Things to do in Paris for Pride Day

Oh l’amour! There’s a reason Paris is known as the City of Love, what with all those romantic boulevards, cute sidewalk cafés, handsome bridges, and swoonsome sunset strolls along the banks of the Seine. But love really comes to town in June, when the annual Pride festival – or Quinzaine des Fiertés – kicks off. Two weeks of shows, parties, exhibitions and debates in support of the LGBTQ+ cause, the festival is a celebration of love, diversity and inclusion that takes in everything from drag performances to dance shows, sporting spectaculars, bingo nights, roller-skating events and, of course, the grand finale: a joyful parade (aka the Marche des Fiertés) that snakes through the streets of Paris on the last Saturday of the month, drawing in up to 750,000 spectators and participants. Ooh la la! Dive in for our guide to all the best things to do in Paris on and around Pride Day.

La Marche des Fiertés

There are around 50 LGBTQ+ events taking place in council and municipal buildings and other gay-friendly spaces around Paris during the fortnight that precedes the Marche des Fiertés. Many of these are held in and around Le Marais, Paris’s beautiful, atmospheric and storied gay district. French speakers can find a full program on the country’s official Pride website. 

But, as month-end approaches it’s really all about the Marche des Fiertés, Paris’s vibrant Pride parade, which sees the city center explode in a riot of dancing, singing and laughter, all wrapped up in a simply enormous outpouring of love. The route usually begins at (or near) the Tour Montparnasse, which just happens to be the city’s only skyscraper. Naturally, then, it’s also home to Paris’s highest observation platform – perfect if you want to watch the rainbow-colored parade from above.

There are passionate, rousing speeches from around 1PM before, at 2PM, the crowd commences its two-hour crawl to the Place de la République, via Place de la Bastille. Spectators can expect to spot flamboyant floats, carnivalesque costumes, drag queens, stilt walkers, roller skaters, and more.

The conclusion of the Parade doesn’t spell the end of Paris Pride. Far from it, in fact. The party continues until late in the evening, thanks to thrilling live music and wild drag performances on the main stage at Place de la République (or sometimes Place de la Bastille, depending on the parade route). 

And nor does it end there: lively street parties continue across Paris well into the wee small hours, and it’s also a great (if somewhat busy) time to visit Paris’s finest gay bars and clubs. Hit up the Marais district for some of the most popular in town, among them the legendary Café Cox, Le Cud Bar, Les Souffleurs, and La Perle.

LGBTQ+ Art & Culture

We get it: massive, high-on-life crowds ain’t everybody’s cup of thé. So here’s the good news: you don’t need to join the end-of-June party to get a taste of Parisian LGBTQ+ culture. Try these for size instead:

• The Louvre: the largest (and most-visited) museum on the planet holds an extraordinary collection of gay art. We’re talking Ancient Greek vases featuring eye-popping homoerotic illustrations, an 18th-century sculpture of the heroic gay couple from Virgil’s Aeneid, several busts of Emperor Hadrian’s plaything Antinous, and a number of pieces by Renaissance geniuses Michelangelo and da Vinci. Top Louvre visiting tips here.
• Père Lachaise Cemetery: not just an utterly beautiful cemetery, with broad, leafy boulevards flanked by gothic gravestones and monumental memorials, Père Lachaise also just happens to be the final resting place of several gay icons of yore. Pay your respects at the graves of Oscar Wilde, Édith Piaf and Maria Callas, as well as the tomb shared by Gertrude Stein and Alice Toklas, and that of Jean-Jacques Régis de Cambacérès, the Napoleonic nobleman considered by many to be the father of gay liberation.
• Luminor Hôtel de Ville: this beloved Marais cinema is where it’s at for the latest indie, arthouse and indeed blockbuster LGBTQ+ movies, especially during Quinzaine des Fiertés and other Paris LGBTQ+ film festivals. Latest listings here. 
• Les Mots à la Bouche: this Marais bookshop has been a stalwart of the Paris gay scene since 1980, stocking the full gamut of LGBTQ+ literature from art books to comics and erotic novels.

Best of the Rest: Paris’s Top Attractions

Paris Pride sees many of the city’s renowned landmarks light up in rainbow colors. Of course, the Eiffel Tower gets involved, beaming out its technicolor message of love and unity after dark throughout the Quinzaine des Fiertés. Then there’s the Arc de Triomphe and aforementioned Tour Montparnasse, as well as the countless local businesses – cafés, boutiques, galleries – that brighten the streets with beautiful rainbow flags and bunting. Heck, even Disneyland Paris gets in on the act! Feel the love on a stroll along the Seine, learn to say ‘I love you’ in 250 different languages at the wildly romantic-sounding Mur Des Je t’aime (Wall of Love) in Montmartre, or take a day trip to one of the utterly swoonsome chateaux that are easily reached by train from the capital.

A Paris attraction pass from Go City can save you up to 50% when visiting multiple famous landmarks. There are over 100 attractions, tours and activities to choose from, including many mentioned in this guide. Here are just some of the highlights:

• A guided climb of the Eiffel Tower (a mere 674 steps up to the second level)
• Entry to the mighty Louvre Museum
• A trip to the top of Tour Montparnasse, the only skyscraper in Paris
• Romantic Seine cruises (with or without Champagne)
• Guided walking tours that include LGBTQ+ mecca Le Marais, Père Lachaise Cemetery, arty Montmartre, and a stroll around the favorite hotspots of fictional fashionista Emily Cooper, heroine of Netflix rom-com ‘Emily in Paris’.
• A fashion show at the iconic Galeries Lafayette
• Perfume- and macaron-making experiences
• Entry to the stunning Château Fontainebleau and Palace of Versailles
• … and much, much more!

Find out more about the available pass types and get yours here.