News

Winning West of Ireland bid team heads to Magdeburg, Germany as preparations build for Ireland’s first-ever EuroPride

5 October 2026

With just 665 days to go until EuroPride Ireland 2028, the team behind Ireland’s first-ever EuroPride is heading to Magdeburg, Germany, for the European Pride Organisers Association (EPOA) Annual General Meeting to update Pride organisations from across Europe on preparations for this historic event.

The winning bid came from The Outing Winter Pride Festival, Ennis, Co. Clare, and Limerick LGBTQ+ Pride, who secured EuroPride for the West of Ireland for the first time in history.

Taking place from 3–13 August 2028, EuroPride Ireland 2028 will bring Ten Days of LGBTQ+ culture, arts, music, community, human rights, celebration and Pride to County Clare and Limerick, placing the West of Ireland and the Wild Atlantic Way at the heart of one of Europe’s most important LGBTQ+ events.

The team’s return to the EPOA AGM marks another major milestone in the journey towards 2028. Having previously travelled to Europe as a bidding team, they now return as the hosts of EuroPride 2028, ready to share progress, strengthen European partnerships and continue learning from Pride organisations across the continent.

Under the theme “Pride in the Community,” EuroPride Ireland 2028 will celebrate the extraordinary progress made by Ireland’s LGBTQ+ community while also recognising the work that remains to ensure equality, visibility, safety and inclusion for everyone across Europe and the world, amid the rise of hate and the far right, as pride is a way to give a voice to all communities that don’t have a voice.

The programme will showcase Queer Irish culture and the communities of the West of Ireland, with events planned across Clare and Limerick, culminating in a major EuroPride weekend and parade in Limerick City.

Eddie McGuinness, Festival Director of The Outing Winter Pride Festival and Co-Project Lead of EuroPride Ireland 2028, said:

“When we first brought this idea to Europe near ten years ago, we asked people to believe that EuroPride could be different – that it could come out of the major capitals and be rooted in communities, towns and villages across the West of Ireland. Now we return to the EPOA AGM as the winning team, with just 665 days to go until we welcome Europe to Clare and Limerick.

“EuroPride Ireland 2028 is about celebrating how far our island has come, while making sure the next chapter of Pride reaches beyond our cities and into rural communities. We want people from across Europe and beyond to ‘Follow The Rainbow to Ireland’, experience our Queer Irish culture, our communities and let’s turn the Wild Atlantic Way Pink from Derry to Kerry, and receive the Céad Míle Fáilte that Ireland is famous for.

“This belongs to our community. From Clare and Limerick to every corner of the island, we have an opportunity to create something historic that future generations can look back on and say: we were part of it.”

Lisa Daly, Festival Director & Chair of Limerick Pride Festival and Co-Project Lead, EuroPride Ireland 2028, said:

“Limerick Pride is honoured to travel to the EPOA AGM in Germany to present our vision for EuroPride 2028 – Ireland’s first-ever EuroPride.

“This is a historic moment not just for Limerick and Clare but for the whole island of Ireland. Our theme, ‘Pride in the Community’, is about bringing EuroPride back to its roots – inclusive, accessible and rooted in the heart of our communities along the Wild Atlantic Way.

“We are going to Germany to listen, to learn from our European Pride family, and to show that the West of Ireland is ready to welcome Europe with a céad míle fáilte.”

IRELAND’S FIRST EUROPRIDE

EuroPride Ireland 2028 will run from 3–13 August 2028, creating a ten-day celebration across County Clare and Limerick and welcoming LGBTQ+ people, allies, Pride organisations, artists, activists, community leaders and visitors from Ireland, Europe and around the world.

The programme will combine Pride, Queer Irish culture, arts and entertainment, community events, tourism, education and human rights, showcasing the West of Ireland as an inclusive and welcoming destination.

A major EuroPride Human Rights Conference at the University of Limerick will also form part of the programme, bringing together voices from Ireland and across Europe to examine LGBTQ+ equality, human rights, and the challenges still facing our communities and others across Europe.

“A heartfelt thank you to John Moran, Mayor of Limerick, for his incredible support and belief in EuroPride Ireland 2028. His commitment to our vision has helped us bring this historic event to Limerick, Clare and the West of Ireland. We are incredibly grateful to have him on this journey with us alongside the Limerick City and County Council team .” Eddie McGuinness, Co-Project Lead, EuroPride Ireland 2028

The celebrations will culminate with the EuroPride Parade in Limerick on Saturday, 12 August 2028, bringing the streets alive with Pride, colour, culture and community.

For the organising team, EuroPride Ireland 2028 is about much more than hosting a major international festival. It is an opportunity to create a lasting social, cultural and economic legacy for LGBTQ+ communities across the West of Ireland and the entire island.

“EuroPride is one of Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ celebrations, bringing together Pride, culture, community and human rights. In 2028, Ireland will host EuroPride for the first time, with County Clare and Limerick welcoming Europe to the West of Ireland for ten historic days of Pride.”

EUROPRIDE IRELAND 2028

3–13 August 2028
County Clare & Limerick – West of Ireland

Pride in the Community

Two Counties. One Pride. One Historic EuroPride.