Cologne lgbtq
Association
ColognePride e.V. was founded in 1991 under the label Kölner Lesben- und Schwulentag e.V. (KLuST) (Cologne Dyke and Gay Day Association) and is not only the organiser of CSD Cologne and ColognePride, but is also active in local politics and nationally. At the moment, ColognePride e.V. has about 300 members (as of April 2022), including private individuals, queer gastronomy businesses, companies and associations. Nine voluntary board members, a managing director and three advisory board members work all year round for our interests in Cologne.
The heart of ColognePride are our political demands, which we focus on at ColognePride, but also at many queer political events and discussions outside of ColognePride.
Extension of Article 3(3) of the Basic Law to include the characteristics of sexual and gender identity.
Nationwide action plans against homophobia, trans*, inter* and biophobia.
International commitment of the Federal Government to the observance of human rights, especially in the support of LGBTIQ* initiatives.
Support for LGBTIQ* refugees and better development for authorities, safe and decent housing.
Funding anti-discrimination and aw
Cologne celebrates Germany's largest LGBT+ pride parade
More than a million members of the LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, attracted to both genders and transgender) community and their allies flocked to Cologne on Sunday to get part in one of Europe's largest pride parades.
The attendance for this year's Christopher Street Evening parade, which marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in Unused York, was similar to last year's, which saw 1.2 million people grab part.
Drag star and Eurovision-winning singer Conchita Wurst took part in this year's festivities, as well as former Spice Girl Mel C and singer Haddaway.
Around 150 different groups signed up to march in this year's parade. In contrast to other pride parades in Germany, organizers in Cologne have made their event a political demonstration, purposefully limiting the size of the floats to maintain its protest atmosphere.
But the parade was also a celebration of the city itself. Carnival songs were peppered into the pride performances, which wound through Cologne's elderly town. When asked what makes Cologne's parade so exceptional in Germany, many were quick to answer.
"Cologne is more tolerant than other cities," s
Cologne is colourful — and for many years it’s been an immovable standpoint for the issues affecting the LGBTQIA+ community. That’s because Cologne actively practices tolerance, a cosmopolitan perspective and serene coexistence. Whether it’s Pink Carnival or Christopher Highway Day, the Schaafenstraßenfest lane fair or the informative contact points — Cologne’s heart is in the right place. And the city offers you an abundance of events, male lover and lesbian cafés, bars, clubs and other gathering places such as Cologne’s Bermuda Triangle and the events around CSD, such as the ColognePride parade.
Cologne’s Christopher Street Parade is the biggest in Europe. The rainbow-hued two-week programme of more than 100 events celebrates, commemorates, represents and presents the issues of the LGBTQIA+ community on all channels — to promote human rights, tolerance and the peaceful coexistence of people of every orientation.
Cologne’s Bermuda Triangle houses seven bars within 150 metres — it’s your rainbow-hued party mile with countless stopoff points.
Carnival event of the StattGarde Colon
Gay Cologne City Guide
Köln or Cologne
Cologne, Germany’s fourth largest city with one million inhabitants, has both the river Rhine and a truly majestic Cathedral as its core attractions.
This haughty, confident and fun-loving municipality has a thriving cultural scene, and is a major hub for media, business and tourism, attracting regular hordes of tourists to the many festivals and events this most liberal of German cities hosts every year.
All this makes Cologne a wonderful gay city destination, with much to experience and discover - the city’s extensive gay scene and beyond.
Gay Scene
Cologne in the West of the nation is second only to Berlin in the East in the rankings of German gay city hotspots and takes the title of Germany’s gay move party capital.
The city has a large and well-established gay scene with many bars, clubs and saunas, concentrated in the town centre. It is also justly famous for its annual gay pride, and Christopher Street Day (CSD) parade, which is one the biggest and most high-profile in all of Europe.
Getting to Cologne
By air
Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN) is just 15 minutes by train (S Bahn lines S13 and S19 costing €2.80) from the municipality centre, and is
Cologne Gay Travel Reference 2025
Upcoming Events in Cologne
About Cologne and its gay life
Although situated in Western Germany, Cologne is sometimes called the ›most southern city of Germany‹. That is partly because the people in Cologne look after to be more easy-going and approachable than in other German cities. And they love to imitate the Southern European lifestyle – as soon as two rays of sunshine hit the city you will see some tables outside in front of many cafes and bars.
Cologne had been extensively destroyed during World War II. And the paradigm of the first after-war and ›Wirtschaftswunder‹ decades to displace everything old by something new unfortunately did the relax to prevent Cologne from becoming one of the most interesting and stunning cities in Germany. For the sight-seeing traveller it hasn't much to provide besides the Cathedral, an UNESCO Nature Heritage site, a wide range of high quality art galleries and museums, and a scant other attractions.
But Cologne more than compensates for this with its more friendly and easy-going atmosphere. As one result Cologne became the lgbtq+ capital of the western part of Germany. Its massive rival in the East, Berlin, is bigg