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About Wismar Pride
Wismar's Pride march places the Hanseatic town among a small but growing group of towns in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern running their own Pride events — after Schwerin, Rostock, Greifswald, and Neustrelitz, Wismar is the fifth. Under the motto "Vielfalt vereint Wismar" ("diversity unites Wismar"), the organizers are focused on visibility for queer people in a town that has so far had few public queer support points.
The event was set up by a young organizer already connected to the region's queer scene beyond Wismar itself, who now keeps preparations going from Leipzig with help from people on the ground. The goal goes beyond the march day: it's also meant to draw attention to existing support services such as Aids-Hilfe Westmecklenburg and the Queeres Zentrum Westmecklenburg, which support queer people in the region year-round.
Its first edition already drew opposition from the far right, which didn't stop the organizers — if anything, they answered with the motto "Jetzt erst recht" ("now more than ever"). Wismar's Pride march sees itself explicitly as a response to hostility, not just a celebration of diversity, and aims to become a fixed date in northwestern Mecklenburg in the years ahead. For the queer community in western Mecklenburg, the march has become something of a test case for how much public backing exists beyond the larger neighboring cities.
About Wismar
Wismar is a Hanseatic town on the Baltic coast in the district of Northwest Mecklenburg, home to about 43,000 people. Together with Stralsund, its old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wismar has held its own Pride march for only a few years.
At the first edition, participants gathered on the market square and then marched through the old town. According to police, around 2,100 people took part, a remarkable turnout for a town of this size. Many came from Wismar itself, others from the surrounding area and other parts of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
It was not without opposition. Right-wing groups held an unregistered counter-gathering of about 200 people, according to police. They later moved to the train station, where the Pride march passed the forecourt. There were mutual insults and brief scuffles before police separated the two sides. Many smaller Pride events in eastern Germany know such scenes, and they explain why the march here is more than a street party.
For queer people in Wismar, Pride is above all a chance to be visible in a town that otherwise offers few places for that. There is no queer bar, café or community centre. Dates depend on the commitment of individual local organisers, so the best way to find out about the next march is the local press or social media; the first edition took place in late summer.
Wismar Pride – frequently asked questions
Nearby Prides
Kiel Pride 2027
Hamburg Pride 2027
Brunswick Pride 2027
Bremen Pride 2027
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