Utrecht Pride

Utrecht Pride is a one-day Pride built around Canal Pride, a boat parade along the Oudegracht, the old canal with wharf-level terraces that runs through the city centre. It started in 2017 as an idea of Robbert Kalff, owner of Café Kalff. It's smaller and more local than Amsterdam's canal parade: around 50 boats, many crewed by universities, employers and community groups.

Watching is free. The boats set off in the early afternoon and sail the length of the Oudegracht, so get a spot on the wharves or bridges early. From 3 pm to 11 pm there are street parties with stages at places such as the Janskerkhof, St. Jacobsstraat and TivoliVredenburg, then afterparties. Utrecht is about half an hour from Amsterdam by train, so a day trip works fine.

The 2026 edition took place on Saturday 6 June 2026 under the theme "United by U." RTV Utrecht described tens of thousands of people in the centre, but no official count was published. The 2025 edition was on 7 June with the theme "Loud, Out, Proud!" The 2027 date hadn't been announced when we checked; it's usually the first Saturday in June.