Hotels around Mariehamn
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About Mariehamn
Mariehamn, home to roughly twelve thousand people, is the only town in the Åland Islands, and it is where Åland Pride takes place. The festival is held in August and runs over several days. It is organised by Regnbågsfyren, Åland's LGBTQ+ association, which also has a seat at the table in island politics. The Åland government has supported the festival with event funding and expected visitors to come over from outside the islands.
The Pride parade through Mariehamn is the main public moment. The first parade on Åland drew enough attention that Yle, the Finnish broadcaster, filmed two Swedish visitors experiencing it for a television programme. It is a small parade, but a visible one, and in a town this size you will probably recognise a few faces by the end of it.
Talks and panels are part of the programme too. One seminar at Mariehamn's town library was called "Att leva öppet när alla känner alla", which means living openly when everyone knows everyone. It presented new Nordic research on LGBTQI+ living conditions in sparsely populated places such as Åland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The panel brought together the chairs of Regnbågsfyren and the Swedish federation RFSL with the Åland government's gender equality specialist, and the ombudsperson for discrimination and children's rights moderated.
That topic fits the islands well. Small communities offer little anonymity, and support networks are thinner than in a big city. Åland has its own action plan for the equal rights of LGBTQIA+ people, and Regnbågsfyren helps to update it. Visitors should expect a modest festival with a political core rather than a large street party. Åland Pride publishes its own programme each year, so check it before you travel.
From the magazine
Magnus Hirschfeld and His Institute: What Was Lost on 6 May 1933
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Harvey Milk and Proposition 6: The November 1978 Victory
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Brenda Howard and the Pride Week: Who Turned a Memorial March into a Tradition
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