A historic moment for Africa unfolded in Amsterdam on Saturday, 8 August, as Cape Town officially received the WorldPride torch, marking the beginning of a landmark journey towards hosting the global LGBTQIA+ celebration on African soil for the first time in 2028.
The handover took place during the closing of WorldPride Amsterdam 2026, bringing an emotional conclusion to two weeks of celebrations in the Dutch capital and officially passing the responsibility for the next edition to Cape Town. The South African delegation was led by Cape Town Pride, with representatives from other Pride organisations and supporters joining the historic occasion.
For Cape Town and the wider African LGBTQIA+ community, the moment represents far more than a ceremonial exchange of a flag or torch. It is the culmination of a successful international bid and a significant recognition of the continent’s LGBTQIA+ communities, their struggles, resilience and contributions to the global Pride movement.
Cape Town was awarded the right to host WorldPride 2028 after defeating Guadalajara Pride in Mexico during InterPride’s 42nd Annual General Meeting and World Conference in Medellín, Colombia, in October 2024. Of the 500 eligible voters, 198 ballots were submitted, with 53% supporting Cape Town, compared with 44% for Guadalajara, while 3% abstained.
At the time of the announcement, Cape Town Pride CEO Tommy Patterson described the victory as a moment for the entire continent.
“We are thrilled at the news and for this support shown by our world LGBTI+ family. The team did a wonderful job, and we all forged great friendships and allies from Pride groups from all over the globe,” Patterson said.
The significance of the 2028 edition is underscored by WorldPride’s history. The global event was created by InterPride after members voted at the organisation’s 1997 conference in New York to establish the WorldPride title. Rome hosted the inaugural WorldPride from 1 to 9 July 2000, followed by editions in Jerusalem, London, Toronto, Madrid, New York City, Copenhagen and Malmö, Sydney, Washington, D.C., and Amsterdam.
WorldPride is not simply a large-scale Pride celebration. According to InterPride, the event is designed to promote international visibility and awareness of LGBTQIA+ issues and incorporates marches, festivals, cultural programmes and human-rights conferences.
That history makes Cape Town’s selection particularly significant. WorldPride 2028 will be the first edition held in Africa, giving the continent an international platform to tell its own LGBTQIA+ stories and place African experiences at the centre of the global conversation around equality, dignity and human rights.
InterPride says the Cape Town edition will focus on the diversity and intersectionality of LGBTQIA+ communities in South Africa and across Africa, including the ways race, ethnicity, gender, disability and socioeconomic circumstances shape queer people’s lives. It will also explore how colonialism, apartheid and continuing social inequalities have influenced the LGBTQIA+ movement on the continent.
The organisation says the event will amplify the voices of LGBTQIA+ Africans who have historically been marginalised, while celebrating their “resilience, creativity and joy” and highlighting the continuing struggles for equality, dignity and human rights.
The Amsterdam handover was therefore loaded with symbolism. Cape Town Pride Brand Ambassador Nkosinthi Sangweni described the moment as much bigger than a formal ceremony.
“Being in Amsterdam for the official handover is more than a ceremonial moment. It is a powerful reminder that our stories, our communities, and our resilience have earned a place on the global stage,” Sangweni said.
“As we receive the baton, we do so carrying the hopes of Cape Town, South Africa, and the African continent into a future where every LGBTQIA+ person can see themselves reflected with pride.”
Sangweni added: “As we stand in Amsterdam, we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us, and we take this next step together, committed to creating a WorldPride that belongs to all of us.”
The road to the handover has already seen South African Pride organisations take centre stage in Amsterdam. Cape Town Pride led the African contingent during the WorldPride March on 25 July and showcased South Africa during Amsterdam’s famous Canal Parade on 1 August. Representatives from eThekwini Pride and Pretoria Pride were also part of the wider South African presence.
Amsterdam itself provided a fitting backdrop for the handover. The city hosted its first WorldPride from 25 July to 8 August 2026 under the theme “UNITY”, with a programme spanning Pride events, human-rights discussions, arts and culture, sport, parties and the famous Canal Parade. The city also marked 25 years since the world’s first legal same-sex marriage took place in Amsterdam.
The Amsterdam edition featured more than 500 activities, including the Pride Walk, Pride Park, the Canal Parade, sporting events and a major closing concert at Museumplein.
For Cape Town, preparations now move into a new phase. City officials have positioned WorldPride as an opportunity to showcase the Mother City to an international audience while strengthening its reputation as a destination for LGBTQIA+ travellers and investment.
Councillor Rob Quintas, who was part of Cape Town’s successful bid team, said the achievement carries particular weight for people across the continent who continue to face persecution.
“This means a lot for the many LGBTQIA+ people without a voice, and who live in fear of persecution, prosecution and worse in the region and on the continent,” Quintas said when Cape Town won the bid.
Ahead of the Amsterdam handover, Quintas said it was surreal to return to the city two years after helping secure the bid in Medellín and described the moment as an opportunity to “bring home” the torch of the global event.
Cape Town Pride CEO Tommy Patterson has also stressed that WorldPride 2028 is not only about Cape Town.
“This is not just a wonderful opportunity for our city but also for the LGBTI+ community across the African continent,” Patterson said ahead of the Amsterdam trip.
The historic handover now places Cape Town at the centre of the international Pride calendar. In 2028, the eyes of the world will turn to South Africa as WorldPride arrives on a continent where LGBTQIA+ communities have fought, often under immense pressure, for visibility, safety and equal rights.
