Pride 2026: Your guide to this year's best events

Dublin LGBTQ Pride Parade

One of the biggest LGBTQ+ people parades in Europe, Dublin LGBTQ Pride kicks off on June 27 at 12:30pm on O’Connell street, and will be led by Grand Marshal Philippa Ryder, author, activist, and trans woman. With this year's theme of One Story – Many Voices, celebrating the threads that connect the community, Ryder has been picked as Grand Marshall for her outstanding contribution to the community and many organisations that work tirelessly to advance and protect its rights.

“I first attended Pride, standing on the sidelines, in 2004 or thereabouts, holding my 9-year old daughter’s hand as we watched the parade march down O’Connell Street,” said Ryder following her appointment. “It was an emotional occasion and now, some 23 years later, it will be a highlight of my life to represent our incredible rainbow community as Grand Marshal.”

Dublin Pride Parade met its origins in 1974, where Dublin saw its first very first low-scale march, with 10 people rallying from the Department of Justice to the British Embassy in protest of the criminalisation of homosexuality. In March 1983, Dublin celebrated its very first LGBTQ Protest March in response to the release of several people who murdered a gay man, Declan Flynn, rallying about 900 people. That same year in June, the first Dublin Pride Parade was organised, and has followed suit every year since.

Mother Pride Block Party

Over the years, the Mother Pride Block Party has truly become the unmissable event of Dublin Pride Festival, and this year is no exception – on Friday, June 26, you can head to Collins Barracks for the Mother Pride Opening Party, headlined by Scissor Sisters, and with special sets for Peaches, Tara Kumar, Jen Payne and more. To wrap up the weekend, Mother will also host their annual official Pride After Party all over the grounds of the National Museum, with DJ sets from Sofi Tukk, Jinx Minsoon, Jodie Harsh, Elaine Mai and many more - to make sure to keep the party going all night long.

 

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Dublin Pride Festival’s cultural events

A celebration as much as it is a protest, Dublin Pride Festival is the perfect occasion to refuel your knowledge of queer culture and history. Whether you fancy a tour of Dublin with Tonie Walsh’s Lavender Walk, hosted every day during Pride week, or a talk from Dr Kerrigan, tracing the evolution of queer life in Ireland at  dlr LexIcon in Dún Laoghaire on June 24, there is something for everyone in this week’s programme. Elsewhere, the GPO will offer a special Pride guided tour exploring the lives, relationships and roles of the LGBTQ+ community in Irish history on June 27, while The Sugar Club will open its doors to a night of history, storytelling and music on June 26 for Queer Georgians: The Ladies of Llangollen.

Keeping the party going during Dublin Pride Festival

After, or before, a big day of marching around Dublin, nothing beats a good night of partying – and Dublin Pride festival has more than a few on offer! If you want to kick things off early, head to The George on June 23 for a celebration of all things Dolly Grip – or wrap up the festivities on Saturday 27 with Honeypot in Wigwam or Profile Pride at Bewley's Grafton Street. On Thursday, enjoy Dance To The Underground queer and punk pride night at Fibber Magee’s – or if you would rather wait for Friday night, The George's RELEASE is perfect for you – with go-go dancers, face paint and confetti guns.

 

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Cork LGBT+ Festival

Cork Community Pride returns this year on Sunday, August 2, for a Pride March which promises to be as colourful as ever - as will be the delightful Pride Picnic in the Park on Saturday, August 1. Organised by a grassroots collective of passionate volunteers from across Cork city and county, the festival is still on its way to revealing its detailed programme – but there is no doubt that the Pride events of Rebel City will, once again, be unforgettable.

Galway Pride Festival

The longest continual Pride event in Ireland returns this year, from August 2 to 8 2026 across Galway town, including the iconic march from City Hall to Father Burke Park. The various events taking place over the week, meanwhile, will put forward remembrance and celebrations alike, with evenings of information and awareness, arts and performance, and music nights. More details coming soon!

Belfast Pride Festival

The biggest LGBTQIA+ Festival on the island of Ireland, Belfast Pride packs in over 150 events across ten days – and aims to make their 2026 edition to be the largest one yet. Running from July 17 to 26, the festival will offer, among other things, its annual Parade, the extraordinary Pride Village, and the Belfast Pride Awards, rewarding the people, organisations and projects which have had a positive impact on the LGBTQIA+ community in the city.

Laois Pride Festival

Marking its fifth edition, the annual Laois Pride is set to make its grand return from Monday, September 7 to Sunday 13, with the main festival day in Portalaoise on Saturday 12. Showcasing the diversity across Laois, this year’s events promise to be the “most vibrant yet”, centered around a Pride Parade which will kick off at Fitzmaurice Place, Portlaoise at 12pm start on September 12, followed by a “pride fun day” until 5pm.

 

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Dublin Dyke March

Having made its grand return in 2025 after 25 years, the Dublin Dyke March is back this year on Friday, June 26. With this year’s theme, Resist and Persist, protestors call for opposing war and genocide, countering the far-right, fighting for same-sex parents’ rights, and advocating for a fit-for-purpose trans healthcare system.

Kicking off at 6:45pm at the Garden of Remembrance, festivities will continue in the Opium for Dyke Night, including Dyke of the Year contest, and a takeover from DJs Puzzy Wrangler, Rhyzine and Kate Brennan Harding – from 8pm until late.

Dublin Trans and Intersex Pride March

Taking over the streets of Dublin on July 11, the Trans and Intersex Pride March is back following their largest ever gathering last year – bringing over 10,000 people, in a context where trans and intersex people are facing increased far-right backlash.

“Trans & Intersex Pride Dublin has always been a political protest,” said organisers on Instagram. “We are openly and proudly anti-capitalist. We are not only fighting for the liberation of trans and intersex people, but for the liberation of us all!”