Canal Parade in Amsterdam will be cold and wet

People celebrating Pride in Amsterdam are not very lucky with the weather this year. The boat parade is scheduled for Saturday during what is likely to be “one of the worst days of the week,” according to Weeronline.

During Pride Amsterdam, which is part of Queer & Pride Amsterdam, members of the LGBTQ+ community commemorate freedom and advocate for equality. The Canal Parade on Saturday, featuring around 80 boats cruising the city's canals, will be the highlight of the celebration. This event draws hundreds of thousands of party-goers every year.

While Friday is expected to stay relatively dry, Saturday is predicted to be cold and wet due to a moving rain cloud. "There could be substantial downpours, and the wind will be noticeably strong," Weeronline wrote. Friday's temperature will hover around 20 degrees, but Saturday will not get much warmer than roughly 18 degrees.

All these party-goers are understandably hoping for nice summer weather, but sadly, it's predicted to be one of the worst days of the week,” wrote meteorologist Berend van Straaten for Weeronline regarding the weather for the Canal Parade.

The Pride festival in Amsterdam, which kicked off on 22 July with the Pride Walk, looks different this year than in previous editions. The party now has a new name, Queer & Pride, and it will last for two weeks instead of the usual nine days, with different parties each organizing their ‘own’ week. The changes stem from the desire to make the LGBTQIA+ event more inclusive and less commercial.

The first week was dedicated to “promoting equality and combating inequality of opportunity." The second week, which is about emancipation, culture, debate, celebration, and meeting, started on Tuesday and will end with the Canal Parade on August 5 and the closing party on Dam Square on August 6.