The Middle East’s largest ever LGBTQ+ Pride festival will be held in Israel at the Dead Sea for four days beginning June 1.
“Pride rises at the lowest place on earth 🌈 This June the Dead Sea becomes Pride Land, the biggest LGBTQ+ festival ever in the Middle East,” an Instagram post from the State of Israel says.
The post continued, “Four days of nonstop celebration community and connection. Israel celebrates its LGBTQ+ community bigger than ever 💙.”
Some theories suggest that the upcoming festival could be celebrated on or near the location of the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
The cities are mentioned in Genesis 19, which tells the story of God destroying them with sulfur and fire for their “grave sin.”
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Festival producer and initiator Aaron Cohen said, “This is not just another festival, it’s the biggest thing we’ve done here.”
“We chose to grow. To take an investment of millions, purchase entire hotels for four days, and build a city from scratch in the middle of the desert,” he added. “It’s an experience that lives 24/7, from quiet visits to nights of pride, with a living envelope of music and people.”
Pride rises at the lowest place on earth 🌈 This June the Dead Sea becomes Pride Land, the biggest LGBTQ+ festival ever in the Middle East. Four days of nonstop celebration community and connection.
Israel celebrates its LGBTQ+ community bigger than ever 💙 pic.twitter.com/JxqjQGNB7z
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) April 20, 2026
Southern Baptist Pastor Tom Ascol told Israel ambassador Mike Huckabee that it is events like this one that lead Christians to neglect celebrating the modern state of Israel.
“Ambassador Huckabee, wickedness like this is why Christians take issue with any thought of standing shoulder with and celebrating the modern state of Israel,” Ascol wrote before citing Proverbs 14:34: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”
