Colorful and diverse Innsbruck: Pride Tirol

Since 2010 there is the CSD (Christopher Street Day) in Innsbruck. It all started with a few visitors, but in the meantime it has developed into a large and constantly growing event.

Christopher Street Day is a demonstration that took place for the first time in 1969. The trigger was the police action against sexual minorities in New York in 1968. Against this police arbitrariness, the first rally was held a year later. Meanwhile, the CSD is not only a day of remembrance of the events of that time. It is a day when the LGBTQ+ community draws attention to the fact that rights and recognition must be hard fought for and maintained. It is a peaceful, colorful and flashy procession through the city where everyone is welcome.

Rudolf Kaiser aka JayJay, Obperson of Pride Tirol, emphasized that an attack on the LGBTQ+ community is also an attack on democracy. It is all the more important to make a statement, because since Corona the attacks against queer people have also increased. "Pride is for everyone, not just for people from the scene," Kaiser also invited people to come and see for themselves and experience the peaceful and colorful togetherness.

2023 there are some innovations at the event. The previous Christopher Street Day (CSD) will become Pride Tirol. Organized by the newly founded association Pride Tirol, the event has a new face.

The new venue is the Olympiaworld. One reason is the growing number of participants with each year, which this place will meet. In addition, there is the new route of the parade, which is the second longest in Austria with almost five kilometers.

This year, on July 29, it led from Olympiaworld via Tivoli, Leipziger Platz, Sillpark, the main train station, Bozner Platz and Triumphpforte, through Wilten and across the Olympic Bridge back to Olympiaworld.

The name Pride Tirol and the new association now want to carry the Pride to other parts of Tyrol. Already on October 7, the Pearl Pride is announced in Kufstein, and in 2024 there should also be an event in St. Johann.

With 4,500 participants, Pride Tirol last Saturday, July 29, was a record: never before have more people been on the streets for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. Peaceful, loud and in high spirits, the parade moved through Innsbruck's city center. Even the onset of thundershowers did not dampen the absolutely great mood. With resounding beats and whistles, the participants slowly danced across the streets of Innsbruck lined with many rainbows. After the incidents in Vienna, a lot was put on security. A large police contingent accompanied the parade. However, everything went very peacefully, there was so much approval from passersby on the streets and cheering. There was a sense of togetherness that shows why it is important to put on this event once a year.

After the parade, there was a great festival in the newly designed Pride Village at Olympiaworld, despite the thundershowers that kept coming. Numerous information booths of various organizations provided information and answers to questions that arose.

Information about Pride Tirol can be found on the homepage of the association.

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