CSD Aachen — Christopher Street Day / Aachen Pride

Aachen becomes colorful

The Christopher Street Day Aachen – since 2024 under the umbrella of Aachen Pride – is the central major queer event in Germany's westernmost major city. From August 28 to 29, 2026 – Friday and Saturday – the Markt and the Katschhof in Aachen's historic city center will be transformed into the center of the CSD. Over 10,000 visitors are expected on site, plus many thousands who will experience the program in the surrounding area.

CSD Demonstration and Stage Program

The format classically combines two elements:

• CSD Demonstration – the political demonstration for the rights of queer people. Colorful floats, walking groups, banners, dance, and music. Start time and route will be announced on csd-aachen.de.
• Stage program on Markt and Katschhof – concerts, speeches, acts by queer artists, performances by drag artists

More than Demo and Stage

Aachen Pride explicitly sees itself as a multidimensional format:

• Safe Spaces – protected spaces for queer people who need a retreat in a public festival setting
• Workshops – on topics such as queer history, coming out, diversity in companies
• Exhibitions – queer art, photo documentaries, historical materials
• Educational offerings – educational materials, encounters with queer self-help groups
• Political discussions – panels on queer-relevant topics

Rainbow e.V. — the organizer's anchor

The organizer is Rainbow e.V. (full name: Rainbow – Vielfalt in Aachen e.V.), Aachen's central umbrella organization for queer issues. Rainbow organizes workshops, counseling, events, and queer-relevant activities in the Aachen region throughout the year. The CSD weekend is the annual highlight.

Markt and Katschhof as a historic backdrop

The choice of venues is symbolically rich: The Markt is Aachen's central square, dominated by the Rathaus (City Hall). The Katschhof is located between the Rathaus and the Aachen Cathedral – one of Europe's most important UNESCO World Heritage sites, Charlemagne's Palatine Chapel. In the heart of the medieval bishop's city, the queer community celebrates its visibility. A deliberate emphasis.

Aachen — Germany's westernmost major city

Aachen, with around 250,000 inhabitants, is a special German city: on the border with the Netherlands and Belgium, with the Three-Country Point, the RWTH Aachen University, the Aachen Cathedral (UNESCO World Heritage), the thermal baths, and its student culture. The queer scene is unusually active for its population size due to the university, the international population, and the open city culture. The CSD accordingly plays an important role in Aachen's city festival calendar.

Region and Networking

Aachen Pride is part of a network of queer events in the Aachen region and the Three-Country Point. Closely networked with the CSDs in Heinsberg, Maastricht (NL), Düren, Hasselt (BE), and Mönchengladbach – all of which take place in 2026 and refer to each other.