Sao Paulo #2 - Gay Pride

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Before I’d left Sao Paulo the people at the hostel had persuaded me to come back to Sao Paulo for Gay Pride. A 3 million people party down Paulista Avenue just 2 blocks from the hostel, the biggest Gay Pride event in the world. How could I pass up the chance to party Brazilian style? It was the closest thing to the Rio carnival I was going to get, if a little camper (if that’s possible).


The best thing about the hostel in Sao Paulo has to be the staff. They’re very welcoming, friendly and inclusive. One of the receptionists was gay and he relished being the centre of attention for the day. There were about a dozen of us going from the hostel and the owner had made a real effort to make it a party. We had rainbow t-shirts, dodgy plastic sunglasses, feather boas and the place was decorated with rainbow flags. All of us felt like honorary gay people for the day!

The parade was more like a party than a carnival. Party busses lined the street blasting out electronic beats as toned guys and drag queens danced on top. The street had been cordoned off even though the route was about 5k long it was literally packed with revelers. We danced and sang along waving the rainbow flag. Some people were dressed in costume, most were dressed normally. The drag queens were incredible and relished posing for pictures. Funnily enough the only nakedness I saw were several guys (trans-gender?) who’d had boob jobs and were showing off their new assets!

I danced along until my feet got tired and headed back to the hostel with some of the other guys. All I can say is that Gay Pride was an event and a lot of fun. The Brazilians know how to party…

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