Celebrate Gay Pride with HostelBookers
The celebration of gay culture has become a global event with huge Pride festivals taking place every summer in top destinations such as London and San Francisco. HostelBookers has compiled a list of hostels keen to target gay guests, hostels in top cities close to the buzzing gay districts or properties near to the Pride festival sites.
One of the largest Gay Prides in Europe, known as Christopher Street Day, will take place in Germany and more than 450,000 guests are expected to arrive on the 18 and 19 June 2011. Gay Hostel in Berlin is centrally located and within walking distance of the main attractions. They are offering guests a “Hostel-Pass” which includes discounts on gay bars and clubs.
Over a million people come to England’s capital to celebrate diversity and love every year. Amazingly, Pride London has only been going for 6 years; the campaign rally, starting in Trafalgar Square, has soared in popularity with a huge number of events including theatre, live music and club nights planned in 2011. The theme this year is the ‘Carnival of Love’. London House Gay Hostel has a brilliant social area where guests can meet other travellers or chill out after the Pride parade. Guests will get a free breakfast, free Wi-Fi and there’s an outdoor patio to soak up the London sunshine. Located on the Northern Line it’s within easy access of the main London sights.
Barcelona has a particularly lively gay scene and the annual Barcelona Gay Pride, held between 24-26 June, is the main event. For the third year running there will be ten days of culture, sport, debate, entertainment and parties. It’s the biggest Pride Festival in the Mediterranean. More than 100,000 turned up last year in their colourful costumes. The Welcome Inn is within walking distance of the gay district, known locally as Gayxample. It’s also just off Las Ramblas and has spacious, comfortable apartments that can cater for up to 15 people. It has common areas with kitchen facilities and the chance to meet other guests, but the rooms are also very private too.
In America, LA PRIDE is held in the popular West Hollywood gay neighbourhood. Aside from the parade, there is also the PRIDE Run and a whole host of gay events in June. The Banana Bungalow West Hollywood is ideally located for getting to and from the festival site. They offer shared or private rooms with air-conditioning, a funky lounge area and self-catering facilities.
San Francisco Pride is considered one of the top US Gay Pride events. Out of all the San Francisco hostels, the Elements Hostel is in the best location to reach the vibrant Castro gay district. It also has a bar and a rooftop terrace with fantastic views of the city; it won the ‘most popular’ award in HostelBookers Award for Excellence 2010. They offer private and shared rooms all with private bathrooms.
Although hostels offer cheap accommodation, their main attraction is a sociable atmosphere and the opportunity to meet like-minded people – perfect for gay and lesbian travellers looking to make friends on the road.
For more information and bookings, visit: hostelbookers.com