Staying home watching the annual Christmas specials may give you a warm fuzzy feeling but they don’t deliver a new social experience and exhilarating memories like getting on your feet and heading to the best festive parties. Santa is coming, his sleigh is full, people are in cheer and the parties are in full spirits across the globe. So if you have nothing planned this Christmas, where will you go? What about checking out these places?
Midsumma Queer Arts Festival, Melbourne
It maybe summer in the Northern Hemisphere, but Australia is celebrating its summer with it’s premier LGBTQ+ arts festival. This year it celebrates 25 years with more than 150 events and 100 artists in 70 venues – now that’s big. A 3 week itinerary is divided into the distinct streams of Performing Arts, Visual Arts, Spoken Word, Film, Music, Community, Sport and of course, Parties. It starts with the Carnival on Sunday 13th. Check out the Open Picnic, the T Dance and the search for the next global DJ.
Space of Sound Festival New Year’s Day 2013
Madrid brings you one of the largest and best New Year parties in Europe. The 7th Edition of Spacefest promises to be bigger and brighter than ever bringing 30 of the greatest electronic artists under one roof. This 12 hour mega dance event attracts 40,000 Klubbers, gay and gay friendly, from all over Spain and Europe.
Amsterdam Pink Christmas
The annual Amsterdam Pink Christmas is renowned as the Winter edition of Amsterdam Gay Pride, expanding from one street Regulierdwaarstraat into a city wide event. There is a large range of cultural events, movies and shopping, along side the bars and pubs serving drinks and festive parties. Here the traditional White Christmas is reinterpreted. Check out the Drag King and Queen’s Winter Olympics on Sunday 19th to kick-off the festival and the later the Christmas Canal Parade on Thursday 23rd.