Image: AT5
The canals of Weesp were decorated with rainbow flags this weekend as the town hosted its inaugural Pride boat parade, reports AT5. While modest in scale compared to Amsterdam's famous Canal Parade, the event marked a meaningful step forward for the local LGBTQ+ community.
Organized by the Rainbow Weesp foundation, the parade featured two main boats and three rowboats, cheered on by residents along the water. For some, the celebration was a powerful symbol of how much has changed over the decades.
"In the 1990s, I felt a bit like the 'only gay in the village' in Weesp," one spectator told AT5. "So it's super nice that times have changed. That there is much more acceptance and openness... this is a very different Weesp than the one I remember from my youth."
The sentiment reflects a broader trend of Pride events taking root in smaller towns across the Netherlands, bringing visibility and a sense of community to areas where it was once scarce.
A Celebration with a Purpose
The event was intentionally planned to coincide with the larger WorldPride festivities taking place in Amsterdam. "We decided to go a bit bigger than in previous years because of WorldPride being organized in the other city of our municipality," explained Henri de Raad of the Rainbow Weesp foundation.
After navigating the canals, the boats moored near a local café on the Stationsweg, where the celebration continued. The afternoon included a DJ set, followed by performances from Dutch musical theatre actor Rolf Koster and the celebrated drag artist Diva Mayday, turning the small parade into a full-fledged community gathering.
While the parade in Weesp may have been small, its existence points to the growing strength and visibility of LGBTQ+ communities beyond the traditional hubs of the Randstad, creating new spaces for celebration and connection.
