Gay Pride Month in Tel Aviv each June brings thousands of foreign and domestic tourists to the city for myriad of events marking the occasion, from conferences and lectures to the wildest parties imaginable.
The annual Tel Aviv Pride Parade is already the biggest one in the Middle East. This year, however, the organizers promise it to be bigger and better than ever, splitting the activities normally condensed to one afternoon into two days of non-stop celebration.
Since the introduction of the parade in 1998, it has always been held on Friday afternoons, culminating with a massive concert and party. But this year the march will take place in the evening hours on Thursday, June 8, along the Tel Aviv beachfront promenade, helping attendees avoid the scorching midday sun.
The event will continue the next day with a festival at Yarkon Park that is set to wrap up just before the beginning of Shabbat.
The Tel Aviv municipality expects more than 300,000 visitors over the weekend. If you don’t feel like mingling with a crowd of this size but still want a taste of the festivities, there are other, more low-key events taking place around the city over the upcoming month.
On June 3, the public is invited to the 11th annual Pride Family Picnic at 24 Tchernichovsky Street. The event is described as a great opportunity to meet new friends, from all types of families and from all over the country.
On June 6 at Tel Aviv’s Gan Ha’atzmaut (Independence Park) you can catch the city’s biggest drag show, “Wigstock,” which this year is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The event, which this year has a 90s theme, is set to raise awareness of HIV.
A “Senior’s Party” on June 21 at 31 Yavne Street will celebrate the elders of the LGBTQ+ community with music, refreshments, drinks, and a performance by Ohad Shragai, himself a member of the community.
In addition, Tel Aviv’s International Gay Beach Volleyball Tournament will take place all throughout the month, with the registration to participate closing on June 3.
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