Groningen Pride 2026

Groningen Pride is the northern Netherlands' major LGBTQ+ celebration — a summer event that reflects the city's specific character as a university town with a young, politically engaged queer community. The event is organised by COC Groningen in partnership with the city's student organisations and includes a street parade through the city centre, festival programming at the Grote Markt, and evening events across Groningen's gay and gay-friendly venues. Groningen Pride has grown significantly over recent years as the university partnership has brought institutional backing and a larger programme to what was historically a smaller community event. The combination of the Martinitoren as a backdrop, the Grote Markt as a festival space, and the energy of a city where students form a quarter of the population gives the event a specific character — youthful, politically engaged, and with a strong sense that the future of Dutch LGBTQ+ rights is being discussed and shaped here as much as in Amsterdam. For visitors in the Netherlands in summer 2026, Groningen Pride offers a distinctive alternative to the larger but more tourist-oriented Amsterdam WorldPride.