Get your rainbow flags out, everyone – Tel Aviv Pride 2019 is kicking off.

The Israeli coastal city is not only home to a world-famous Pride Parade – the largest Pride event in the Middle East and Asia – but is also host to a week-long celebration of its vibrant LGBTQ community.

Last year, 250,000 people from Israel and abroad traveled to Tel Aviv to participate in a week of parties, events, shows, and the parade. This year, too, City Hall expects hundreds of thousands of people to join in the celebration.

The Pride Parade is set to take place on Friday, June 14. It will step off from Ben Zion Boulevard in the city center at 10am with drag shows, speeches and music, before proceeding to the seaside promenade at noon. The parade will conclude with a massive beach party at the seaside Charles Clore Park featuring Israeli Eurovision winner Netta Barzilai.

This year’s International Ambassador of Tel Aviv Pride is none other than actor Neil Patrick Harris, so keep your eyes peeled out for that perfect selfie moment.

A wide range of Pride activities will take place in the week preceding the parade: a free tour of LGBTQ history in the city, Tel Aviv’s annual drag festival, Shabbat dinner for transgender women, an LGBTQ family picnic, and the Israeli Opera’s performance of all the greatest Eurovision hits.

A slew of Pride parties will be happening across the city the night before the parade and immediately afterward. This month is already proving itself to be a scorcher, so make sure to bring along water and hats if you go.

For more information on Tel Aviv Pride 2019 events, click here.

[Photo: Israel21c]