Benidorm Bursts With Pride; 20,000 Lined The Seafront For Saturday’s Parade

ON Saturday, September 9 at 5pm, the fun-filled Benidorm Pride demonstration took place.

As in previous years, the parade-demonstration began at McDonald’s (Rincon de Loix). After a slight delay to the start, it continued along the Paseo del Levante until it ended at the Julio Iglesias Auditorium.

Although Pride activities started on September 4, the big day came on Saturday.

The atmosphere was extremely friendly, laid back and full of fun, as members of the public literally queued to take photographs of many of the participants.

The drag queens, however, were particularly popular, due to their extravagant attire and make up.

Although not as many floats participated as previous years, the music and joviality of the event spread among the cheering crowds, who also enjoyed an extremely warm evening as the parade made its way along the seafront.

Lorries and double decker buses were transformed into festive floats, each equipped with a mobile sound studio pumping out music to enhance the carnival-like ambiance.

Hundreds of individuals enthusiastically took part, putting in considerable effort to adorn themselves in a dazzling array of vibrant and eye-catching costumes.

Feathers and sequins were aplenty, and there was no shortage of towering high heels.

There was a generous display of bare skin that truly delighted the spectators, especially the ship, which proved to be an enormous hit.

This year, Benidorm Pride chose Samaritans in Spain as their official charity.

In support of this, Samaritans in Spain participated in the parade, raising vital funds and awareness. Behind their advertising lorry, an army of volunteers followed behind sporting donation tins and buckets.

Volunteers were available to address inquiries and distribute pamphlets that offered additional details about the charitable efforts aimed at promoting the welfare of others.

Samaritans in Spain offers a confidential listening service to individuals of all ages in the mainland. They can be reached at no cost by dialing 900 525 100. To learn more about the organisation and discover ways to lend your support, please visit www.samaritansinspain.com.

The purpose, of course, of all the activities organised throughout the week was to give visibility to the needs and demands of the LGBTQ+ community, which outshone itself in the Benidorm event.