Our gay travel guide to India is based on our personal experience – practical safety tips, uppermost things to do, queer highlights, best foods, and more.
Touchdown in Delhi, the first thing we observe are men walking the streets holding hands…
This is a tradition so deep-rooted in the culture of India: men are very docile around each other, whether straight or same-sex attracted. It's not that they're attracted to each other, it's just simply one of those cultural norms that caught our eyes!
India is often a titanic feat for tourists. It's so big, so entire of culture, so diverse, that it's impossible to decide where to call on if you're going for a short trip. This is why we didn’t just go for a short trip; we went on a month-long journey covering as much as we could from north to south.
From cruising along the backwaters of Kerala, taking in the sounds of wild birds and air whistling through the trees, the Ghats of Varanasi, to the fiery food, that would burn the tongue of any ole’ Westerner (where the hottest spice we’re used to is salt!), India sets out to transform your perception of the world.
What called us to India in the first place? Was it th
2025 GAY EVENTS & Tours Events are ordered by meet, click on the Event title below to view details
Scandinavia 11 Days Stockholm Pride Gay Tour July 23 - August 02, 2025 From Copenhagen, Denmark To Stockholm, Sweden - Copenhagen, Oslo, Bergen (Norway), Stockholm (Sweden)
Experience the vibrant capital cities of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden and the stunning fjords surrounding Bergen on our Scaninavia gay trip! Take in the sea-front cities of Copenhagen, Oslo, Bergen, and Stockholm on this 3-country itinerary featuring scenic cruises and astonishing train journeys. The cities are uniquely beautiful, with world-class dining and museums, but add to that some incredibly beautiful landscapes and outdoor activities.
Christopher Street Day Berlin 2025 Gay Weekend July 25 – 27, 2025 - 3 Days Berlin, Germany - Berlin Gay Pride 2025
Known by locals as CSD Berlin (Christopher Street Day), and by the rest of us as Gay Event Berlin, offers one of the most eclectic lgbtq+ fest celebrations in Europe. On Christopher Street Day, hundreds of thousands of people demonstrate for the rights of LGBT people with a great par
“Please don’t promote and advertise homosexuality. There are already enough of these ideas permeating our culture.”
It was just one angry comment on one Indian LGBTQ Facebook page, but it neatly encapsulated the intolerance and fear felt by countless people when LGBTQ parties began to emerge in Mumbai.
This intolerance came to a chief at the finish of 2016, when several LGBTQ couples were refused entry into multiple high-end bars and clubs offering New Year’s Eve parties. As same-sex couples tried to enter the premises, they were barred by door staff, who stated openly that only heterosexual couples were permitted to join. When Indian news site DNA later called up the reservations desk at Shiro, one such establishment, a staffer explained that “We have orders from the management to only allow husband and wife-type couples. We have to go by what we’re told.”
Being male lover isn’t technically a crime in India, but it is illegal to participate in “carnal intercourse against the request of nature,” according to Section 377, a controversial part of India’s penal code that specifically lists anal and oral sex. This colonial-era law
In the 1990s, one of the first clubs to host a gay party in India was Voodoo in Mumbai’s Colaba. Today, some of the prominent cities that host parties exclusive to the queer community, or ‘gay parties’, a few times a week are Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Pune among others. Most people who attend these parties are in their 20s and 30s. A majority of the attendees are also cisgender gay men, though the spaces see a more diverse set of queer and trans people in attendance, especially on specific events like pre and post Pride parties. Since having access to these spaces depends on class and caste capital, most of the attendees are usually Brahmins. Based on 25 people that I was able to chat with and obtain opinions from through an anonymous survey, more than half the attendees make usually more than 6 lakhs per annum.
A Guarded Space to Unwind In Queer Culture but Exclusions Persists
The parties are a space for people from the community to unwind, meet more people from the community, and also for hookups. It is also a place where queer culture thrives through drag shows or strip shows. More than that, it’s a good room to explore with friends or perhaps with a