International Gay Beach Festival Maspalomas 2026

The International Gay Beach Festival Maspalomas takes place in October, in the warm shoulder season when the summer crowds have thinned but the Gran Canaria climate remains reliably warm. The festival centres on the gay beach section near the Maspalomas dunes and draws approximately 15,000 attendees — smaller than Pride in scale but with the specific character of a beach-centred event that celebrates the outdoor, naturist, and beach culture that has been central to Gran Canaria's gay identity since the 1980s. The October timing reflects the logic of the Gran Canaria gay calendar: the island's year-round appeal means that the event does not need to compete with the June–August peak of the European gay summer season. Events include beach parties, pool events at the gay hotels, bar circuit at the Yumbo, and the general social gathering of a community that has found, in the Maspalomas beach and dune landscape, one of the most naturally dramatic settings for any outdoor gay event in Europe.