The Pride Amsterdam festivities reach their climax on Saturday with the boat parade – the 27th time a flotilla of decorated vessels will travel through the Prinsengracht, watched by tens of thousands of people.

Sunny spells and showers are forecast, with temperatures not expected to rise above 20°, but large crowds are still expected to line the canal and cheer on the boats. The theme of this year’s event is “love”.

This year, Amazon and Facebook are no longer sponsors, a decision influenced by the tougher stance on diversity coming from the Trump administration in the United States. Deloitte staff will also not be participating in the parade itself but will watch from a moored boat along the route.

Some companies have “gone a little bit back into the closet,” event spokesman Martijn Albers told the NRC.

“We’ve had a ‘corporate Pride’ conference with our partners and they told us that while it is in their DNA… they may have to attract a little less attention,” he said. “It is an understandable but sad development.”

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Others, however, have reaffirmed their commitment. “There are companies that say ‘this is the Netherlands and Europe. This is what we think is important’,” he said.

Companies such as ING, Heineken and PwC are all taking part.

For information about the times, route and road closures, check out the website