From small, enthusiastic marches in the days before homosexuality was de-criminalised and lesbians were often regarded as invisible, to the spectacle that it is today… Over the years Dublin Pride has grown from a one-day parade into a colourful, theatrical, extravaganza celebrating the culture and achievements of the LGBTQ+ community.
This year’s theme, One Story, Many Voices, encapsulates the spectrum of narratives involved, celebrating the story of the city’s LBGTQ+ community over the decades. As the organisers of this year’s festival so rightly put it, “Some stories are loud and luminous. Some are quieter, hard-won, still unfolding. Some are celebrated. Some are still fighting to be heard. All of them matter.”
Matter they do, and as ever there’s always plenty to see, do and experience. Pick up a Pride programme and see for yourself, or check out some of our picks below.
Happy Pride!
Lavender Walk
Every day during Dublin Pride week, the effervescently engaging Tonie Walsh treats visitors to the original LGBTQ+ history walking tour of Dublin. Lasting ninety minutes, the tour departs from Barnardo Square, next to City Hall in the company of the Archivist, Activist and queer historian who’s knowledge of Dublin’s queer social history is, quite frankly, second to none. Dress fabulous!
Pride Hub
Packed with information stands, performances involving community groups, queer artists, crafters and makers, this week sees buzzy Meeting House Square taking on the mantle of the festival’s daytime Pride Hub.
If you’re not quite sure where to start, it’s the perfect spot get yourself acquainted and dip into the experience of Pride in the city. The Hub is open from Wednesday June 24th to Friday June 26th.
Pride Party Palooza
Ahead of the big weekend, there is plenty to celebrate – check out The Pride Week Table Quiz, The Dolly Grip Experience, Speed Dating events and much much more… There are also lots of one off events happening outside the official Pride programme too. One such is Pride Party Palooza, hosted by boutique fitness studio Barry’s. As part of its celebrations the studio is also raising money for Elton John AIDS Foundation and Belong To as part of its month-long United We Barry’s fitness challenge.
The studio also hosts a special ‘Pride Party Palooza’ class at its Dublin location on Dawson Street, this Thursday June 25th at 7.30pm, kicking off with a 50-minute Run x Lift class led by trainer Zoe Conway. After all that exercise, enjoy a post-aerobic Pride party featuring food and drinks, prizes and a DJ set.
Resist and Persist – Dublin Dyke March & Dyke Night
Friday night sees the impressive Dublin Dyke March take to the streets, led out from The Gardens of Remembrance by the leather-clad Dykes on Bikes.
The March will continue along O’Connell Street to a second access point on Westmoreland Street, then it’s on to Dame Street, where proceedings finish up with what promises to be a series of rousing speeches from activists at Barnardo’s Square.
As ever, Pride is a protest and this year’s theme, ‘Resist and Persist’, neatly encompasses a number of key issues facing the community today. These include opposing war and genocide, countering the far-right, fighting for same-sex parents’ rights, and advocating for a fit-for-purpose trans healthcare system.
This year’s festivities also see the Dublin Dyke March joining forces with Dublin Lesbian Line and Dublin Pride for an official Dyke Night afterparty at Opium, featuring a Dyke of the Year contest and tunes from Kate Brennan Harding, rhyzine and Puzzy Wrangler.
A spectacle not to be missed, expect it to be a late one!
Pride Breakfast at Outhouse
Craic, gossip and a bit of sustenance for the day ahead? Head to Outhouse to grab a bite to eat, and start Pride surrounded by community, colour, and celebration.
The menu includes a savoury choice of Bacon Baps, Crispy Irish bacon served in a soft, buttery bap, or a delicious Double Egg Bap made for vegetarians.
There’s also a nice selection of Fresh Pastries, Muffins and freshly Ground Coffee with a selection of drinks and juices. Come early, soak up the atmosphere and get the day off to a great start.
Drag, Clay and Mimosas at Throwing Shapes
Throwing Shapes invite you to begin a day of Dublin Pride with a creative morning on Saturday featuring clay, drag and plenty of mimosas to set you up for the Dublin Pride Parade.
The full studio takeover includes mimosas and nibbles on arrival, before getting hands-on with clay in a fun and inclusive 2.5hr workshop in the entertaining company of Drag Queens Anziety and Viola Gayvis.
By the end of the session each participant will have a pottery piece to keep, while all creations will be glazed and fired by the studio team and ready for collection approximately 4-6 weeks later.
10% of all tickets sales will be donated to @belongtoyouthservices the national LGBTQ+ youth organisation.
Tickets via throwingshapes.ie
The Pride Parade & Pride Village
We’re really looking forward to seeing the city at its most open, welcoming and joyful as more than 100,000 people take to the streets for the annual Dublin Pride Parade, and the city rapidly transforms into a sea of colour, protest, celebration and solidarity.
It promises to be a great afternoon, as the bustling parade led by Grand Marshall Philippa Ryder wends its way from O’Connell Street to Merrion Square. The festivities continue at Pride Village in Merrion Square afterwards, where a great programme of live entertainment awaits, offering plenty of opportunities to soak up an atmosphere best described as fabulous.
Mother Pride Block Party
Mother‘s legendary Pride Block Party returns to Collins Barracks and, as ever, it’s shaping up to be one of the hottest tickets of the weekend. This Friday and Saturday-Mother Pride 2026 Goes Full Weekend: Scissor Sisters, SOFI TUKKER & Jinkx Monsoon Lead Two-Night Celebration as part of a blockbuster featuring international headliners, drag royalty, DJs and a crowd that knows exactly how to enjoy a party.
If Pride had an unofficial closing ceremony before the afterparties begin, this would definitely be it.
One Story, Two Voices: Tonie Walsh & Jay Toole
Sunday sees organisers closing out the festival by marking the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, at a very special event featuring Tonie Walsh, Curator of the Irish Queer Archive and Stonewall veteran and Trans activist Jay Toole.
Taking place at the site of one of Dublin’ s oldest unofficial gay bars, expect powerful reflections on queer history, activism and community from two people who’ve helped shape it.
A timely reminder that, in the midst of all the celebrations, Pride is and always will be a protest.
Oscar Wilde’s De Profundis at MoLI
Few figures loom larger over Dublin’s queer cultural history than Oscar Wilde, and this special exhibition of De Profundis at the Museum of Literature Ireland offers a moving and timely opportunity to revisit one of his most personal and powerful works in an appropriately literary setting.
It continues until the end of August at MoLI.
The Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride Festival Guide 2026 is out now. Pick it up in venues across the city or read it online here.
