forward to defend gay rights and cultural diversity. That sums up the Marche des Fiertés – a shiny, happy event with a core message of steel!

Two weeks of frantic partying, film screenings and discussions delving deep into LGBTQI+ culture take place – many in Le Marais – in the run-up to this exotic parade, which snakes its way through the boulevards of Paris on the last Saturday of June.

The Marche des Fiertés route varies from year to year – previous starting points have included Tour Montparnasse in the 15th arrondissement and Porte de la Villette in the 19th. In 2025, the festivities are likely to kick off in the 1st arrondissement. Wherever it may be, the rainbow-swathed procession typically begins at around 1:30pm, and ends up some four gloriously raucous hours later with the mother of all free street parties and drag shows in the city centre.

Following Paris Pride, the after-parties fan out irrepressibly into bars and cafés around Place de la République, before migrating to scores of gay drinking holes like Cox Café Bar and Le Raidd in Le Marais. The risqué fun carries on well into the following morning with themed Paris Pride parties and extravagant club nights; the liveliest streets include Rue des Ecouffes and Rue du Temple.

There are many different options for comfortable and inclusive stays in Paris. The roll-call of queer-friendly Parisian neighbourhoods starts with Le Marais. Book your guest room in smart, contemporary Marais lodgings and you can also visit iconic Paris sights like the Centre Pompidou, the Musée Picasso and the city’s best food stalls at the Marché des Enfants Rouges while catching the late-night action in the area’s queer bars.

Of course, the Marche des Fiertés is an inclusive event and everyone, regardless of age, is warmly welcomed. If you’re bringing kids with you to Paris, book family-friendly hotels near major attractions like the Eiffel Tower so you can fit in some sightseeing.

Forward-planning for the big day will make the Marche des Fiertés crowds less in-your-face.

1. Use public transport if possible.
2. Arrive early to secure your viewing spot.
3. Plan a rendezvous point in case you lose your friends.
4. Bring water to stay hydrated as the atmosphere heats up.
5. As with any large crowd, always be aware of your belongings.
6. Don your brightest outfit and carry a rainbow flag (and remember comfortable shoes for all that dancing).

Paris is a wonderfully queer-friendly city any time of year. Here are four venues to add to your schedule whenever you visit.

Breathing new life into the words “individual” and “eccentric”, Madame Arthur’s cross-dressing cast has rocked Parisian nightlife since 1946. There’s a mainstream show with cheeky humour, or the rather more ribald late-night revue where drag acts rampage about the stage in sparkling frocks, soaring platform heels and equally towering, sequin-spangled wigs while belting out vaudeville and show tunes. Hit the dance floor yourself when the cabaret morphs into a club at midnight.

• 75 Rue des Martyrs, 75018
• Open Thur–Sun 10pm–6am; shows 10pm and 11:30pm
• Métro lines 2 and 12 to Pigalle

One of four Rosa Bonheur venues in Paris, this particular gay-friendly space (it hosted Pride House during the 2024 Olympics) is found on an open-top barge moored on the River Seine. Adorned with glittering lights, it’s a popular and inclusive hangout with live music and dancing in the main bar, non-stop tapas and pizza on the menu, and stunning night-time views over the Grand Palais and Pont Alexandre III.

• 2 Port des Invalides, 75007
• Open Wed–Fri 5pm–1:30am, Sat 12pm–1:30am; Sun 12pm–12:30am
• Métro lines 8 and 13 to Invalides

This seminal and rather sweetly old-fashioned dance club has been a Le Marais go-to since 1997. Nights start off with Tango dance classes, but around 1am the vibe switches to a wild party with a queer crowd doing their thing to a retro playlist from the 1970s and 80s. Katie Perry lookalikes take to the stage, and Abba tributes or karaoke singalongs are often the kitsch order of the night.

• 11-13 Rue au Maire, 75003
• Open daily 10:30pm until late
• Métro lines 3 and 11 to Arts et Métiers
  

Once part of the landscape in Le Marais gaybourhood, this bookshop was forced to move when city-centre rents soared; it has now taken root in the 11th arrondissement and maintains its friendly, informed staff and down-to-earth ambiance. As a literary hotspot for anything related to Parisian queer culture and history, it’s not just about books; the place is stuffed with periodicals, DVDs and cartoons. They have an English-language section too.

• 37 Rue Saint-Ambroise, 75011
• Open daily 10.30am–7.30pm
• Métro line 3 to Rue Saint-Maur

Joining in Paris Pride? When the Marche des Fiertés hits the streets of the capital, Paris becomes the proudest, most out-there city in the world. If you’re looking to support more affirmations of queer life, there are Pride celebrations in Amsterdam, Madrid and Berlin too.

Meantime, see you at Paris Pride!