Pride celebrations in the United Kingdom

Pride celebrations happen across the United Kingdom during the summer. The first official Pride March was organized by the London Gay Liberation Front on July 1st 1972, on the weekend closest to the anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Birmingham closely followed with a march the week after. This was only 5 years after the partial decriminilisation of homesexuality in the UK. The London Pride Parade is the longest-running and largest Pride event in the UK.

History

The first Pride event of 1972 built on earlier rallies and marches for gay rights, beginning in 1970. ^[1] They were largely grassroots, community-led events until the end of the 1990s. Important milestones in the Pride movement in the UK include:

• 1973: the local chapter of the Gay Liberation front organized a march through Brighton and a “Gay Dance” at the Royal Albion Hotel. ^[2] The next Brighton Pride Parade would not be held before 1991.
• Early 1980s: Women-only marches were organized by Lesbian Strength in the week before Pride. ^[3]
• 1985: Birmingham's debut Pride event was called the Gay Pub and Club Olympics and included boat and egg and spoon races judged by drag queens. ^[4]

In 1988, Section 28 of the Local Government act stated that “A local authority shall not [...] intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality”. This created funding and logistical issues for Pride organizers. ^[5] Many local councils disregarded the law, which was repealed in 2003. ^[6]

• 1991: The first Pride march in Belfast, Northern Ireland, brought together a 100 people and had to change route last minute to avoid protestors. However, it quickly became a tradition. ^[7]
• 1992: London hosted EuroPride, the Pride event representing all of Europe.
• 1995: First large scale Pride event in Scotland, where homosexuality was only decriminalized in 1981. ^[8]
• September 1999: Launch of Cardiff Mardi Gras, now Pride Cymru, as a protest against police violence towards gay people.
• 2010: Liverpool debuted an official Pride march, on the closest weekend to August 2 2008, the anniversary of the murder of 18-year-old gay man Michael Causer. ^[9]

Pride celebrations by city

• Birmingham
• Bournemouth
• Brighton
• Bristol
• Canterbury
• Cardiff
• Doncaster
• Edinburgh
• Glasgow
• Hull
• Leeds
• Leicester
• Liverpool
• London
• Manchester
• Norwich
• Nottingham
• Reading
• Swansea
• Worthing

References

1. "The British Newspaper Archive Blog First 20 Years of Pride | The British Newspaper Archive Blog". blog.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2025-01-20. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
2. ChrisJ. "Pride25 – The History of Brighton Pride – Brighton & Hove Pride" . Retrieved 2025-06-25.
3. Merritt, Eve Collyer (2023-02-10). "Pride in the UK: From its roots to today".
4. Pellant, Georgina (2023-08-24). "The incredible history of Manchester Pride (and how far it's come)". The Manc. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
5. Staveley-Wadham, Rose (2022-06-01). "Celebrating The First 20 Years of Pride in The United Kingdom". The British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
6. Merritt, Eve Collyer (2023-02-10). "Pride in the UK: From its roots to today". House of Lords Library: In Focus.
7. Corr, Shauna (2021-07-28). "The story behind how Belfast's first ever Pride came about". Belfast Live. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
8. "Scotland's events in support of Pride go well beyond marches". The National. 2025-06-22. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
9. "Liverpool Pride march led by Michael Causer's parents". BBC News. 2011-08-05. Retrieved 2025-06-25.