These are the best places to travel this summer

For many of us in the LGBTIQ+ community, the phrase “Pride parade” elicits images of big-city buzz: grand parades, vibrant festivals and crowds for miles. But there are plenty of small towns and villages around the world where less populous Pride parades pack just as much heart. 

These events are less about spectacle and more about solidarity – a chance to celebrate not just queer identities, but the power of local connections and grassroots activism. So if you’re looking to step off the beaten path and into a more intimate setting, here are some small-town celebrations that prove that big love can come in small packages. 

1. Clonmel, Munster, Ireland

Tucked away in the ​​heart of County Tipperary, the Clonmel Pride Festival is a shining example of Irish inclusivity. Since its launch in 2019, the nonprofit volunteers who make this wee-but-mighty festival possible have worked to foster unity and understanding, emphasizing the ongoing fight for LGBTIQ+ rights in Ireland and advocating for equality, mental health support and safe spaces. 

Featuring a mix of vibrant parades, family-friendly festivities and meaningful discussions, this annual event offers a welcoming space where everyone, regardless of identity, can come together to embrace exactly who they are.
People of all ages dancing in the street at a party in a small town.
Happy Valley Pride in the small English town of Hebden Bridge. philip openshaw/Shutterstock

2. Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, England

Happy Valley Pride in West Yorkshire is a week-long celebration of queer joy. This beloved festival is a grassroots charity created by the Hebden Bridge community, for the Hebden Bridge community – in a place which, it should be mentioned, is home to only about 5000 people – but you’d never know it by looking at the brochure, jam-packed as it is with dozens of different events and featuring an impressive slate of talented artists.

The week’s events run the gamut, with a little something for everyone: cabaret lessons, flag-making workshops, drag bingo, quiz night, tea time discos, a pooch parade, a youth art exhibition, thrilling performances from queer artists of all kinds, and so much more. 

3. Queenstown, Otago, New Zealand 

Winter Pride may proclaim to be the largest winter Pride festival in the southern hemisphere, but the team behind it also lovingly calls it “a festival in a small town with a bold heart.” It’s held in Queenstown, a small ski resort town, featuring on- and off-mountain events ranging from skiing and snowboarding to DJs and dance parties. 

If Drag on Ice and an Aprés-Ski Disco sound right up your alley, it might be time to pack up your beanies and snow boots and make your way to this welcoming winter wonderland.

4. Sioux Lookout, Ontario, Canada 

Wholesome event alert: the Queers in Sioux Lookout, a town with a population of just under 6000 people, will host its official Sioux Lookout Pride March in August 2025 during the town’s 43rd annual Sioux Falls Lookout Blueberry Festival. And what a lovely and fruity event it will be, kicking off with a rainbow-clad march to the Town Beach and ending with a family-friendly BBQ. I’m not crying, you’re crying.

A path crosses a beautiful meadow filled with yellow flowers leading to a small town in a valley between mountains.
The beautitful mountain town of Unken, Austria. auerimages/Getty Images

5. Unken, Salzburg, Austria

Nestled in the Pinzgau region of Salzburg, Unken is a tiny mountain village where traditional Austrian dress (picture Dirndls and Lederhosen) and rainbow flags go hand in hand. At Unken Pride – also known as “Die erste Regenbogenparade im Salzburger Land,” or “the first rainbow parade in Salzburg” – festivities kick off with a march across a field path, then end with a pool to cool off in, with plenty of live music and drag performances to entertain participants along the way. But most importantly, this annual event is intended to convey a clear political message to those in Austria: openness and diversity are non-negotiable.

6. Spencer, Massachusetts, US

Probably the best-known and most noteworthy event organized by the Rural Justice Network, Small Town Pride (yes, it’s literally called that, and yes, it was the original inspiration for this article) in Spencer, Massachusetts is an annual festival that started in 2021 to give residents in rural areas throughout the US the chance to take part in celebrating Pride Month in a way that’s not always accessible outside of big cities. As the event’s organizers put it, “It is important for representation to reach all areas, and give people a chance to feel seen and heard in places that typically fly under the radar.”