EuroPride 2023: Pride March kicks off in Floriana

Saturday marks the culmination of ten days of EuroPride events in Malta, as the Pride March from Floriana to Valletta is underway.

The March kicked off at around 4pm next to the Lion Fountain at St Anne’s Street in Floriana and will proceed to Valletta.

The organisers said that the EuroPride March is not just a walk - but a declaration of love, equality, and inclusion.

"This electrifying event is an opportunity to stand together, shoulder to shoulder, and showcase our commitment to diversity and inclusion. As we march through the historic streets of Floriana and Valletta, we make a resounding statement that love knows no boundaries and that every individual deserves respect, understanding, and equal rights."

(Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)

Later in the evening, the fully booked concert of Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Cristina Aguilera will take place at Floriana Granaries. The doors will be open at 6pm and the concert will be also live-streamed on a big screen at the Tritoni square in Valletta.

Aguilera will be also supported by a number of musical acts, including Katerina Stikoudi, Ira Losco, QUEENZ, Emma Muscat and The Travellers.

Malta is currently hosting EuroPride 2023, a 10-day celebration of LGBTIQ+ rights across Europe. EuroPride is a pan-European international LGBTI event featuring a Pride parade, hosted by a different European city each year.

Malta got the green light to host EuroPride in October 2020 when the bid by the Allied Rainbow Communities (ARC) – a local NGO for the LGBTIQ+ community – won the support of the European Pride organisers.

(Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)

Malta has become a pioneer of LGBTIQ+ rights, following a series of legal reforms in the past decade.

In 2014 Malta started recognising same-sex couples, allowing civil unions and joint adoption by the same couples. The right to change legal gender has been in place since 2015 and conversion therapy was banned in 2016.

Same-sex marriage legislation was enacted in 2017 and since 2022 blood donation restrictions for gay men were removed.

On Saturday 9 September, the second-ever Pride March in Gozo was held, however, a group of queer people were attacked by individuals straight after.

LGBTI+ Gozo condemned the attack, saying the incident served as a stark reminder of why Pride is needed.

(Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)

It said a group of queer Gozitans who had left the Gozo Pride Concert were verbally harassed when they approached a bar, and one person was physically assaulted as the aggression escalated.

“We cannot stand idly by while members of our society are attacked and assaulted just for being themselves. We cannot celebrate Pride and do nothing while LGBTI+ people in Gozo and Malta experience discrimination, stigma, and violence just for occupying space,” the NGO said.