A second huge international event in diary in space of year for Limerick

LESS than 12 months on from the Ryder Cup, another huge international event is set to take place in Limerick.

In August 2028, upwards of 100,000 people will descend on Limerick and Clare for EuroPride.

It is the continent’s most significant event for the LGBQIA+ community.

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The West of Ireland's bid to host EuroPride 2028 was successful with Limerick and Clare set to stage the event in three years' time.

The bid won a whopping 70% of the vote.

Beating Manchester, a city which hosted the event in 2003, there were huge celebrations from Limerick Pride, who joined with their colleagues at QuareClare and The Outing Festival to bring the major celebration to Limerick.

It is the first time the yearly event will have ever taken place on the island of Ireland, and Lisa Daly, chairperson of Limerick Pride, said they were shocked to beat Manchester, who they considered would be favourite for hosting.

“Honestly, it will be really huge for Limerick. We were shocked, I won’t lie. We went in there to represent Ireland and Limerick and to not let the country down really. It was crazy. We were nervous, but we had the attitude to enjoy it,” she said.

Lisa, who believes up to 300,000 people may attend, said Limerick will be the main hub, hosting the parade which will form the centre-piece of the celebrations, as well as the closing ceremony at King John’s Castle, plus plenty inbetween.

Ennis will host the opening ceremony, there will be rural rambles in Clare, conferences across the west, and sporting tournaments

“Limerick is the main hub. We are talking multiple concerts. We’ve been talking with Dolan’s and a lot of other big events companies. A lot of work has gone into this. It has been in the planning for three years,” explained Lisa, who has been at the head of the city’s annual Pride parade for the last number of years.

She revealed letters of support for Limerick and the west’s bid came from President Michael D Higgins, Mayor of Limerick John Moran and even tourism agencies in Northern Ireland.

“The country has been brilliant with its support. It’s crazy as when we first started, nobody took us seriously. I won’t lie, I didn’t take us seriously,” Lisa laughed.

Limerick won the rights to host the event at the European Pride Organisers’ Association’s annual conference in Barcelona at the weekend.

More than 120 member organisations cast their votes and the West of Ireland bid secured the win with a thumping majority.

Limerick councillors had thrown their weight behind a local bid to host EuroPride with one member even suggesting the 2028 event could be known as “P-Ryder Cup” in relation to the county's hosting of the major golf tournament in 2027.

Social Democrats councillor Shane Hickey-O’Mara had previously said the event is worth potentially €2.5m to the local economy, and is estimated to draw more than 100,000 people.

Reacting to the news of the successful bid on Saturday, he said: "That the West of Ireland has won the bid to host EuroPride 2028 is testament to the work, preparation and drive of the combined team from Limerick Pride, The Outing Festival, and Quare Clare!

"This will be an extraordinary opportunity for Europe to see Limerick shine as a beacon of inclusivity, solidarity, and creativity! Congratulations to all who made this happen!"

The first ever EuroPride celebration took place in London in 1992, and 2028 is its 34th staging. Since 1992, it’s only not been held three times - 1995, 1999 and the Covid-hit year of 2020.

This year, EuroPride took place in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon.

It’s set for Amsterdam next year and the Italian resort of Turin in 2027.