The Pride, called Gay Pride until a few years ago, is a huge event that within a festival of colours, music and dancing carries the call for freedom and equality of the LGBTQIA+ movement. The city of Milan, during Pride, is one of the main cities where events of various kinds are organised and which attracts and welcome a large number of people, including the Milan Pride Parade, which has become as famous as the one in Rome. If you are looking for an accommodation in Milan check DoveVivo, which offers many flats in many locations.

But to understand the deeper reasons why Pride is celebrated, you need to know a bit of its history. The historical date of the celebration is 27-28 June 1969, when there were the so-called Stonewall Riots, i.e., the city riots that arose following one of the frequent police raids. This time the raid was on the gay club Stonewall Inn in New York and, for the first time in decades of oppression, the LGBTQIA+ community did not stand by but rose up. The following year, on the same date, there was a commemoration of that event, attended by hundreds of people, so that it can be considered the first Gay Pride in history.

These events are characterised by bright colours and fancy costumes, also elements of rebellion and freedom. Those who recognised themselves as having a minority gender identity or sexual orientation began to march wearing the clothes they felt represented by, no longer having to hide, and this tradition is still alive today.

Having gone through years of struggle and even violence, Pride has become more and more popular, welcoming many people, namely the entire community it represents and the allies who support it. During Pride Month, June 2023, the Pride wave returns to make itself felt throughout Italy with a series of events and parades promoted by the associations.

Gay Pride in Milan

Milan was one of the first cities in Italy where homosexual revolutionaries began to make their voices heard and take to the streets. Gay groups were beginning to consolidate but there were still many people who continued to hide for fear of repercussions.

In 1989, more than a hundred homosexual activists gathered in Milan's Piazza della Scala to show everyone that they existed, that they had rights and that these should be respected. The following year, in 1990, they found themselves again in Piazza della Scala and this time there were twice as many. This cannot be considered a true Milan Pride, but it certainly shows how the Lombardy city has always been in the vanguard and at the forefront of promoting freedom.

The first event recognised as Gay Pride was the one held in Rome in 1994, with thousands of participants. From that moment on, it was a crescendo that spread to Bologna, Turin, Padova and, of course, Milan, which hosted the National Pride in 2001, while the name Milano Pride came in 2004.

The event usually takes place during the last week of June, a festival celebrating the pride of sexual identities different from those traditionally recognised by society. It is an opportunity to come together, a cry for freedom in unison, to gain visibility, recognition, and respect, needed today as always.

Let's take a look at the programme and events of Milano Pride.

Milan Pride events

Every year the Milano Pride Parade is organised; the culminating and main event of the whole event, but not the only one. In fact, it is accompanied by concomitant events lasting a week that anticipate and accompany the parade and the final party.

The main stages and moments of Milano Pride are:

• Pride Month, the whole of June 2023, not only in Milan but spread throughout Italy;
• Pride Week, the week in which various events focusing on art, cinema, music, meetings, book presentations, nightlife, sport, theatre, health and much more are concentrated;
• Pride Square, 22nd and 23rd June 2023, the festival of events and initiatives held in three squares in the Porta Venezia district, famous for being Milan's LGBTQIA+ district, also due to the presence of many gay bars. The locations are: Piazza Santa Francesca Romana, Piazzale Lavater, Lazzaretto and largo Bellintani, where debates, talks, art and culture on rights and not only, also moments for families and a health presidium are planned;
• Pride Parade with final event scheduled for Saturday 24th June. At 3.00 p.m. people will start meeting along Via Vittor Pisani, in front of Milan's Central Station; the start of the march will be at 4.00 p.m., it will pass through the Porta Garibaldi and Moscova areas before arriving at 6.30 p.m. at the Arco della Pace. Here there will be a farewell speech and the event with music and entertainment will continue until after midnight.

For all the details on Pride Week and Pride Square events, as well as updates on the calendar and programme, please visit the Milano Pride website.

Are you ready for a dose of fun, a cultural treat and, above all, a deep breath of freedom in favour of a more egalitarian world? Don't miss Milano Pride for an incredible experience!