Winter Pride Maspalomas on Gran Canaria celebrated its tenth edition in November 2024. More and more people are enjoying the event. Many guests are expected this year, especially with the Vengaboys as main act in Yumbo Shopping Centre. But what are the do’s and don’ts? With what expectations are you going and are they realistic?

I went on my own last year and based on my experience I am giving you eleven take aways on how to enjoy your holiday the best.

Before you book your holiday to Winter Pride Maspalomas you should consider if you want to go alone or if you want to enjoy the event with a group of friends. This is an important consideration to make.

1: Group or solo trip

Being with a group has the advantage of sharing fun and not feeling left out. If you are a shy person and you don’t easily get into a small talk conversation, you probably prefer to go with friends.

If you are not confident about your body and you are afraid of being ignored by other men, also go with a group. If having fun in the non-sexual way is your main purpose going in a group is also the best option.

Within a group you are often claimed by friends and your timetable will be determined by the whole group. Meeting up with strangers or cruising is going to be significantly more challenging. In return you have other people to keep an eye on you. There is social control in the positive sense of the term.

If you want to plan your trip without being stuck to the timetable of others, consider a solo journey. If you are more confident about yourself and you are not afraid to sometimes eat and dance on your own, go for it!

You have more chance of having sex or meeting new people during your journey. You are flexible in the time you are available to date or hit the darkroom.

The disadvantage is you have to plan everything yourself so you have to be self-reliant. If you travel on your own, mention clearly at your hotel who can be contacted in case something goes wrong (sickness, injury or worse) and inform a family member or a down to earth friend about your solo trip in advance.

Generally speaking, I have good experiences as a solo travel. All depends on the question if you have the personality to travel on your own.

Once you have made this most crucial choice, take into account the other takeaways to enjoy the event and avoid unrealistic expectations.

2: Gay hotel or not?

Maspalomas has some great gay hotels and bungalow resorts: AxelBeach Maspalomas, Aqua Beach Bungalows, Hotel Ritual Maspalomas …

The advantage is they often throw their own parties and the hotel is filled with gay guests. This all comes at a high price. During events like Winter Pride the price can be double or more compared to months without big gay events. Do you really want to pay much more to be in a gay hotel?

I didn’t book my trip long in advance, so many of the gay hotels were fully booked or freaking expensive upon my time of booking. So I settled with a hotel that doesn’t advertise itself as a gay hotel, Mirador Maspalomas by Dunas.

It is located in Sonnenland, a neighborhood in Maspalomas further away from Yumbo Centre. Initially this felt like a concession, up to the moment I arrived. The hotel has a giant buffet, a wonderful pool, great animation and everything you want near (an Aldi supermarket, a place to post holiday cards, a very nice place for lunch around the corner).

On top of that some receptionists are talking fluent Dutch and the staff in general was very friendly. Honestly: I wasn’t the only gay staying in the hotel. No, it wasn’t packed with gays, but I didn’t feel out of place. And yes, I had my gay fun at the hotel. No questions were asked at the reception.

The truth is: I got more value for my money. Spanish taxis are pretty cheap. I saved more on hotel costs by booking further away from Yumbo Centre than I spent on taxis every evening.

Of course: if you have a notorious fear of missing out and you want to be able to talk about every gay party: stick to your gay hotels and bungalow parks! But is that one party at the hotel going to make the difference in your overall travel experience?

3: Pack your luggage smartly

If you are traveling to Winter Pride for more than a long weekend, you have to pack your luggage smartly. Besides the one winter jacket you are going to wear in the cold/rainy country you depart from, you really don’t need warm clothing.

Be aware that Winter Pride means see and being seen. Select some nice party clothes, rainbow items and don’t forget your costume for German Carnival!

If you want to show off different looks each day, consider paying for extra luggage upon booking your flight. If you want to stick to the basic luggage allowed and avoid having to pay supplements, get yourself a small luggage scale!

You have some cheap ones that go around the handle of your suitcase and measure the weight very precisely. They will come in handy for other airplane journeys.

4: The side act might stun you more

During Winter Pride free performances and DJ sets are given on the main stage in Yumbo Shopping Centre. It’s the core of the whole event. Each year the artists are announced in advance.

Of course this creates expectations. Last year Cascada (‘Evacuate The Dancefloor’), 2Unlimited (‘No Limit’, ‘Jump for Joy’), Robin S. (‘Show Me Love’, ‘Luv 4 Luv’) and Johnny Logan (‘What’s Another Year’, ‘Hold Me Now’) were the biggest names at Yumbo Centre. Corona (‘The Rhythm of the Night’) was the most famous performer at pool party Tropicana.

Only 2Unlimited and Robin S. lived up to the expectations. All the other main acts disappointed slightly. Johnny Logan didn’t inspire. The only moment he somehow moved me was when he sang ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ as a tribute to the recently deceased Irish artist Sinéad O’Connor.

Corona ruined ‘The Rhythm of the Night’ by not singing the original version and sharing the microphone with pool party guests who should not sing and stick to their day jobs.

But I was blown away by some artists I didn’t know yet. Spanish singer Cristina Ramos was unknown to me when I arrived. She impressed me with her voice and strong performance. The ‘Jersey Boys‘ tribute was another surprise. They sung oldies of well before my young days but they really got me started.

Los Salvapantallas, a Gran Canarian live band, brought more energy to Yumbo Centre with their sing along covers than many main artists did.

Don’t let your party experience depend on the main act, because most likely the lesser known name of the line-up will stun you more. Stick around the main stage and allow yourself to be surprised. Sometimes there are going to be little hiccups on stage. Appreciate it for what it is: shows that are offered to you for free!

5: Also discover the island

Going to Grand Canaria for Winter Pride during a long weekend is a great idea. But why not stay a bit longer if you have the possibility? Gran Canaria has a lot more to offer than just Yumbo Centre and the pride parade.

During my journeys to Gran Canaria I did some amazing day trips. Think about renting a car and exploring the island. The iconic Roque Nublo, a volcanic rock and the highest point of Grand Canaria, is worth a visit. I went to it by sunset. This adds a light spectacle to the already beautiful location. But stay far enough from the edge, tourists have died from falling off the rock!

Going to the island’s capital Las Palmas is also recommendable: there is more chance of rain in the north of the island but you are getting many cheap shops and the impressive aquarium Poema del Mar in return.

There are also some free attractions: the natural pools (piscinas naturales) in the north and the Botanical Garden (Jardín Botánico Canario Viera y Clavijo) are great free places to experience.

If you are less of a go-getter, book a guided experience. Visiting a banana plantation and doing rum tasting is an opportunity that the real savoir-vivre tourist will fully enjoy.

6: Parade but leave in time

The pride walk in Gran Canaria during Winter Pride is much different than most pride parades on Mainland Europe. There are less trucks (only two) and you are walking in the heat. Take these particular circumstances into account.

The pride walk starts at a roundabout. If you are there in time, you can enjoy the opening performance with singers galvanizing the audience with upbeat songs.

Expect many walking participants. The pride walk goes very slow and ends near Yumbo Centre, dropping off everybody there.

If you are smart, you leave the big crowd in time and go to Yumbo Centre before the two trucks arrive at this final point. That way you can catch some front chairs in one of the bars or already order your dinner at the restaurant before the masses arrive.

7: Also cruise outside Yumbo Centre

For cruising there are many options in Gran Canaria. During Winter Pride a lot of people were waiting outside at the cruising bars in Yumbo Centre. A bit annoyed about the long queue I asked a Spanish guy if there were other cruising bars. He told me about The Factory Cruising Bar, just outside of the Yumbo Centre.

As it turned out, this was a less claustrophobic bar than the ones in Yumbo Centre. The staff was very kind and there was a lot going on in The Factory! Believe me, I experienced it.

Of course also the dating and cruising apps are at your disposal. Finally there are also the dunes of Maspalomas Beach. But really, do you want beach sand in your arse after sex? Anyhow: make sure to also cruise outside Yumbo Centre.

8: Join the gay pool party

Last year I went to Tropicana. It was my favorite party of the whole event. You are cooling down in the pool with a stage in front of you, surrounded by hundreds of bare-chested dancing men. Corona, the main act, didn’t really impress me. But Sharon Doorson made up for that. She brought her A-game to the pool party. A pool party is an indispensable part of the Winter Pride fun.

Luckily I was smart enough to bring little stuff to the venue, Ocean Club Maspalomas. They didn’t have classic lockers with keys but a stand with two people guarding it, but it was so open that anyone could easily take stuff.

A towel, swimming gear, sun cream, a printed ticket and slippers are the only things you need. If you want to remain attached to your smartphone buy a waterproof smartphone pouch you can hang around your neck before your journey to Gran Canaria. Another investment that doesn’t cost a lot and will come in handy on other trips.

9. Find the gay beach

Maspalomas has its own gay beach. There are several ways of getting there, but I wouldn’t recommend going there through the dunes. You will get lost.

The easiest way to find the gay beach is to start at the Faro (lighthouse) of Maspalomas and to walk away from the lighthouse. There are different kiosks that sell drinks at the beach.

These kiosks have numbers on them and they follow up in a logical order. Kiosks number 5 and 6 are at the gay beach. You can’t miss them as you are approaching. They are decorated in rainbow colors and there are rainbow flags attached to it.

On your way to the gay beach from the Faro you might want to drop by Strand-Apo-Theke for a German snack and a beer. The Schlager music you get on top of it! But it can become very crowded there during Winter Pride.

A day at the beach is a must do. You can combine it with skinny dipping or cruising in the dunes.

10. Do your Spanish Duolingo

Grand Canaria is a very tourist driven island. They serve you in several languages. But you are still going to miss out on some things if you don’t speak a little Spanish. Some basic knowledge of Spanish is great way to find out information from Spanish gay tourists. As on every journey speaking some basic vocabulary (thank you, good evening, excuse me) of the local language is considered a sign of courtesy.

Do your free Spanish Duolingo exercises at the airport on the way to Gran Canaria. If you want to go every year to Gran Canaria or frequently visit the other gay hot spots of Spain, such as Madrid, Torremolinos, Sitges and Barcelona, consider taking an evening course of Spanish. It’s a gift for life to be able to speak some Spanish.

11: Stay for German Carnival

A last takeaway: stay long enough the experience German Carnival.

Gran Canaria is an island where Carnival is celebrated abundantly. It’s very much a part of local culture. The countdown to Carnival starts at 11 November at 11 AM. Hundreds (if not thousands) of gay men dress up in funny costumes and make their way to the gay beach. It’s a hilarious event.

If you go in group, come up with a group theme costume and you will be making lots of friends. But also be prepared to pose a lot so people can take your picture. If you are going on your own, also dress up in an outrageous costume. Because whatever you do, compared to some others you will be underdressed!

This is the time be tongue-in-cheek and daring. Make German Carnival your last day out and leave the morning after. Go out with a bang!

Now go!

With these takeaways you are ready to enjoy Winter Pride Gran Canaria to the fullest. Take a look at the official site and book your trip today. Now go!