The Most Magical Place On Earth Gets Gayer 🌈

Making a magical place gayer

The most magical place on earth is about to get a whole lot gayer. Every year, thousands of LGBTQ+ travelers descend on Disney’s flagship resort in Orlando, Florida, for days of dancing, fun, and pride.

What started as a simple takeover of the Magic Kingdom back in 1991 has grown into an international celebration with two distinct flavors: the more traditional Gay Days celebration, and the more circuit crowd-focused One Magical Weekend.

One Magical Weekend: For the Circuit Crowd

This is the high-energy music festival experience. Think 6,000 people dancing in speedos at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon until 2 AM for Riptide, the weekend's signature event with international DJ Kitty Glitter from Australia. Add daily Therapy Pool Parties, RED at House of Blues Disney Springs, and late-night CADABRA After Hours parties with DJs from around the world. Here’s a full rundown of the events.

The crowd skews male, international, and ready to party hard. Host hotel is the Sheraton Lake Buena Vista (which they've bought out entirely), with rooms bookable for a $100 deposit and three-night minimum. Event tickets start at $25.

This year, organizers moved the event up a weekend to May 29-June 2 to not overlap with WorldPride in D.C.

Gay Days: The Original Celebration

This grassroots gathering started in 1991 when LGBTQ+ folks decided to wear red shirts at Magic Kingdom for visibility. It's grown into one of the world's largest Pride celebrations while keeping its community-focused, family-friendly spirit.

The main event is still Red Shirt Day at Magic Kingdom on Saturday—no tickets required, just wear red and show Pride. The event has grown to take over other parks on the days around that Saturday.

The crowd is diverse in age and background, with lots of families and couples. Host hotel is DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando at SeaWorld (45 minutes from Disney but more affordable). The focus is on Disney magic and community connection over high-production parties.

This year’s celebration is the weekend after One Magical Weekend, June 5-8.

Either way the Magic Kingdom is about to get a whole lot more magical—and a whole lot gayer!

Travel News for Gays on the Go 🗞️

What’s worth knowing in queer travel this week — from major headlines to the best finds worth your clicks.

• WorldPride has officially begun — check out 44 photos of pure transgender joy and visibility at Trans Pride D.C. 2025

• Trans rights quilts were laid outside the U.S. Capitol building in a powerful display

• 11 Black Pride events you don't want to miss in 2025—and what makes them so powerful

• Lesbian Pride: Here's every Dyke March in the U.S. in 2025

• Trump promised “NO MORE DRAG SHOWS” at Kennedy Center. Their new season is full of drag

• This stunning stained glass window celebrates history of LGBTQ+ Pride

• Here's what queer, transgender, and intersex people should know about prostate cancer after Biden's diagnosis

• In western Kentucky, the only all-lesbian film festival in the U.S. is thriving

• Here are the worst 10 countries in Europe for LGBTQ+ rights

• Trump just lashed out at ‘lesbian-only Shakespeare’ in his latest bizarre rant (sign me up for this btw). Speaking of… did y’all know Shakespeare was gay??

• Apple was just fined $130k by Russia for extremist 'LGBT content'

• Italy has just ruled that Lesbian parents can both be legally recognized as a child’s mother

• One of our favorite cities has unveiled a new memorial to LGBTQ+ victims of Nazi atrocities

• The one travel tip you shouldn’t follow (but also probably should)

• Part Craigslist, part Grindr, part social experiment: how to use Sniffies to cruise

• Here they are, in all their glory: the best Gay clothing-optional resorts in the world

⚖️ Q&A Time:

Last Week’s Results:
We asked: Have you ever changed your travel plans because a destination wasn’t LGBTQ+ friendly?

• 64% said “Yes, safety first”

• 36% said “No, I go where I want”

Verdict:
For most LGBTQ+ travelers, safety comes first—even if it means changing plans.

Y’all had some THOUGHTS:

• “I usually pick destinations that are gay friendly and have absolutely no desire to visit places that aren't.”

• “I avoid deep Red states and would not go to any country where LGBTQ was illegal.”

• “And there is so much naughty stuff to do in safe & friendly countries and so little time.”

• “There’s a difference between “not LGBTQ friendly” such as Italy and “LGBTQ unfriendly” like Jamaica. I go the former but would not go to the latter. Also, there is an argument that a tourist spending US dollars opens people’s eyes in a way that helps locals but that locals could not do spending local currency.”

This Week’s Poll:

After Eurovision just crowned its third out LGBTQ+ champion in a row — we want to know: Do you care about Eurovision?

That’s a wrap for this week. ✈️ Safe travels — and we’ll see you next time.
— The GoQueer Team