Supporting Pride London 'more important than ever'

1 hour ago

Josh ParryLGBT & Identity reporter

News image — About one million people were expected to attend, organisers said

Getty Images A large crowd of spectators lines the street as a group of parade participants carries a massive, elongated rainbow Pride flag down a central London road flanked by historic stone buildings. — About one million people were expected to attend, organisers said

Attendees at Pride in London have told the BBC that supporting the event is "more important than ever", with thousands turning out for the annual parade.

The festival is the UK's largest Pride and one of the capital's biggest public events and this year the organisation running the event said it was expecting crowds of more than one million people.

This year's festivities come after a difficult year for the organisation which became involved in a long-running legal dispute with its former chief executive.

Pride in London said it was "overwhelmed by the support, love and commitment our community, partners, volunteers and wider stakeholders have given Pride in London this year".

A medium close-up of a smiling attendee named Magda Szewczak, who has red hair and glitter eye makeup, wearing a bright pink cowboy hat trimmed with silver tinsel at the parade. — Magda Szewczak says Pride is "more important than ever"

Magda Szewczak, visiting from Poland, said attending felt "more important than ever".

The 25-year-old told the BBC: "I love to see people being free to be themselves and being whoever they want to be."

Many of those attending shared the same sentiment - that it was particularly important to show their support for Pride in London after a turbulent year for the organisation.

It has been involved in a protracted legal dispute with its former chief executive, Christopher Joell-Deshields, who was sacked following an investigation into alleged misuse of vouchers donated by a sponsor.

The 55-year-old is due to be sentenced later this month after admitting contempt of court for failing to follow a legal order to hand back company property, including access to bank accounts and internal systems.

A close-up shot of Nicole Edmondson smiling at the camera, wearing large dark sunglasses and a vibrant red, orange, and blue feather boa amidst a busy outdoor crowd. — Nicole Edmondson says she attended to "be with the community"

Nicole Edmondson, 46, who visited from Surrey with a group of friends, told BBC News: "We had concerns, but we felt it was important to come together and be with the community.

"It's a brilliant turn out and it makes you feel good."

Three friends - with Besa Nolan in the centre - posing together on a sunlit London street during the event, all dressed in matching dark outfits. — Besa Nolan (centre) says the London Pride event makes him less worried about the wider movement

Besa Nolan, 25, travelled from Liverpool and said the size of Pride in London made him less worried about the future of the Pride movement.

"Other cities have downgraded their Prides," he said.

"Everything feels under threat, but today I haven't thought about that because look at the size of the turnout."

Final attendance figures have not been released but organisers said ahead of the event that more than a million people were expected to head into London for the celebrations.

Reuters A crowd of spectators watching the parade from behind a metal barrier. In the foreground, a young person with short blonde hair claps while wearing a white cropped t-shirt that reads "I HEART TO MAKE BOYS CRY." — Tens of thousands lined the parade route that made its way through central London

A spokesperson for Pride in London added: "Our priority is to always ensure the safe delivery of Pride for our LGBTQIA+ community and allies.

"Today's attendance, proves the significance and importance of Pride in the capital and we hope that everyone has a safe and happy Pride in London."

As well as the parade, Pride in London also attracts thousands of visitors to its stages around the city, including Trafalgar Square and Soho Square.

This year's main stage is headlined by singer MNEK, with performances from Beth Ditto and Meek.

Getty Images London Mayor Sadiq Khan in the centre of the shot. In front of him is a banner which reads Pride in London/Many Voices One Front. Other people stood with him are singer Beverley Knight, Dawn Butler MP, Saadiya Khan and Mete Çoban MBE — The London mayor was among 35,000 people taking part in the parade

The event started shortly after midday on Saturday.

Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan - joined by singer Beverley Knight - officially opened the 35,000-strong parade, which featured 600 groups.

The parade made its way from Hyde Park Corner via Piccadilly. It is due to finish at Whitehall Place at around 18:00 BST.

Getty Images Shot of singer Leo Kalyan on stage at the Trafalgar Square Show on Saturday 4 July. He wears a white and black strappy top and sings into the mike. He has long dark hair and light beard growth. — Performers, including Leo Kalyan, have performed at Trafalgar Square

Although there were rumours Madonna would appear on stage at Trafalgar Square, organisers confirmed on social media this was not the case.

Pride in London posted on social media: "In response to the rumours, we can confirm that Madonna will not be appearing or performing at Pride in London.

"We have two fantastic headliners at Trafalgar Square to conclude a brilliant day of protest and celebration."

It is understood that there had been communication between organisers and Madonna but that she was never a confirmed attendee.

Andrew Depass, 60, who is visiting from Miami with his children, was one of her many fans hoping to see her.

"Madonna is the only one that spoke up for us in the 90s when people were dying from Aids. She talked about them," he said.

"That's why she's the most important music icon in my mind."

Other acts that appeared on stage at Trafalgar Square were Leo Kalyan and Bombaymami.

Reuters A crowd of smiling attendees at a Pride event under a canopy of green trees. In the centre, two women hold up colorful, hand-painted protest signs; the sign on the left reads "Love says I'm so proud of all of you," while the larger sign on the right reads "Love is a horrible thing to hate" alongside illustrations of various Pride flags. — More than one million people were expected to attend the event on Saturday

Pride in London is one of more than 200 Pride events expected to take place in the UK this year - from smaller local events with less than 100 visitors, to city-wide celebrations with big name performers in Manchester and Brighton.

Organisers for such events have told the BBC that rising costs, coupled with a fall in corporate sponsorships, have made it a challenging few years, with some Prides postponed, cancelled or scaled-back.

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