I went to WorldPride 2026 and discovered why Amsterdam is Europe’s most joyful, inclusive city break

“Is Amsterdam always this… gay?”, I ask Alicia, a friend who now calls the city home, as I point to one of the dozen or so Pride flags I can see from a canalside bar one evening. “They’re always here,” she says, confirming the city’s accepting stance isn’t a corporate showing but rather a year-round declaration.

After committing to walking the hour back to my hotel, I indulge in a nightcap beside a people-watching ginger cat. I sip a local blond beer and look on as a queue builds across the street, sequinned bodies perspiring in the balmy summer evening air. “It’s a gay sex club”, a bartender informs me as I enquire about the nightlife scene. “Very popular,” she adds, before listing off a handful of the best bars in the city. “There’s something for everyone here, even though the city is small.”

Nightlife plays a big part in the WorldPride celebrations, but it’s by no means the draw for everyone. Rijksmuseum’s Queer Stories collection details LGBTQ+ history through various Dutch masterpieces, historical and contemporary tales of love and persecution speaking to visitors from storied frames.

At The Nieuwe Kerk (The New Church), an exhibition, Queer Amsterdam: the Pink City, paves the way for a dedicated museum for all things LGBTQ+. The showcase opened its doors ahead of WorldPride in July 2026 and is set to remain until April 2027. Jan Adam Kruseman’s portrait of King William II is among the antique masterpieces that greet us, the accompanying description alluding to potential same-sex, extra-marital relations. On discovering the rumours were set to be revealed, William agreed to a constitutional revision that limited his influence and gave the public more political influence; “the taboo surrounding homosexuality forces a king to make political choices that he likely would not have made otherwise”.