All aboard for WorldPride Amsterdam serveing canals, cocktails and celebration

Amsterdam has always been one of those cities that feels unapologetically itself. It’s colourful and chaotic in all the right ways, and most fabulously, a city where queer culture isn’t resigned to a single street, venue, or weekend of the year. It’s always had a reputation for being one of Europe’s most LGBTQ+ friendly cities, and for two weeks, Pride had completely taken over.

And this year is an exceptionally extra fabulous celebration. Amsterdam hosted WorldPride for the first time, coinciding with 25 years since the Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage.

So, sunglasses packed (my Pride non-negotiables), it was time to head to Amsterdam. And what better way to start than with a cocktail?

All aboard the Eurostar

The trip started at London St Pancras, travelling with Eurostar, who facilitated the weekend alongside Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam. Travelling in Eurostar Premier meant my very first stop was the lounge, where Eurostar had two cocktails created especially for WorldPride: Marsha’s Garden, paying tribute to legendary activist Marsha P. Johnson and her iconic flower crowns, and Velvet Haze, a sparkling cocktail that’s celebrating Pride’s revolutionary spirit. Having come across plenty of Pride-themed cocktails during my time at Attitude, it was refreshing to see ones with intent and context – praise to Eurostar!

Look, it’s no secret that Attitude is partial to a good cocktail, so naturally, I tried both. Twice. Of course, only to make sure I was fully informed on the Eurostar Pride experience, and not because this weekend also happened to be my birthday weekend.

Soon enough, we’re onboard en route to Amsterdam. It’s kind of fabulous that you can have dinner in London and be in Amsterdam for a nightcap without having to go anywhere near an airport. Premier also includes a four-course meal served at your seat, with the menu created by two Michelin-starred chef Jeremy Chan and 2019 World’s Best Pastry Chef Jessica Préalpato. Préalpato had also created a special Pride cake for WorldPride, which felt like a very appropriate way to begin the weekend.

After a lot of champagne, a failed attempt to get my group to play Brutal Uno, and a candid conversation about who believed travelling the Eurotunnel was a glorified aquarium when we were younger, we arrive at Amsterdam Centraal.

A very Grand Pride

Our home for the next three nights was Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam, right in the centre of the city and, rather conveniently, within walking distance of a lot of the weekend’s action. It was quite fabulous arriving at the hotel and (literally) bumping into former Attitude cover star Courtney Act. It was immediately apparent that this was the place to stay.

The hotel itself is absolutely beautiful, but what I particularly liked was learning how much of a connection The Grand already has with Amsterdam’s LGBTQ+ community. It was one of the very first hotels to become certified through Booking.com’s Travel Proud programme, which was created to help accommodation providers offer more inclusive experiences for LGBTQ+ travellers. The hotel also regularly hosts same-sex weddings and has made creating a space where everyone can be themselves part of its wider ethos.

It’s one thing for a hotel to put up a rainbow flag during Pride; it’s another for inclusivity to feel like part of its identity all year round.

Friday began with a visit to De Nieuwe Kerk on Dam Square for Queer Amsterdam, the Pink City, exploring the LGBTQ+ history of a city that has played such an important role in queer progress. If you’re travelling by Eurostar, it’s also worth keeping hold of your ticket, as passengers can get 2-for-1 entry to the exhibition by showing it at the ticket office.

We boarded a private boat outside the hotel – serving my best White Lotus Jennifer Coolidge as Tanya fantasy – and travelled through Amsterdam’s canals to ARTIS Royal Zoo, where we were given a tour that included LGBTQ+ stories from the animal kingdom.

Yes, queer animals. Who knew? Additional discoveries were that male elephants are equipped with, let’s say, ‘equipment’ that weighs around 25kg. I have the hilarious tour guide Dennis to thank for this new fact that I will be sharing when a conversation runs dry. The afternoon finished with a visit to the penguins, which include the famous gay penguins, where abandoned eggs are gifted to the couples to raise.

Party central

It’s not long until we are headed back to The Grand to get ready for the hotel’s annual Pride Cocktail Party, and this is where the weekend really started.

The hotel’s courtyard was completely transformed for the evening, packed with people, live entertainment and more alcohol. What started as a fairly civilised evening quickly became considerably less civilised once the afterparty began.

Look, it was Pride. It would have been rude not to. We spent the rest of the night at one of the many street parties and (badly) danced the night away at SOHO Amsterdam.

The iconic Canal Pride

Saturday brought the event I had been most excited to experience: Amsterdam’s world-famous Canal Parade.

I’ve seen plenty of Pride parades over the years, but Amsterdam’s is unlike anything else. Instead of floats making their way through city streets, the parade takes place on the water, with boats travelling through Amsterdam’s canals while thousands of people cram onto bridges, canal edges, balconies and pretty much anywhere else with a view. There are Pride celebrations, and then there is watching enormous, extravagantly decorated boats sailing through the canals. A highlight was the float that had a giant inflatable Trump and Putin locking lips.

What I loved most, though, was how much the whole city seemed to get involved. From people hanging out of apartment windows to people watching from bridges, Pride wasn’t happening in one particular area of Amsterdam – it was everywhere.

Dancing the night away

After several hours beside the canal, there was obviously only one sensible thing to do: continue celebrating. Saturday night, our group headed to Club RAUM for ADONIS, and what can I say about the night? Fabulous.

RAUM has quickly become one of Amsterdam’s most talked-about queer clubs, and it was exactly where I wanted to be on the Saturday night of WorldPride. It was hot, busy, loud and slightly chaotic, and essentially everything you want from a queer club at Pride. We were also lucky to experience the new room, which is opening in September, so if you catch yourself in Amsterdam next month, I would wholeheartedly recommend looking to see if they have any events on during your stay. The sunrise peeking through their café is magical after a long night of dancing.

Sunday morning arrived far sooner than I would have liked, and it was time to head back to Amsterdam Centraal for the Eurostar home. This is where travelling by train really comes into its own. After three days of WorldPride, the prospect of dealing with an airport would have been enough to finish me off. Instead, I checked in at Eurostar’s new Amsterdam terminal, got on the train and settled into my seat for the journey back to London. Four-course dining was once again served onboard, which was very much appreciated after the previous night’s activities.

For three days, I went from learning about Amsterdam’s LGBTQ+ history to watching thousands of people celebrate beside its canals, drinking cocktails in the courtyard of a hotel that has been welcoming same-sex weddings for years and, finally, dancing until an hour I’d rather not disclose at one of the city’s queer clubs.

It wasn’t always glamorous. My feet hurt, I didn’t get anywhere near enough sleep and by Sunday morning my sunglasses were doing considerably more work than originally intended.

But that’s Pride. And I’d do the whole thing again tomorrow.

Getting there: Eurostar operates up to five trains a day each way between London St Pancras International and Amsterdam Centraal, with one-way fares starting from £39 based on a return journey. Eurostar Premier fares start from £229 each way based on a return journey. Tickets are available from www.eurostar.com

Where to stay: Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam sits in the historic heart of the city between two canals and within walking distance of many of Amsterdam’s best-known attractions. Find out more and book your stay through sofitel-legend-thegrand.com

Ashley travelled to Amsterdam for WorldPride 2026 with support from Eurostar and Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam.