Pride Walk to take place this Saturday from MLK Park to Amsterdam CS

The Pride Walk in Amsterdam will be held on Saturday this year from the Martin Luther King Park to the Amsterdam Central Station. After an appearance by a number of speakers and a few performances, the demonstration will move via the Rijnstraat to the Frederiksplein, the Regulierbreestraat, Rokin, the Dam and end at the central station, a spokesperson of the event said to the ANP.

The theme this year is, “Take pride in us”. People are encouraged to be proud of  “everyone who does not fit in the hetero norm standard”, Pride director Lucien Spee de Castillo Ruiz said to the ANP.

Originally, the Pride Walk was supposed to begin at the parking lot of the RAI. Due to the high price of the location, the starting point was moved to the Martin Luther King Park. On Twitter, the organizers of the event voiced their disapproval. They said that, despite the original amount being reduced, the price for the RAI parking lot was still too high.

Participants of the parade are encouraged to wear colorful clothing and to bring “a good dose of happiness and pride” with them. A spokesperson of the event said that they especially hope for a “visible” Pride Walk, especially due to last year’s demonstration being canceled last minute.

The Pride Walk is one of the few large events during this year’s edition of Pride Amsterdam. Similar to last year, this year’s Pride festival is held without alcohol. There are no square or street festivals and no boat parade, the highlight of Pride week.

A maximum of five thousand people can participate in the event. Demonstrators were asked to maintain 1.5-meter-distance throughout the event. No parties or events were planned after the parade reaches its final stop.