The European Pride Organisers Association (EPOA) is the network of European lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) Pride organisations

Our history

The early 1990s were a period of great change in Europe, but also an era of collaboration. At international and European conferences of the (then) International Lesbian & Gay Association, ILGA, European Pride organisers began to have discussions about forming a European network. In 1994 this was formally agreed, and the first Conference of the European Pride Organisers Association was held in Copenhagen in 1995 and the first board was elected. The Association then took on the role of licensing EuroPride which, in the beginning, was its primary activity. Over the years that have followed EPOA has evolved a great deal. Whilst licensing EuroPride remains one of our most important activities – and certainly our most public activity – today we are also focused on advocating for the Pride movement in Europe, and supporting our members who now number over 100 Pride organisations in more than 40 countries. We remain an entirely volunteer-run organisation, with all eight board members being elected by our members and all having a role with their own Pride organisation.

Our work today

We hold the rights to the trademark EuroPride and our purpose of EPOA is to promote lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex Pride on a pan-European level and to empower and support local and national pride organisations in their efforts of planning and promoting Pride both as a celebration but also as a vital human rights movement. EPOA also works to facilitate networking and skill-sharing among members and we do this through our AGM and annual conference, and other trainings, seminars and webinars. We also advocate for the Pride movement at national and international level, including at the European Parliament.

How we are run

The Board runs the organisation year-round and makes sure that it stays financially solvent. The board also makes sure that the organisation is properly represented towards the media and other organisations and that the money is spent prudently and in line with the goals of EPOA. It reaches out to new organisations to encourage them to join and to come to the annual conference. The board also works closely with EuroPride organisers to help them manage and promote the event inside and outside of EPOA. You can view the Board’s most recent Annual Report here. EPOA is the European partner of InterPride, the international association of Pride organisers, and also works with and supports national Pride networks include CSD Deutschland in Germany, Svenska Pride in Sweden, and the UK Pride Organisers Network. We are full members of ILGA. We are registered as an international non-profit association in Belgium. You can view our legal registration in Belgium in Dutch, English, French or German.

Our scope

Our geographic scope is huge: our members stretch from Tbilisi in the east to the Azores in the west; from Reykjavik in the north to Tenerife in the south.

Registered address

European Pride Organisers Association (EPOA) aisbl Rue du Marché au Charbon 42 1000 Brussels Belgium

Whilst this is our registered address, it is always faster to contact us by email.