The gay pride of Madrid changes its route

May 24 2013

by Marc Dedonder

It is the biggest European gay march since 2007, when Madrid hosted the Europride. Every year, the Madrid Gay Pride, Madrid Orgullo or MADO in Spanish, gathers between 1 million and 1.5 million participants during the first weekend of July.

This year, the organizers announced the modification of the route, which usually started from the Alcalá Gate, went along Gran Via and all the big hotels and ended in the Spanish Plaza. This year, the parade will start on July 6 at about 6 pm from the Atocha traffic circle, in the south of Madrid, and will go up along Paseo del Prado to end at Puerta de Alcalá. The parade is expected to last nearly 7 hours, for a route of 1.5 kilometers.

According to the organizers, this important change, which they claim to be at the origin, should allow to accommodate even more participants (much wider avenue), especially in preparation for the World Pride of 2017. However, some suspect that the Madrid City Council has put pressure on the organizers in order to meet the demands of some local residents to move the march away from downtown Madrid.

Madrid's gay pride, the city's largest annual event, will be held from July 3 to 7.