XLSIOR Mykonos Festival 2026

XLSIOR is Mykonos's giant gay week — the biggest international gay festival on the island and one of the anchors of the European circuit calendar. In 2026 it runs 20–25 August, and it pulls more than 30,000 men from around the world onto an island that is, for those six days, essentially theirs.

Mykonos was a gay destination long before XLSIOR existed, but the festival concentrates everything: a week of day parties, boat parties and long nights built around the island's beaches and clubs, with international DJs and a crowd that treats the whole thing as one rolling event. The tagline — dance, freedom, paradise — is about right.

Passes are the way in. A Regular Pass (€299) covers every event across the week and works out far cheaper than paying at the door; a VIP Pass (€520) adds guaranteed entry, VIP areas and the extras. There are no advance day tickets — single-event tickets are sold only at the venues on the night, if there is room — so most people buy the pass, and you will need your passport to buy it and to collect your wristband.

The 2026 party programme and venue lineup had not been published at the time of writing — XLSIOR announces it closer to the dates — so check the official site for which parties land where.

Practical notes: Mykonos in late August is expensive and books out early, so lock in a room and flights well ahead. The island runs on taxis, buses and boats between the town, the gay beaches and the club venues; days start late and nights end at sunrise. Bring sun cover for the day parties — a lot of sun, very little shade.