May 21, 2014 15:54 CEST is hosting EuroPride 2014 - don't miss record breaking parade

Oslo is hosting EuroPride 2014 - don't miss out on the party

Oslo Pride is this year’s proud host of EuroPride, the annual European pride festival. This year’s event will take place in the Norwegian capital Oslo 20th -29th of June.

“EuroPride 2014 is particularly important, due to the retreat of LGBT rights in several European countries. As a response we aim to put human rights on the international agenda during our festival this summer. Norway also celebrates the bicentenary of the Norwegian constitution in 2014 and Oslo Pride marks the anniversary by organizing EuroPride,” says chairman of Oslo Pride, Stein Runar Østigaard.

With main partners such as Amnesty International and The Nobel Pace Centre, human rights will be high on the agenda as Oslo Pride shows its guest a larger and improved Pride Park at the Town Square, with a pioneering Pride House at the House of Literature and The Museum of Cultural History, and not least, a record breaking EuroPride-parade.

Expecting many Brits in town

The online interest for the event has been extraordinary so far, Oslo Pride reports. In the first three months of 2014, the organizers have seen an increase of 567 percent in traffic to its website www. europride2014.com. Oslo Pride can report of an especially high interest from markets such as United Kingsom, Sweden, Germany, The Netherlands and the US.

“Our national annual pride event called “Skeive dager” saw a total of 44.000 visitors in Pride Park, the Parade and on Pride House last year. With the strong interest in the event so far, we expect to see a record number of attendees at this year’s event, says Østigaard.

The festival will be a pride celebration which the entire city of Oslo invites to, Oslo Pride reports. “When you travel to Oslo, you will experience one of the most inclusive and safe capitals in the world. We call our city OXLO, Oslo Extra Large,” says Østigaard and welcomes everyone and all to Oslo and EuroPride 2014 in June.

For full itinerary see here: www.europride2014.com/hjem/programme/

Notes to editors

§ In 2014 Oslo Pride hosts EuroPride for the second time. The first time was in 2005, and since then cities like (2006), (2007), (2008), Zurich (2009), (2010), (2011), London (World Pride 2012) and (2013) have hosted EuroPride. § Oslo Pride was first held in 1974, and has been held in different forms and venues every year since 1982.

§ Norway is a liberal country. In addition to the population’s generally excellent LGBT attitudes, they have a gender-neutral marriage act and strong protection against discrimination in the law.

Visit Norway is Norway's official tourist board

Contacts

Marianne Mork Andersen Press Contact Head of Communications Visit Norway [email protected] +47 414 49 747

Harald Hansen Press Contact Media specialist [email protected] +4748045755