13 LGBTQ+ festivals that you should put on your bucket list

We have made a list of LGBTQ+ festivals that you should knock off your bucket list.

Community . Written by Dominic McNally.

This article is about LGBTQ+ festivals. A large crowd of people surrounding a stage. Smokey with red lights from the stage.
Image: Photo by Wendy Wei vis Pexels.

As festival and Pride season approaches, we have curated a list of LGBTQ+ festivals that should be on everybody’s list throughout the year. With events happening all over the world, there are plenty of occasions to celebrate your identity surrounded by queer people.

Dykonic
Dublin, Ireland – August 9, 2025
Dykonic is Europe’s first queer women+ music festival, coming to Dublin this summer. The event calls on all queer women, trans and non-binary people to get together and celebrate their sapphic selves, all while listening to some outstanding music. 

 

 

The Outing Festival
Dromoland, Co Clare, Ireland – February 2026
This 3-day festival brings the best of LGBTQ+ matchmaking to Ireland during Valentine’s weekend every year. It involves people finding love (or new friends), live music, drag shows, and more.

 

 

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Big Gay Out
Aukland, New Zealand – 2026
This LGBTQ+ festival is open to anyone, and hosts live music, drag shows and more each year. The event crowns Mr Gay New Zealand. Big Gay Out also has days in the UK and Australia.

Queer Ranch Festival
Lesbos, Greece – May 27 – 31, 2025
Queer Ranch Festival is a sapphic festival that is inclusive of trans women and non-binary people. The event has DJs, live music, swimming, beach parties, cinema, workshops and more.

 

 

Homobloc
Manchester, England – date to be confirmed

 

 

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Homobloc is a 13-hour marathon of art and music. It involves DJs, drag shows, live performances and staying true to the UK queer scene.

Mighty Hoopla
London, England – May 31, 2025
This big music festival is held in Brockwell Park in Brixton. The line-up is usually large and has popular names.

 

 

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Circuit Festival
Barcelona, Spain – August 9- 17, 2025
This festival is one of the longest festivals on this list, with nine days of partying and music. One of Europe’s biggest festivals, the event has dance parties, poolside DJs and a waterpark party.

 

 

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OutLoud Raising Voices
West Hollywood, America – May 31 to June 1, 2025
Held during Pride, this event started during lockdown and has now grown to become much more. With its incredible lineups, it has now become a renowned music festival.

Bushwig
Austin, Texas, US – August 23, 2025
Bushwig is one of the most popular events on this list. For two days of the year, it is held at the Knockdown Center in Queens. There is drag, music, art, vendors, DJs, live music and dancing.

 

 

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WHOLE Festival
Ferropolis, Germany – July 18- 21, 2025
This weekend-long festival bounces with electronic music. The event is very big, hosting people from around the globe to camp, listen to DJ sets, do workshops, host art installations and more.

 

Tropikali Festival
Amsterdam, Netherlands – June 28 – 29, 2025
This event is held at the docks of Amsterdam each year. Described as a “musical journey from Berlin to Rio”, the lineup always has a tropical theme in style and music.

 

 

BOPS Pride
Amsterdam, Netherlands – May 23, 2025
BOPS Pride is held at The Other Side in Amsterdam and is a part of Pride Week. The event is known for its DJs and is a queer party.

Milkshake Festival
Amsterdam, Netherlands – July 26- 27, 2025
Two of the biggest clubs in Amsterdam team up to host a party of the best underrated artists of different genres, including drag shows, music and performance art.

 

We hope this LGBTQ+ festival list adds more to your bucket list for a life full of Pride. Events such as these are important as they keep the culture alive and provide people with the space to be their true selves. For more festival ideas to put on your list, click here.

© 2025 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.

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