7 Unity tips to Celebrate Safe @ Amsterdam Gay Pride
Amsterdam Gay Pride is here!!! Let’s go into it with a smile and enjoy every moment of it.
Pink Unity & Celebrate Safe have some tips for you so you can prepare well, continue partying for many hours and recover quickly.
- Prepare
- Eat healthy foods and sleep to reset your mind.
- Know how to get home – organise transport ahead and a meeting point in case you lose your friends (Local transport in Amsterdam will probably have a changed schedule so check 9292ov.nl). Travelling by car? Make sure you have a plan B in case your designated driver is to tired or intoxicated.
- Check the weather forecast! Weather can change rapidly. Because day and night temperatures can vary drastically it’s best is to dress in layers. We recommend that you avoid synthetic fabrics and other garments that don’t breathe and can cause you to overheat. Also, do not forget your sun block!
- Inform yourself: https://unity.nl/drugs-en/info-for-tourists/
- Be at your best!
- Eat during the festivities to resupply your energy levels
- Take breaks, chill out
- Drink water (but not too much): two glasses of water per hour is enough, also when you’re on ecstasy!
- Use earplugs to protect your ears
- Think for yourself, care about others
- Think – drugs and alcohol can cause you to make poor decisions
- Know what you can and know what you cannot handle
- Try not to give in to the temptation of overdoing your consumptions
- Keep an eye out for your friends
- And caring about others isn’t limited to just your friends. Why not offer others a sip of your water, or a comforting word if you see they need it?
- Please respect the people who actually live in the city centre of Amsterdam. It’s their home so don’t piss at their doors, dance on the roofs (of their houseboats) or throw your garbage on the streets or in the canals.
- Take drinks in cans or plastic cups or bottles – broken glass is dangerous and can cause serious injuries
- The first aid is your friend
- Support others if they don’t feel well, but try not to make it worse by freaking out about it (usually a break in a more quiet place away from the chaos and with a refreshing water works best).
- If you or someone you know is in trouble or danger, or you feel threatened or lost, find the First Aid team, consult the security staff or ring 112. Remember you won’t get into trouble for calling for help.
- Dance, flirt and be safe & respectful
- We all know that along with dancing and partying comes flirting. Just remember what looks great when your perception and judgment is impaired by alcohol or drugs isn’t always so pretty in the morning. Make smart choices, be wary of taking strangers back to your home or hotel room, make sure a friend knows who you’re with and where you are and always, always use condoms. Imagine having an amazing pride experience only to find out you’ve come away with an STD. Lame. Carry condoms with you
- Know the Dutch Drug Policy
- The Netherlands is famous for its tolerant drugs policy. But a lot of people don’t realize that drugs are in fact illegal in the Netherlands. Understanding the Dutch drug policy can spare you a lot of trouble
- All drugs are forbidden in the Netherlands. It is illegal to produce, possess, sell, import and export drugs. However, the government designed a drug policy with tolerates smoking cannabis under strict terms and conditions
- All hard drugs and the sale of soft drugs on the streets are strictly illegal and therefore punishable by law. Public attitudes and official policy toward drugs and prostitution have hardened in recent years and police have zero tolerance for violence or hard drugs (basically anything besides cannabis).
- Ignore street dealers
- Buying drugs on the street is about the biggest tourist trap in Amsterdam. From the first step out of the central station you will be offered drugs. Most of the time these offers will be in the form of a sort of whisper as you walk by a street dealer. They will say under their breath, “ecstasy – cocaine.” Whatever you do don’t buy it, the stuff you get offered can contain anything from washing powder to very dangerous substances.
- Afterwards
- Take your time to rest and make sure you get enough sleep
- You’ll recover much more quickly by eating healthy food
Check the official Amsterdam Gay Pride website for more info on all the event! http://en.amsterdamgaypride.org/