Yelp Amsterdam @ Gay Pride Canal Parade 2012

Somewhere in January 2012... We took a sip of our wines and suddenly we said to each other: "Wow, wouldn't it be absolutely amazing for Yelp Amsterdam to have an offical boat in the Amsterdam Gay Pride Canal Parade?!" So we applied in February and then we had to wait... Because you can't 'just enter' the Amsterdam Gay Pride Canal Parade. No, no, there are conditions, restrictions and it's assigned. April 1st 2012 (it's not a joke) marked ourJudgement Day and YES! We would be in the Amsterdam Gay Pride Canal Parade 2012! Last Saturday, August 4, we shined along the Amsterdam Canals with the official Yelp Amsterdam boat #78.

Every first Saturday in August, the Amsterdam Canal Parade is being organized and it highlights the Amsterdam Gay Pride week. Needless to say, there is just one Amsterdam and one Amsterdam Canal Parade and it's quite spectacular! 80 fully decorated, extravagant and -sometimes- hilarious boats float along the Prinsengracht Canal. Hundreds of thousands Amsterdammers are watching the Canal Parade from the shore or from their own boats, and over 2 million people watch it live via national and local television and on YouTube. Check out the Yelp Amsterdam boat at the YouTube stream at 2:32:00!

This year's theme of the Amsterdam Gay Pride was 'On The Move', so we had to use that in the concept and decoration of our boat... Now that was easy! Our theme would be "Exploring"! After all Yelp is all about exploring the city and write about your experiences. The guests on board were the Amsterdam Elite Yelpers, as they are the true explorers Amsterdam has! We are always on the hunt to discover the local gems and tell you where you want to go and, in some cases, don't need to go. 

The colour of the boat turned Yelp-red, there were gorgeous banners with the text "Discover Amsterdam" and we turned the boat into a 'jungle'. And as finishing touch: all Yelpers dressed in white and wore safari-hats and binoculars. These proved to be the most useful tool to connect with the audience! Furthermore, there were these amazing dancers, dressed in nothing but some very tiny shorts and great feather-creations. Check out the photos! Would you like to know what it's like to be in the Amsterdam Canal Parade? Read the reviews!

I'm proud. I'm so very proud! That has nothing to do with my personal preferences of any kind, I'm just grateful that I live in a city like Amsterdam; where you can be who you want to be and express yourself how in any way you wish to. And most of all, I'm so proud of you Yelpers; that I have the opportunity to discover the city with you, that we can share that on Yelp.nl and help Amsterdammers find the best spots! Let's explore some more!

See You On Yelp!

 

Philippine W - Yelp Amsterdam Community Manager