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Torremolinos' race to host a Europride is far from over, because the town is now considering competing again with an unprecedented formula. In the same year that the town is about to celebrate the tenth anniversary of its Pride festivities, the mayor, Margarita del Cid, is considering presenting a joint candidacy with Melilla.
Torremolinos Pride has become the most important in Andalucía and the second in Spain; a reality that also allows support to be given to other Prides, such as the one being held in Melilla these days. In fact, the so-called Pride of North Africa has received many familiar faces from the Costa del Sol town. Among them, that of Margarita del Cid, who has proposed the joint candidacy to present again at the Europride. "I want us all to study the possibility of Torremolinos and Melilla working together in the coming years on a joint candidacy to host Europride. To be a beacon of light, a melting pot of freedom in all parts of the world, from the very heart of the Mediterranean," she said on Saturday in the presence of authorities like Miguel Martín, vice-president of Melilla, and Rafael Calatrava, president of the LGTB+ association Amlega.
It should be remembered that the Malaga municipality already competed in 2024 to host Europride in 2027. A candidacy that was not selected, but which made Torremolinos' commitment to the LGTB+ community even clearer. "A project in which we precisely emphasised the importance of Europride serving not only to celebrate diversity, but also to vindicate it in those places where there was none. And the location of Torremolinos made us look southwards, towards the African continent and other parts of the Mediterranean," explained Del Cid.
If this joint bid becomes a reality, it would be the first time that Europride would be held simultaneously on two different continents. Southern Europe and North Africa would join hands with the same objective: to give visibility and value to the contributions of the LGTB+ community, giving this candidacy a package that would be difficult to match in the Old Continent. Even so, the motivations for choosing one city or another are varied and not all of them can be controlled. In fact, when Turin was chosen ahead of Torremolinos, SUR was able to verify in situ that the Costa del Sol town had, objectively, the best project.
As for Melilla, this new edition of Pride has a more festive character, but without forgetting the struggle through a programme that seeks to encourage citizen participation, raise awareness in society and generate spaces for dialogue in a local context marked by the cultural, social and social plurality of the autonomous city.
Amlega, the association organising Pride, has been working in the city for more than 20 years to make it a safe space for LGBT+ people. Its president, Rafael Calatrava, said that the group already has a place in the city that is respected by the institutional, political and social spheres thanks to its constant work, although they do not forget the cultural and religious problems that they still have to combat. For this reason, Europride would serve to put the spotlight on them and to advance in their solution.
Europride 2027 candidature
Torremolinos was presented as a candidate to host Europride 2027, but its project was not chosen. Turin was selected to host the biggest LGBT+ social and leisure event in Europe with a proposal based on the political situation in Italy.
However, Torremolinos’ bid was a strong and credible one. SUR consulted with representatives of other delegations in the hours prior to the vote, and the majority acknowledged that Torremolinos had the most solvent project. A solvency based on economic aspects (it was the one with the largest and best explained budget, especially the source of funds), but also on institutional aspects. It was the only one with clear support from the three administrations (central, regional and local).
Following this refusal, the representatives of the Torremolinos candidacy and especially its mayor announced that they would take a "process of reflection" before deciding whether the town would run again in the future. A process of reflection that seems to be over.
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