5 reports of sexual violence during Pride Amsterdam weekend; Successful event, org. says

The Amsterdam-Amstelland Sexual Violence Center received five reports from victims of sexual violence during the Pride weekend in Amsterdam. The organizers consider the event a great success, calling it “a series of highlights.” City cleaners are hard at work, restoring the city center to its original state.

The Canal Parade, Pride Amsterdam’s biggest event, happened this weekend. The Sexual Violence Center was open extra hours, with five staff members on hand to process reports and support victims. The victims were both women and men and came from various age groups, a spokesperson for the center said.

“It involved both sexual assaults and rapes,” the spokesperson said. For privacy reasons, she declined to comment further on the nature and severity of the violent incidents. It is unclear whether the violence occurred during the Pride activities.

The Amsterdam police could not say on Sunday evening how many reports of sexual violence they had received. “Other than that, Pride passed peacefully and without any major incidents,” a spokesperson said.

The organizers of Pride Amsterdam are also satisfied with this year’s event, which culminated on Sunday evening with a well-attended closing party on Dam Square. “It was a series of highlights,” said a spokesperson for the organization.

“Three hundred small and large activities over the past nine days went off almost flawlessly,” said the spokesperson. “Whether it was the well-attended Canal Parade or one of the many smaller activities, it was pleasantly busy everywhere and made an impression on the visitors and participants.”

The organizers were also satisfied with the impact of the messages conveyed by the Canal Parade participants. “The fight for visibility of the LGBTQ+ community and for equal rights was clearly visible.”

Amsterdam will host WorldPride in 2026. “This edition was a good dress rehearsal for next year, which, with 500 events over 15 days, will last considerably longer and be larger than the regular one.”

Waste collectors in Amsterdam’s city center collected over 84 tons of waste after the Canal Parade. Municipal employees began cleaning up the city on Saturday evening and, according to a municipal spokesperson, worked through the night. According to him, the cleanup went well. Last year, around 101 tons of waste were cleaned up.

The cleaning of the canals is also going well, a Waternet spokesperson reported. She said the amount of waste is comparable to last year.

“A huge amount of plastic was found, the initial estimate being around 500 kilograms,” she said. “That’s a huge amount, because plastic weighs very little.” She said this included many cups, bottles, and Styrofoam drink holders.

Waternet will also be cleaning up the canals on Monday and Tuesday. “There is still a lot of plastic, especially between the boats. We’re not done yet.”