Just the Facts: Reykjavik Pride

Among other claims to fame, Iceland was the first nation with a lesbian head of state. So it should come as no surprise their Pride celebrations are pretty well received by the locals. The festivities are also also the the grand finale of our Countryside & Reykjavik Pride tour every August. Read on to find out what we love about one of the biggest little Pride parties in the world.

It’s practically a national holiday.

Reykjavik Pride is one of the biggest events on Iceland’s social calendar. Friends, relatives, and allies are a bigger part of the festivities than they are anywhere else we know of – even CANADA (*runs screaming*).

It attracts up to 100,000 global guests

While small compared to the Toronto, Rio, or Sydney, Reykjavik Pride is world-renowned and big of heart. Over six days of celebration are filled with events, including a converging of queers on our day at The Blue Lagoon.

It, too, had political roots.

Like many of today’s biggest pride parties, Iceland’s squeals of celebration began with shouts of protest. In 1993 (barely thirty years ago), gays and lesbians converged in the city centre to demand their civil rights. The first actual parade, in 1999, drew a modest 15,000 people. But here we are now!

Branding is off-limits.

Thanks to corporate sponsorships, pinkwashing is a notorious part of pride around the world. In Reykjavik, logos remain banned from the march itself. In turn, the focus remains on what matters.

It’s about the fight. AND the celebration.

With such broad support from the general population (and by skipping corporate sponsorship) Reykjavik is one of the purest celebrations of human spirit you’ll ever partake in.

Join us this August on our Iceland Countryside & Reykjavik Pride for a holiday – and celebration – you won’t soon forget. Email info@out-adventures.com or call 1-866-360-1152 toll-free (Canada/USA) or +1-416-531-8795 (international).