The big Pride in London 2023 parade takes place this Saturday (July 1), with organisers hoping it will be the “UK’s biggest, most diverse Pride” ever.
LGBT Pride Month is now underway and getting everyone in mood for the upcoming Pride in London event. London is expected to be alive with parties and protests of all kinds between June 1 and June 30.
Pride Month originally began after the Stonewall riots, a series of gay liberation protests in 1969, and has since spread outside of the US.
Here’s everything you can expect from the event it culminates in, Pride in London, which is commonly known as London Pride.
What is Pride in London 2023?
Pride in London celebrates the capital’s LGBT+ lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans + community with a programme of events that showcases LGBT+ culture. Events involve theatre, dance, art, cinema, parties and other activities.
More than 300 floats will travel through London, while groups sing and dance across the city.
Soho will host parties and events in the evening, with pubs, bars and clubs throughout the city doing likewise.
Pride in London involves an estimated 30,000 participants and attracts an estimated 1.5 million visitors. It is one of the longest-running and largest pride festivals in the UK.
Organisers said Pride in London’s event on July 2, 2022 was the UK’s biggest ever Pride protest.
A record-breaking 1.5 million people took to the streets of London to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, while also protesting injustices that continue to this day.
Several organisations have organised Pride since the first official UK Gay Pride Rally was held in London on July 1, 1972 (chosen as the nearest Saturday to the anniversary of the Stonewall riots) with approximately 2,000 participants.
When and where is Pride in London 2023?
This year’s big Pride in London event will take place on Saturday, July 1. It will start at noon at Hyde Park Corner and the grandstand in Haymarket will be open from about 11.30am for viewers.
How to get tickets for Pride in London 2023
Tickets for the grandstand are available to purchase from here. The event is otherwise free to watch and take part in.
The parade always traces the original path of the inaugural 1972 pride march. It is expected to do the same again this year.
Volunteers are still being sought here.
What is the theme of Pride in London 2023?
The theme last year was #AllOurPride — a nod to the 50th anniversary of the event — and the 2023 website displays the same sentiment here.
Pride in London CEO, Christopher Joell-Deshields, said: “We look forward to London’s LGBTQ+ communities coming together again as we continue to show up for visibility, unity, and equality for all LGBTQ+ people.”
Who is in the Pride in London 2023 line-up?
Singers Emeli Sandé, Ava Max, and Eurovision winner Netta were among the stars set to perform at Pride in London 2022, but organisers have not yet announced any of the headline acts for this year’s events.
These are expected to be announced on the website in the coming weeks. The stages have been announced, however.
There will be the Golden Square stage; the Trafalgar Square stage; the Women’s Stage in Leicester Square; Cabaret Stage in Dean Street, Soho; and a Family Area in St Giles-in-the-Field with activities and performances for parents with children. More details are available here .
What else is going on for Pride this year?
A full itinerary has not yet been announced, but there is a brand-new website that will showcase events going on in the capital. This is set to include protests, picnics in parks, art exhibitions and theatre productions.
Coming Out is Pride in London’s new go-to guide that will be available all year round, not just for Pride Month. It will give the LGBT+ community a way finding out everything that is taking place in London so that it can be “highlighted and given the attention that they deserve”.
