Pride in Amsterdam is famously joyful, but this year, the festivities are set to strike many as particularly extravagant, even by the Dutch city’s fun-loving standards. That’s because there’s something big to celebrate: WorldPride 2026 is coming to Amsterdam to honour two important milestones that have shaped not only how the LGBTQ+ community determines its life and culture in the country, but also internationally.
On April 1, 2001, Amsterdam City Hall hosted the world’s first legal gay marriage. At the stroke of midnight, as the national law went into effect, four same-sex couples were married by the new mayor, Job Cohen. Cohen was the perfect person for the job. Before he entered office, he had been a parliamentarian and Secretary of Justice who helped guide the bill into becoming law.
There were three male couples and one female couple. When the call went out, many gay couples volunteered, alongside just one lesbian couple. The lesbians, of course, became the faces of equal marriage in the media. One of the pair said later that they were totally unprepared for the international frenzy that would follow.
Across the global community of LGBTQ+ people, the event was both a call to arms and a beacon of hope. Minor victories, like the Hawaii court decision allowing gay marriage, had given glimmers of what was possible. The Netherlands, however, was solid proof. There was a future in which our relationships could be equal before the law. This was especially important after the AIDS crisis, when hospitals had ignored the decisions of decades-long partners for estranged family members.
And much to our delight, in recent follow-up interviews, three couples described themselves as still happily married. Sadly, however, one of the husbands from one of the male couples passed away within a few years of tying the knot – his spouse subsequently donated their wedding rings to the Amsterdam Museum, which has proudly displayed them ever since (don’t look too closely at them, though: the couple’s ‘real’ rings were tattoos, so for the cermeony, they bought cheap physical rings which, according to one local legend, were sourced from a party supplies store).
Funny anecdotes aside, that it took many steps to get to legalised gay marriage in the Netherlands can’t be denied. One of those steps is the other anniversary WorldPride 2026 will mark in the summer. Thirty years ago, in 1996, the city hosted its first Canal Pride.
In the 1990s, general LGBTQ+ acceptance still had a long way to go. However, even by then, it had reached a level that would have astonished the secretive community of the 1950s. In addition to societal shifts, specific people changed the public perception of the community.
Benno Premsela, the first man to openly discuss his homosexuality on Dutch TV, became the moral heart of the community. Meanwhile, Joke Swiebel was a young college student when she led Europe’s first pro-gay protest, which led to the removal of a homophobic law. And Nicki Nicole, in her capacity as host of a groundbreaking TV drag show, charmed the country with her wit, a sure way to win over the Dutch.
In 1998, Amsterdam hosted the Gay Games. It was a relatively new event that had begun as a showcase of queer athletes and evolved into a celebration of exceptionalism in the community. The city organised parties, a film festival, and athletic competitions. But were straight Amsterdammers ready for such a wide-ranging event?
To lay the groundwork, the organisers set up a parade as only Amsterdam could: boats along the famous Canal Belt. They were planned for 1996 and 1997 at the start of August, when 1998’s Gay Games would be held, and turned out so popular that the tradition is maintained to this day.
Some Pride hotspots are historic in their own right. Café ‘t Mandje was founded as Amsterdam’s first (modern) queer bar in 1927 and maintains its original atmosphere while still hosting events like queer storytelling. Café Saarein was saved from eviction by the community and remains a place where people across the LGBTQ+ spectrum feel at home. Lellebel: Queer Bar is a punk space thanks to Tori, the only trans woman to own a bar in the country (which she states with well-deserved pride).
There are also many great resources for queer people of colour. Pon di Pride organises events throughout the year, including for WorldPride 2026. The Waterkant, which serves Surinamese food and atmosphere year-round, will host a number of events for the queer community of colour, too.
But perhaps the most important story of all is told at IHLIA, the queer archive. A small exhibition is currently telling the stories of LGBTQ+ refugees from around the world, who have made their home in Amsterdam. The show demonstrates clearly where the Netherlands must improve and what can happen if queer people and allies don’t fight homophobia in all its forms.
Many refugees are also set to be in the joyful crowds during World Pride. At a time when queer people and their lives are under renewed threat, it’s important to pause not just for celebration but for inspiration, too. The anniversaries of the first canal parade and the first gay marriage are a chance to find strength in previous generations that have worked hard to create a more equal and inclusive world. Their advancements weren’t inevitable – they came from individuals who stood up for their entire community, demanding change. In this spirit, we hope that everyone lucky enough to attend WorldPride 2026 experiences not merely the comfort of community but also a sense of hope for all we can achieve together.
This article was produced in collaboration with Badass Tours, the Amsterdam-based walking tour company giving visitors to the city a behind-the-scenes look at iconic, yet frequently overlooked sites that tell the stories of diverse people who have shaped it: from LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities to women’s history and Jewish history.
Photography at the top courtesy of The Amsterdamian, photography of Benno Premsela by Doriann Kransberg, photography of Bet van Beeren displays and photographic collage courtesy of the Amsterdam City Archive
