All aboard: Meet the people crossing borders to celebrate Pride
In partnership with Eurostar
From Paris to London and Brussels to Soho, Eurostar is quite literally bringing the LGBTQIA+ community closer together, one Pride at a time.
Pride in London always pulls in a crowd, but this year, a growing number of travellers made the journey by train, not plane. With climate concerns rising and a summer packed with European Pride events, rail travel has never felt so relevant.
To spotlight the growing trend of sustainable Pride travel, Eurostar teamed up with photographer and creator Max Siegel to meet some of the LGBTQIA+ passengers who crossed the Channel for London’s celebrations. Armed with a camera at St Pancras, Max captured a rainbow blur of arrivals from Paris, Brussels and even as far as Geneva (where Eurostar is planning direct routes from the 2030s). And each had their own story, reasons for travelling, and reasons to be proud.
As one of the most sustainable ways to get around Europe (trains emit just 5.5g of CO₂ per passenger km, compared to 115g by air), Eurostar is fast becoming the go-to for queer travel. With five countries and 15 Prides across its network, it’s a cultural connector as much as a transport provider.
Here’s who Max met – and why they say now’s the time to travel to a European Pride with Eurostar.
“It’s still a struggle for LGBT rights around the world” – Antoine, from Brussels (@mobikycycling)
“For me it’s about the rights,” said Antoine, who travelled from Belgium. “We can see [in June] in Budapest that it’s still a struggle for LGBT rights around the world. It’s a good moment to remind us that.”
When asked why Brussels Pride is worth the visit, he said: “It’s super friendly. It’s a big street party. It’s not super big but it’s also not small. To me, it’s always one of my favourite Prides in Europe as there are people hanging out on the street, all the bars are open, and it’s just a friendly atmosphere.”
“It’s to celebrate love” – Guillaume & Florine, from Brussels
“We like London a lot. We visit a lot,” said Guillaume, who’s been to Pride in London three times now. “We’re close to the LGBTQ+ community, so it was the opportunity to party and show our support.”
“To celebrate love as well,” added Florine.
Guillaume expanded, “To show free spirit, and to show that we’re all equal. To do that by throwing a party is great.”
“And to be proud of who we are,” said Florine, “even if we don’t conform to societal codes. You should be proud.”
When asked why more people should head to Brussels Pride, Guillaume said: “Because Brussels Pride is not as big as London’s and it deserves to have more people. It’s too small. We need to have more people to show that we’re proud of our differences.”
“We’re here for joy, but we’re also here to fight” – Dionisio, from Paris
“Pride should go back to its roots,” Dionisio told us. “Yes, we’re here for joy – but also to fight. Our rights are being taken away one by one, and we have to remember where Pride started.”
“It was the riot that gave us the rights that we have today,” Dionisio told us.
“Pride should be going back to those roots, simply because our rights are being taken away, one at a time, at such high speed. Yes, we’re here for joy, but we’re also here to fight.”
“The energy of Paris, with a mix of cultures” – Johan, from Paris
“[Pride] allows us to affirm who we are,” Johan shared. “And to mobilise – as at the moment, it’s becoming increasingly difficult.”
He describes Paris Pride as “very colourful”, not just because of the flags, but because of the city itself: “The atmosphere that Paris always has, and the beauty of the city, the sun, the warmth. Like in England, we have a big mix of culture, so Pride remains a very unique event in Paris.”
“We came straight from Geneva – with a detour to Soho” – Ankita & Unnayan, via Paris from Geneva
Travelling by train from Geneva to London via Paris, Ankita and Unnayan had a full weekend lined up, with concerts, Pride, and meeting friends on the agenda. After arriving at St Pancras, they planned to head straight to Soho. “A lot of our friends are going to Pride, and we love going with them,” said Unnayan.
It was their first time celebrating Pride in London. They’d previously been to three in India, and talked about the progress the country has made on LGBTQ+ rights. “My sister is part of the community,” said Ankita. “We’ve not done it [Pride] in London before, but in India, yes.”
Pubs, clubs, and partying
Not everyone arriving on the morning Eurostar was here just for Pride. Drag artist and performer Viktor Victoria (@viktor.victoria) came straight from a make-up job in Paris before heading to The Divine for a late-night Pride set.
Meanwhile, friends Lilou, Elsie, and Nolwenn landed just in time for Fontaines D.C. in Finsbury Park – with post-gig Pride partying also on the horizon.
Travel to a European Pride with Eurostar
Looking ahead? Here are the upcoming Pride events across the Eurostar network – perfect for planning your next celebration by train.
2025
• Amsterdam Pride: 26 July – 3 August
• Rotterdam Pride: 27 September (Pride Week: 19 – 28 September)
2026
• Lille Pride: Date TBC – typically late May/early June
• Brussels Pride: 16 May
• Cologne Pride: Date unannounced – typically late June / early July
• Paris Pride: 27 June
• WorldPride Amsterdam: 25 July – 8 August
Eurostar tickets go on sale 6–8 months ahead of travel. With five direct services each way between London and Amsterdam planned for WorldPride 2026, celebrating across borders has never been easier.
So whether it’s Brussels, Paris, Lille, Cologne, Rotterdam or Amsterdam, skip the airport drama and travel in style, sustainably, and with pride.
Visit Eurostar to plan your European Pride adventure today