Malta’s LGBT+ Community Vying To Host Massive International Pride Celebration
Malta’s Allied Rainbow Communities (ARC), the organisers of Malta’s Pride over the last few years, has just been officially added to the list of European Pride Organisers (EPOA).
This inauguration is more than a nod at the leaps local Pride celebrations have taken over these past few years. It’s also opened the doors for an opportunity to host tens of thousands of LGBT+ people and allies from across the globe.
The event is Europride.
Europride is an international, pan-European celebration that chooses one country each year to host an all-inclusive event for everyone across the continent. This year’s edition will be hosted by Sweden in both Stockholm and Gothenburg. Founded in 1992, Europride has seen millions of proud members of the LGBT+ community come together to celebrate Pride with pride.
Last year Malta’s Pride celebrations hosted a record-breaking 2,500 people who marched together along Valletta’s Republic Street. In an unusual sight for Malta, local shops donned the symbolic rainbow flag in a nod to the LGBT+ community, and support from corporations and public bodies poured in.
Speaking to Lovin Malta, Eomen Gomez Jimenez (the President of ARC) explained that this new inauguration is “just the beginning”.
“Our membership with EPOA means that we now have a target to achieve and that is, hosting EuroPride.We need to ride on last year’s momentum to build upon our resources, partnerships and capacity as a country to host such a big event and upon which we can continue our mission of promoting a safe and inclusive environment for the LGBTIQ community ”
The goal is to see Europride take place in Valletta in five year’s time.
To achieve this, ARC needs to win the bid against other organisations who are hoping to bring the rainbow flag to their town in 2023.
But if you can’t wait that long, this year’s pride celebration will take place on the 15th September, 2018. So mark your calendars and get excited!