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After the opening speeches, and until July 5, both squares will be packed with fun and entertainment. The stages will accommodate the best DJs of the moment, plus a whole range of different concerts by a selection of performers from pop artists to electronic rhythms. Plaza Vázquez de Mella will also host the Final Gala of the 2009 Mister Gay Pride Spain Contest and this year, to triple the fun, another square is joining in the events: Plaza de Santa Maria Soledad Torres Acosta, also known as Plaza de Luna. Another space for performances and musical shows.

However, artists won't only be performing in squares, but also on different stages offering a vast programme and range of activities: Calle Pelayo, Calle Libertad, Plaza de la Luna and Plaza del Rey. One of them, Plaza del Rey, will be the Cultural Stage, the main setting for the MADO Cultural Festival, MUESTRA-T, with the slogan Celebración 40 años de Orgullo en el Mundo (1969-2009) (40 Years Celebrating Gay Pride in the World [1969-2009]).

LESMADRID 09 will start on Saturday July 4, after the parade. This lesbian festivity will be staged in one of the most glamorous venues in Madrid, the Círculo de Bellas Artes (Fine Arts Circle). The event will take place in the dance hall and the column gallery with two different atmospheres that will accommodate performances by DJs as important as Moni-K and DJ Lara. There will also be visual performances and go-go dancers.

Popular race and mass parade

Madrid's Gay Pride gathers a range of events which are open to everyone, catering for a variety of tastes, from conferences and round tables to exhibitions and cultural or sport activities. One of the most notable events on the agenda is the group exhibition Social Pride Project, from June 16 to July 6, which will spread out around different venues in Chueca, and the theatre play The Dying Gaul, by Craig Lucas, which will be performed from June 25 to 28 at the Centro Cultural Casa de Vacas in El Retiro Park. Then there's the LGTB Visible Culture Festival, now in its 5^th edition -from June 16 to July 12 in Madrid- with 11 shows and 13 theatre plays, plus a round table about theatre.

For sport lovers, the programme includes the third edition of the Proud 10 Km., which is open to athletes and amateurs on June 28. The itinerary departs from Plaza de España around the centre of Madrid. As well as this activity, this year's programme also offers more events than ever before, so to make sure you don't miss a thing, check out the complete programme: MADO'09.

The star event is the Gay Pride Parade that actually names the festivities and was the origin of this whole week of festivities and activities. In recent years, Gay Pride parades in Madrid have gathered over two million participants. The traditional colourful demonstration-parade around the streets of the capital is the perfect ending to a week of festivities. This year the parade will take place on July 4, and hopes to attract thousands of people, as in previous editions, creating a stunning human river that will glide, like a multicolour snake, along Madrid's main streets. As usual, the parade will kick off from Puerta de Alcalá and march down to Plaza de España, calling at Cibeles, Calle de Alcalá and the whole of Gran Vía. The parade will end in Plaza de España, which is the best place to cheer on each and every one of the floats as they arrive at their destination. Plaza de España will also host an event that will gather a varied selection of artists.

After a week of partying and not getting that much sleep, the best option is to end with a quiet activity like the picnic that is staged every year by the lake in El Retiro Park, in front of the monument devoted to Alfonso XII. Take your friends and family and end this week of events in a chilled-out atmosphere, enjoying the company of your acquaintances and meeting new friends, as you give your stomach a breather.  In all, experience a week of festivities and celebrations in one of the warmest and friendliest cities in the world, and you'll surely want to come back for more next year.