'The app people love to hate': IRL events bringing the 'Global Gayborhood' together
We're catching up with the app's Chief Marketing Officer who's been bringing massive moments to the community this year
Last updated 10th Nov 2026
You might have seen more of the famous orange mask in 2026 - as the popular gay dating app Grindr has been shifting its marketing focus, by investing more in real-world events to boost its presence both offline and online.
Part of their mammoth year was back in the summer, when, for Pride Month, they made waves around the world with a surprise Madonna concert in Times Square.
The whole thing was touted as a highlight of its campaign for her new album, and drew 50,000 attendees following a last-minute in-app notification.
Read more: Confessions II: Madonna captivates Times Square in special performance
And after what's been an incredible year of growth, Hits Radio Pride has been catching-up with the company's Chief Marketing Officer, Tristan Pineiro.
He's been explaining that such events offer what's described as 'sharable moments' - and exploring just why they're important for the wider context of dating in the modern LGBTQ+ sphere.
'We're the app people love to hate'
"Within the community, we had huge brand awareness, but we didn't have much brand love.
"We're the app that people love to hate, and hate to love, and it struck me that we needed to do something to change that, to really talk about the great stuff that we do," Tristan told us.
"Grindr very often is the butt of the joke, we very often get talked about when things go wrong, but the vast majority of the time, when people meet on the app, it's successful.
"There's relationships, friendships, sports teams, testing help, sexual health information, travel info...
"So much happens on there, and what I saw was that so many of these stories just weren't being told - and I thought it was time to tell it through what's now become to be known as the 'Global Gayborhood'."
The 90s 'queer revolution' in Manchester
Tristan's not got to where he is now by accident, having traversed the marketing and comms sphere for nearly three decades.
He started working in nightclubs in Manchester back in the '90s, where he was going to uni, which became his grounding in PR and marketing.
And it was being on the door, giving out flyers, and encouraging people to get inside these venues which has helped him translate what he used to do on Canal Street into what he does now on a global scale.
"You know, looking at what I did back then, and what we've recently done with our events that made me realise I've really come full circle.
"I learnt so much back then, and you know what, I really miss that city.
"I keep telling myself I'm going to one day end back up in Manchester, it was great - especially back in the early '90s, which was such a melting pot, particularly for queer culture," he said.
"That time really was a queer revolution that was going on.
"Manto Bar was the first in the UK to have a glass front, where people weren't hiding any more, and I used to work there on the door of the Breakfast Club...
"There were some incredible people there - so many who have come on to have great careers, work for Kylie, have their own footwear brands, be successful in the advertising world.
"It really was an incredible time to be there, and I think myself very lucky."
From growing the 'Global Gayborhood' to making Times Square 'Vogue' with Madonna
Fast-forward to 2026, and Grindr's strategy has been about transforming on-app experiences into off-app 'IRL' moments.
And the message is, wherever you are in the world, there'll always be communities of gay people.
That's where the phrase 'Global Gayborhood' originated.
Tristan said: "It doesn't matter where you are, there will be people like you.
"The idea is that if you're in Manchester, London or New York, there'll be 'Gayborhoods' where you can congregate, be safe, and engage with each other with special events, concerts, and even sexual health clinics.
"But, sadly, that's not the case everywhere - the majority of the world doesn't have that kind of luxury.
"So, what the 'Global Gayborhood' does is provide a digital layer that helps gay people connect with each other in their local areas.
"You'll have marriages, families, best friends, sports clubs, and even safety in numbers.
"In fact, during the World Cup, lots of people were using the app to create that sense of 'safety in numbers', creating their own mini communities, which aren't necessarily otherwise being provided.
"And we don't need to advertise what we do in the traditional way, which means we can decide how we get involved with our target audience.
"It's because of this that Madonna, who's been such a staunch ally of the LGBTQ+ community for so many years, got involved.
"When she came to us to launch her new record, she knew full well that if the gays get excited, then the whole world will.
"And we have also been very loyal to her, because she was talking about all sorts of things in the 90s that could have been career-ending, like advocating for gay rights, and talking about the AIDS epidemic - and we remember that.
"It was a perfect marriage of giving the community what we want, whilst we were supporting her, like helping make happen that huge concert in Times Square, which we had to keep under wraps until 30 minutes before showtime.
"The best way to describe what happened was a gay stampede!
"And at the beginning of Pride Month, it was absolutely magical."
'It's gay Christmas!': The magic - and importance - behind the Pleasure Ball
With what's been described as a dynamic approach to marketing this year, Grindr hasn't just been punctuating the year with showstopping moments, but the team really has been 'tapping' into the market.
Their team over the summer embarked on a branded bus tour across Europe, and held its annual Pleasure Ball in New York back in October.
And Tristan explained, be it the global superstar Madonna, or bringing together huns and influencers for a night of queer celebration, it was all about creating a sense of community with the 'Global Gayborhood'.
He said: "Halloween has long been a celebration that the community loves.
"It's of course known as 'gay Christmas', and we've really taken it as our own.
"There might be lots of reasons for that, maybe, because we grew up masking who we are, so this is us regaining control, for instance.
"But bringing a big, bold and brash celebration like this together is based on us wanting to involve the whole community.
"It's not just about the iconic party, it's also about the content, to allow people who aren't in those 'Gayborhoods' to still feel involved, and show that message that we're here, and we're a force to be reckoned with.
"Most importantly, it's about promoting our social impact campaign, Grindr 4 Equality, which is a vital part of what we do, especially in countries, for instance, where it's still illegal to be gay.
"The whole mission is to reach communities there in ways that they can't be reached through traditional means, because it puts people in danger.
"There's a lot of work we do in the background - and it's certainly not just the party... although we do have an incredible amount of fun along the way."
Read more: Pleasure Ball 2026 brings futuristic Halloween to New York City
'We push ourselves to show up in unexpected places'
Data shared by the dating app shows how these interactions have been playing a role in bolstering their advertising business, which generated $73.6 million in 2025.
The app boasts around 15 million monthly users - including 1.4 million paying subscribers.
Whilst their social channels now attract 2.5 million followers, and generate 32.7 million monthly impressions.
Bosses say they plan to leverage events, influencers, and member referrals to promote Edge, its AI-powered premium membership later this month.
Their approach leverages events, influencers, and member referrals to continue generating a positive change for LGBTQ+ communities globally.
So, what's been the highlight, for Tristan?
"The extreme gayness of it all," he told Hits Radio Pride.
"What I love is how we push ourselves to show up in unexpected places, and the kind of content we're producing is absolutely incredible.
"The bus tour is something which brings so much joy to so many people in the UK and across Europe, and we can really see our audiences are engaging with it all so well.
"We're showing people that we want to amplify everything, from their fears and joys, to wonders and expectations - and I love getting up every day."
And you can read more about their social impact when we caught up with their Head of Global Government Affairs, here: Grindr pledges to connect 10M people to HIV prevention services by 2028