Celebrating Pride in Austria

Being abroad during the summer meant that I had the very special opportunity of attending the Vienna Pride Parade. It is a huge event that draws nearly 250,000 people and serves as a great way for the community to come together and celebrate. The entire city seemed to be celebrating, before even arriving to the parade I was met with the U-bahn’s sign flashing between arrival times and the phrase “We ride with pride”. The celebration is a bit different than most places in the United States as it was parade that was the main event of the day, instead of the festival-like celebration that takes place in a lot of cities. However, this did not stop anyone from sharing in the joy of the day! The city shares the route of the parade beforehand, so we picked a spot to stand and watch. The parade started with two trams decorated for pride month, each full of people who were celebrating, as well as lots of upbeat music! The music continued for the rest of the day, with different songs fading into each other as the floats passed by. We danced and sang along to the music and got to see so many other people who were also there to just have a good time! The smile on everyone’s faces showed just how special of a day it was, the vibes were so good, and the weather was beautiful. It was environment where strangers didn’t exist, everyone felt like friends! I watched people who had never met before share jokes and laugh together like they had known each other for a lifetime. I had never seen the city so alive, I was used to quiet streets and hushed conversations.

            I loved experiencing a pride parade outside of the United States. As we all sang along to the same songs and cheered for the same reasons, it was easy to see that pride was what united us. I felt like a part of the city, not just someone who was visiting for the summer! The best part came when someone offered to paint my face with a rainbow, and then gave us the paint to give to others! We got to meet so many people this way and it was special to see everyone still proudly sporting the paint on their face after they had left the parade.

            I also had the chance to experience Linz pride as well! While it did not draw the same large crowd as Vienna, it had the same positive energy and celebratory songs and cheers! I loved being able to experience the same joy in two different places, and it was like what I had seen at Pride events at home! We decided to march in the parade, and we were welcomed with open arms. Although the weather was much gloomier on this day, it did not stop anyone’s sunny disposition! If you find yourself in Vienna or Linz in the Summer, I highly recommend going to a Pride event! The whole month was filled with activities, so if a parade is not your thing, there are other ways to celebrate!