5 Things You Need To Know Before Attending Winter Pride Maspalomas in Gran Canaria

Gay Winter Pride arithmetic: get into the Construction queue by 10 pm when it opens to get the wristband and locker key. Leave your belongings there, then head out to explore the main stage for a few hours, returning to Construction as needed, skipping the long queue that will have formed.

Later, join the queue for Mantrix tickets when they open at midnight to receive your entry wristband, then return to the Yumbo main stage.

Come back to Mantrix to continue the night when the main stage closes…again skipping the hour-long queue that will have since grown. Our pleasure 🙂

This is Yumbo Centre on your average night during Winter Pride. It's full of every gay you've ever met because this is one of the largest and best gay festivals out there, especially in Europe.

We always have a great time in gay Gran Canaria, whether it's for Maspalomas Pride in May or Winter Pride in November. So from our heart to yours, here are the 10 things we wish someone had told us before our first time attending.

1. Book accommodation asap!

Winter Pride is one of the most popular events in Gran Canaria. Gays come from afar and in huge numbers for this epic week. As a result, hotels and Airbnbs get snapped up pretty quickly. Many book a year in advance as soon as the next year's dates are announced, and locals know this, so they whack up their prices during Winter Pride.

We made a last-minute decision to go and booked an apartment we found on Booking.com at the last minute. It was around 10 minutes walk east of Yumbo Centre. If, like us, you also leave it to the last minute to book, we advise checking Booking.com daily for cancellations, as many who have booked a year in advance often book several refundable options and will start canceling them within the month leading up to Winter Pride, so around September/October.

If you're more astute with your planning and are looking to book a place well in advance, our guide to the best gay hotels in Gran Canaria has got your back.

2. Secure your phone and valuables

Not gonna lie, in a packed environment like Yumbo Centre, on a weekend during Winter Pride, your valuables are at high risk of being snatched by crooks. It's a sad reality, but it happens. So our advice is to take out with you only what you need and keep it all zipped/locked away.

We always tried to get a locker in Construction early in the night, as that way you have a place in Yumbo where you can keep your valuables nicely locked away, and the entrance allows you to go in and out throughout the night as much as you want.

My favorite place to store things like the hotel key, lube, chewing gum, etc., is in my socks. However, for larger items, one thing I've recently discovered any am loving is getting a running arm band from Amazon and placing it instead above your calf. Ideally, get one with at least two zips, one for the phone and the other for other valuables. That way, you feel it close to you, don't need a bag, and have easy access to your phone when you need it.

It's also quite hot – makes you look like a gay Lara Croft…check out our photo of it at one of the pool parties:

Seby got his iPhone stolen at one party we went to – the thief took it from his shoulder bag when he wasn't looking. The one thing we were thankful for is being able to claim it back from our travel insurance…make sure you get one as a failsafe!

3. Plan your pool parties

There are lots of things happening in and around Winter Pride. Centre stage is the main stage of Yumbo Centre, which will host a party every evening. Entrance is free, and there's always a crowd. Between the main stage of Yumbo, the surrounding clubs/bars, and the Six Pack area, you'll have a blast in the evenings.

During the day, there are several other events worth checking out, including several pool parties. At first, it can feel overwhelming knowing which one to buy tickets for. What we found after years of going to both Winter Pride and Maspalomas Pride is that if you only go to one pool party, we recommend the Tropicana Pool Party at Ocean Club, often on the Friday of Winter Pride. It's the largest event, drawing thousands of people, and it's a short cab ride from Yumbo. Any major celebs in town will be performing here. When we went in 2025, we saw the Venga Boys performing here.

The Wet and Wild Pool Party at the Amadores Beach Club is another favorite. It's set in a pretty location. However, the downside is that it involves a 45-minute taxi ride (or free shuttle bus from Yumbo), which puts some people off. We found that a lot more gays went to Tropicana at Ocean rather than Wet and Wild.

4. Poppers are illegal in Spain!

Yup, it's a thing, sadly. A lot of our friends found this out the hard way. Police are everywhere in and around Yumbo Centre during Winter Pride, doing spot checks, and if they find poppers on you, they will confiscate them. More on the police presence below, but our advice is take care if you are bringing poppers – stash them somewhere safe in your underwear when out and about, or leave them at your hotel.

An unofficial local tip off we were given is if you want to buy them, head to the adult shop opposite Noxon Club and ask for ‘Channel number 5' 🙂

5. Plan your nights out in Yumbo

The opening paragraph in this article? It really is a thing. Queues for clubs during Winter Pride can get pretty bad, with some going for hours. The worst is Mantrix, which is open till 8 am: when the main stage closes at 3 am, crowds head to Mantrix to continue the party, so the queue can be pretty overwhelming. That's why we recommend going there at midnight when the ticket office opens and getting the wristband, which allows you entry whenever you want.

The same for Construction. Another very popular haunt. But if you get there early enough, you can purchase a locker and therefore have a place to leave your stuff as you dance around Yumbo. Just remember to bring some cash, as locker payment is cash only.

6. Police are everywhere

Pickpockets and dealers do very well during Winter Pride. Thankfully, the police are out in their numbers carrying out random stop and searches.

The advantage is that we felt that little bit safer, although we still caution you to take extra care with your valuables in busy spaces.

The downside, well, if you're carrying any poppers or other candy, you'll want to be a bit crafty. Stash it in your crotch, and you'll be fine. They only check your pockets and bags. If they find anything naughty, they will confiscate it, and in the worst-case scenario, take your details.

7. Download PrideTaxi: no Uber or Bolt in Gran Canaria!

A constant bane each time we visit. It may change soon, and we will update this article as soon as it does. But in the meantime, we have to grapple with the fact that there is no Bolt or Uber in GC. The alternative is to rely on vacant yellow taxis in the street. Most of the time, we managed fine, but during busy periods, such as leaving a busy pool party when hundreds of gays are also trying to hail a cab, it's a pain in the backside.

Another way around this is download the PideTaxi app, which is the closest thing we could find to Uber in the Canary Islands.

For payment, most taxis accept cards and will give receipts if you're claiming business expenses. But it's worth carrying some cash just in case.

For airport taxi transfer, a cab to/from the Airport from the Yumbo Centre area costs around €40-50 and takes around 30/40 minutes. There is a bus that takes around 1 hour and only costs around €4-5 per person. However, check the timetable as they're not that frequent.

8. Remember to bring cash when you go out

We found the same thing when partying in gay Berlin: Gran Canaria is still not entirely contactless. We found we needed cash to pay for drinks in certain places, the lockers in Construction, some club entrances, and other minor expenses. Most of the taxis we took were able to accept card payments, as did all supermarkets and restaurants.

We found that having a mix of €50, €20, and €10 notes on us each time we went out worked a treat.

9. Remember to hydrate!

Obviously, rehydrating is important during Winter Pride, whether you're drinking alcohol, or, taking other candy… But one heads up we recommend is considering rehydrating with electrolyte-rich drinks if possible.

We got into Gatorade as our go-to mixer. Other electrolyte drinks to consider include coconut water and Powerade. Just keep an eye on the sugar content of some of these drinks and make sure you balance that out.

10. It's hot, remember to apply sunscreen!

Whilst the rest of Europe is probably freezing in the winter weather, here in Gran Canaria temperatures will be around 68-77°F (20-25°C). That may not sound boiling, but it's enough to burn the skin, especially if you're outside all day wearing skimpy, tight shorts and nothing else!

At some of the pool parties we went to, we found we had to reapply sunscream every few hours. These are day events when the sun is at its peak. The same applies if you go wandering in the dunes or to the gay beach.

Read more travel adventures like this in our book!

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For more, be sure to check out:

• 10 interesting facts about Gran Canaria we bet you didn't know
• The best gay Pride events in Spain
• Our gay guide to Barcelona
• Everything you need to know about Barcelona Pride
• Our first timer's gay guide to Valencia