Part of the Gay Edinburgh Guide — bars, events & things to do.
Saturday, June 19, 2027
Holyrood to Bristo Square, Edinburgh
Bristo Square, Edinburgh EH8 9ALThe official events that make up Pride Edinburgh (Date TBC) — dates, venues and details.
Drag brunches, circuit nights & every party worth knowing in Edinburgh — in your inbox every week.
Pride Edinburgh is one free day in June. It starts with a march from the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, up the Royal Mile through the Old Town, and ends at a festival around Bristo Square, by the University of Edinburgh, with a Main Stage, a community fair and a market. When the stage closes, the night moves across town to the Pink Triangle, the cluster of gay bars at the top of Leith Walk and Broughton Street.
The organisers call it Scotland's longest-running free celebration of the LGBTQ+ community, and it's run by volunteers. In 2026, under the theme Forever Together, it was their 29th Pride event in their 31st year.
The 2027 date hasn't been announced yet. Pride Edinburgh 2026 was on Saturday 20 June 2026, so 2027 is most likely to fall on a Saturday in mid to late June. This guide follows the 2026 day, and we'll update it when the organisers confirm the 2027 date and line-up.
Find gay bars in Edinburgh on Out x Out →
The march is the heart of Pride Edinburgh. In 2026 it formed from 12:15pm outside the Scottish Parliament and set off at 1pm. Before it left, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence led a Minute of Noise and a Minute of Silence. There were no speeches before the march.
The route climbs through the Old Town. From Holyrood it heads up the Canongate and the High Street, across the Lawnmarket, then along George IV Bridge, Bristo Place, Lothian Street and Potterrow, finishing via Crichton Street and Charles Street by Bristo Square. Be ready for hills: the organisers describe the Canongate as steep and cobbled and the High Street as uphill cobbles, before the route flattens out on George IV Bridge.
Anyone can join the march, and businesses and organisations can register to march together. If you can't do the whole route, you can join part-way, watch from a viewing point on the High Street, or book the Ride With Pride access bus for people who can't complete the full march.
Pro Tip
Watch from the High Street if you'd rather not march. There's a viewing point on the High Street (St Giles' Cathedral has toilets), and from there it's a short walk down George IV Bridge to Bristo Square, so you can reach the festival before the march arrives.
Once the march arrives, the Pride Village takes over the area around Bristo Square, Teviot House and Potterrow Dome, with a youth space at the University of Edinburgh Futures Institute. In 2026 Main Stage performances began from 2pm.
The 2026 Main Stage was headlined by Cher Lloyd, with Kelli-Leigh, Kah-Lo, Michelle McManus, Bryn Christopher, Donna Marie Gaga, Frankie Lily and the DJ act GALIVERSE, hosted by the Edinburgh drag performer Blaze. Alongside the stage there's a Community Fair, where LGBTQ+ organisations and groups from across Scotland have stalls, and a Queer Creatives Market for artists, makers and small businesses.
The 2027 line-up hasn't been announced yet.
When the stage closes, the Pink Triangle is the place to carry on: the gay bars around the top of Leith Walk, Greenside Place and Broughton Street, a 20 to 25-minute walk from Bristo Square. CC Blooms, Planet and The Street are all within a couple of minutes of each other there.
Pride Edinburgh began as a grassroots march for visibility and equality, and the organisers say it has grown into one of Scotland's most anticipated cultural events, combining activism, music, community and joy in the capital. It's still run by volunteers, from the planning committees to the event-day teams.
The organisers count 2026 as their 31st year and their 29th Pride event. They frame it as both protest and celebration: "Pride is protest. Pride is celebration. Pride is visibility. Pride is belonging."
The event is free to attend and relies on sponsors, donations and volunteers. In 2026 Lidl GB returned as headline partner, with Heineken as the official beer and cider partner, Starbucks as official event partner, NEXT and The Johnnie Walker Experience as event partners, and Lumo as the official travel partner.
Pride Edinburgh is a free event. You don't need a ticket for the march or the festival, and the organisers ask people who can to donate through their website to help keep it free.
The Pride Village is in a busy part of the Old Town, and the organisers warn that crowds and noise levels will be high, with cobbled streets and gradients in places. There's a designated welfare and treatment area, and in 2026 there were 50 trained stewards along the route. If you need help at any point, ask a steward or volunteer.
For a break from the crowds, in 2026 George Square Gardens had an outdoor Chilled Space from 12:15pm, and there was an indoor Community Quiet Zone, a low-stimulation space open to everyone.
Pro Tip
Bring layers and good shoes. Edinburgh in June can swing from sun to rain in an afternoon, and the march route is mostly uphill on cobbles from Holyrood to the Lawnmarket.
The organisers publish detailed access information. In 2026 it included:
Spaces on the access bus are first come, first served, and the upper deck is open-top.
Edinburgh's gay bars sit in the Pink Triangle, around the top of Leith Walk, Greenside Place, Picardy Place and Broughton Street.
Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh, Scotland
For the full guide, see Gay bars in Edinburgh.
Pride Edinburgh is a single day, so most visitors turn it into a weekend. The Pink Triangle is busy all weekend, not just on Pride night, and it's compact enough that you can try every bar in an evening.
If you're coming from further afield, Glasgow is an hour or so away by train, and its gay bars around the Merchant City make an easy second night.
June is busy in Edinburgh, and hotels fill up for summer weekends, so book early. The city centre puts you within walking distance of everything: the march starts at Holyrood, the festival is by Bristo Square in the Old Town, and the Pink Triangle is at the eastern end of the New Town.
For a gay-owned stay, Alva House is a small adults-only guesthouse on Alva Place, just off London Road near Easter Road. It says it's proudly gay-owned and operated and set up for the LGBT community, and the bars around Broughton Street are a short walk away.
HotelEdinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh Waverley is in the city centre, with direct trains from London King's Cross, Glasgow, Newcastle, York and beyond. Lumo, the 2026 official travel partner, runs trains between London and Edinburgh. From Waverley it's a walk of about 15 to 20 minutes down to Holyrood for the march start.
Edinburgh Airport has trams into the city centre, with stops at Princes Street and Picardy Place, right by the Pink Triangle. Lothian buses cover the rest of the city.
Roads in the Old Town close for the march, and parking in the centre is limited. Accessible parking is available at Holyrood Car Park, but for most people the train, tram or bus is easier.
Pro Tip
Base yourself near Picardy Place. The airport tram stops there, the Pink Triangle bars are on the doorstep, and it's an easy walk down to Holyrood for the march and across to Bristo Square for the festival.
The organisers haven't announced the 2027 date yet. Pride Edinburgh 2026 took place on Saturday 20 June 2026, so 2027 is expected on a Saturday in June. We'll update this guide when the date is confirmed.
Yes. The march and the festival at Bristo Square are free, and you don't need a ticket. The organisers ask people who can to donate.
Outside the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood. In 2026 it formed from 12:15pm and set off at 1pm.
From Holyrood it goes up the Canongate and the High Street, across the Lawnmarket, along George IV Bridge and Bristo Place, then via Lothian Street, Potterrow, Crichton Street and Charles Street to the festival area by Bristo Square.
Around Bristo Square in the Old Town, with spaces at Teviot House and Potterrow Dome and a youth space at the University of Edinburgh Futures Institute.
Cher Lloyd headlined the 2026 Main Stage, with Kelli-Leigh, Kah-Lo, Michelle McManus and Bryn Christopher, hosted by Blaze. The 2027 line-up hasn't been announced.
In the Pink Triangle, around the top of Leith Walk, Greenside Place and Broughton Street. CC Blooms, Planet and The Street are all there, a 20 to 25-minute walk from Bristo Square.
The organisers publish detailed access information: the route has steep cobbled sections on the Canongate and High Street, and you can join part-way, watch from a viewing point, or book a place on the Ride With Pride access bus.
Let people know you're going, see who else is attending, and share the event with friends.
Edinburgh's gay bars, area by area: CC Blooms, The Street and Planet in the Pink Triangle at the top of Leith Walk, the Regent in Abbeyhill, the Steamworks sauna and a gay-owned guesthouse.
Robbie S.
The men-only and gay-only hotels still open outside the US, from Gran Canaria's clothing-optional bungalows to Cambodia, Bali, Cape Town and New Zealand, and the famous names that have closed.
Robbie S.
The Grindr scams that actually happen, from sextortion and verification-code tricks to robbery set-ups abroad, plus the settings to change before you travel and what to do if you're targeted.
Robbie S.
The Village People were created by a gay producer as a set of gay fantasy characters and launched to gay disco audiences, but the members themselves differ. Here is what each has said on the record, and the two readings of YMCA.
Robbie S.
Atlantis Events charters whole ships for gay men. Here's who sails, what the parties are, what's included, what a 2027 Atlantis cruise really costs with fees, and how booking works, from Atlantis's own pages.
Robbie S.