Tel Aviv, under the sun and the rainbow

June 19 2013

by misterb&b

It's THE undeniable gay destination of the moment. Popular with many LGBT tourists, Tel Aviv has established itself in recent years as the gay city par excellence. Sunshine, beaches, clubs, open-mindedness and a touch of authenticity have seduced travelers. The recent gay pride festivities are a testament to this! On June 7th, tens of thousands of people gathered in the streets to have fun under the sun and the colors of the rainbow.

the "city that never sleeps" was ready to welcome what is, there, the most festive and probably the most awaited event of the year. The locals, inhabitants and shopkeepers had put themselves in the colors of the event. Arboring, on their balconies or their windows, the rainbow flag. Everyone had a personal touch, before and during the festivities. And according to the locals themselves, we had never seen so many rainbow flags in Tel Aviv!

Did you think you saw a lot of gay tourists in Barcelona, Mykonos or Ibiza? Well, you'd be surprised to see how much more concentrated they are in Tel Aviv! In the streets, on the beaches, especially the Hilton beach, you will not know where to look because of the number of ephebes and apollos.

On June 7th, it was the big day for Tel Aviv. At 10 am, the meeting was held in the Gan Meir park, and under a blazing sun, thousands of people were already gathering at the gathering point before the departure of the parade, at 1 pm.

Telavivians do not consider this event to be a protest as such, as it may be in France. Here, the main (unique?) objective is to party, share, have fun, and enjoy. And we can easily say that it is a successful mission.

When the parade starts, the streets, but also the balconies overhanging the crowd fill up. Confetti, balloons and flags invade the immaculate blue sky. Guys (and girls of course) of all backgrounds, and all origins, including Israeli Arabs, proudly display their different assets. The heat helping, the t-shirts fall very quickly.

And since it is (very!) hot, you are delighted to receive, during the walk, a bottle, a bucket, or a jet of water from the sky, or rather from a balcony. amazing, and amazing to see how much fun everyone is having. All together, far from all prejudices and discriminations. The Israeli flags are proudly raised next to the rainbow flags by hundreds. We can also see, here and there, gay flags flanked by a star of David, or even, there, yarmulkes with rainbow colors. Other flags, Swedish, English, Spanish, also come to mingle with the crowd that heads to the beach for the final concert and a well-deserved swim in the warm sea.

Tel Aviv is proud of its gay-friendly status. When asked where the gay venues are, its residents like to answer that the whole city is gay. This 2013 edition of the gay pride was in any case once again a demonstration of the high degree of integration of gays, and the tolerance that reigns in the city. Tel Aviv is likely to remain one of the most popular destinations for gays for many years to come!