Esch has a long tradition of tolerance: from the early years of industry when the city welcomed Portuguese and Italian workers, to its geographical position near the borders of France and Germany, Esch remains an open city. Here, lifestyle choices, sexual preferences, religious and individual social practices are acknowledged, tolerated and easily accommodated. In fact, the city hosts the Pride Parade that takes place every July, and has done that since 2015 (as part of the Luxembourg Pride weekend), together with the street-festival, Gaymat (in Luxembourgish “Géi mat” means “come along”, Gaymat is an anglicised word pun).
Esch is also a member of the Rainbow Cities Network (established in 2011, and numbering 27 members across the globe, all of which are committed to defending the rights of their LGBTQ+ citizens).
