Denver One of Ten Cities to Advance on Bidding for Gay Games 2030

The Denver bid committee is working with Visit Denver to highlight all Denver has to offer to bring Gay Games 2030 to the Mile High City.

Denver is bidding to bring the Gay Games back to North America for the first time since 2014. Recent games have been hosted in Paris in 2018, Hong Kong and Guadalajara (but not without some controversy from lawmakers) in 2023, and the 2026 games are set to take place in Valencia, Spain.

If selected as the 2030 Gay Games host, Denver will invite athletes to enjoy the scenic city and will be providing opportunities for the city’s countless athletes and performers to participate in the events they love (regardless of their sexual or gender identity).

With local and state support from organizations and officials alike, along with full support from Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Denver Mayor Mike Johnson, the Denver bid committee continues to move forward to finalize their proposal. Denver is the only city in America to advance and will present its case to host the Games, along with the nine other cities from five continents, this coming fall in Washington D.C.

In the coming months, Denver’s bid committee will finalize proposed venues for cultural events and over 35 sports, ranging from Gay Games staples to local favorites. The committee has been working closely with Denver’s active LGBTQ+ community, leveraging decades of experience by local organizations to organize tournaments and community events.

The Federation of Gay Games is built upon the principles of “Participation, Inclusion, and Personal Best” since 1982 and exists to promote equality in sport and culture for all. The Gay Games was conceived by Dr. Tom Waddell, an Olympic decathlete, and was first held in San Francisco in 1982.

Subsequent Gay Games were held in San Francisco (1986), Vancouver (1990), New York (1994), Amsterdam (1998), Sydney (2002), Chicago (2006), Cologne (2010), Cleveland+Akron (2014), Paris (2018), Hong Kong and Guadalajara (2023), and Gay Games XII will take place in Valencia in 2026.

To learn more about Denver’s bid to host the 2030 Gay Games, or to learn how to get involved in the process, you can visit Denver’s Gay Games Bid Site or follow along on Instagram or Facebook. To learn more about the Gay Games, including the upcoming 2026 games in Valencia, Spain, visit the FGG Home Page.