Messina Pride 2026 / Stretto Pride 2026

Messina sits in the northeast of Sicily on the strait that separates the island from the Italian mainland. With around 216,000 residents it is the third-largest city in Sicily after Palermo and Catania. Its Pride is named after that location: Stretto Pride, the Pride of the Strait.

The march is organised by Arcigay Messina, the local branch of the national Arcigay network, which goes by the name Makwan. The very first Stretto Pride brought more than three thousand people onto the streets. Around fifty associations took part, and the city administration raised the rainbow flag on the front of the town hall for the occasion. The march has been held regularly since then and is the main queer date in the city's calendar.

The usual meeting point is Piazza Antonello in the centre, and from there the march moves through the old town. The date is not fixed: Stretto Pride has taken place in June, in July and in September. If you plan to travel for it, check the date with Arcigay Messina well in advance. The march is part of Onda Pride, the series of Italian Pride demonstrations that Arcigay organises every summer together with local and national groups. In Sicily several towns march on the same day or within a short time of each other, Caltagirone with its CaltaPride among them.

Outside Pride season, Arcigay Messina remains the first point of contact for queer people in the city. The association has been active for decades; back in the eighties it was already printing posters for the gay pride day on 28 June. Sicily's larger queer scenes with their own nightlife are in Palermo and Catania, both easy to reach from Messina by train or car.