Break out the rainbow face paint and glitter.
Happy pride month! All summer long, we going to be seeing rainbows and undoubtedly a handful of colourful unicorns as people take to the streets in celebration of the LGBT community. With thousands of people waving flags and floats streaming through tightly packed parades, there's no end of festivities across the UK and we've put together a list of the best pride celebrations on our radar. Lots of love to our LGBT readers, now and always.
Brighton Pride
People travel from all over the UK decked out in rainbow and glitter for Brighton’s mammoth celebrations, which are famously the biggest and most popular in the country. The city transforms Preston Park into a huge ticketed three day festival (August 3-5), which includes live acts by the likes of Britney Spears, Ella Eyre as well as fun cabaret and dance tents for you to jam all night long.
If you can’t commit to the full festival, the Pride Parade takes place on the 4th and begins at Hove Lawns before winding through the city with diverse performers, musicians, politicians, policemen and women amongst others all celebrating love in every form.
When: 3-5th August (festival), 4th August (parade)
Where: Preston Park (festival), Hove Lawns start (parade)
London Pride
Why have just a day of festivities when you can have over a whole month? London doesn't hold back during Pride Month with an entire events calendar including film festivals, life drawing classes, dedicated V&A tours, Pride Prom and endless parties of course. The crown jewel on the celebrations is naturally the parade which passes by London’s most iconic sights: Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus’ Eros Statue and more. This year, it will be held on July 7 at 12pm and while the route hasn’t been nailed down this year, information will soon go live on their site.
When: 9 June - 7 July (full festival), 7 July (parade)
Where: Events across London, parade route tbc
Manchester Pride
Manchester's Gay Village is the stuff of legends and it's no surprise that their pride celebrations are top notch. It all kicks off over the final weekend in August and includes a major music festival, which will see the likes of Jake Shears, Rita Ora, Alexandra Burke and Gok Wan taking to the stage. Naturally, there'll be a big Pride parade on August 25 and this year's theme is 'The Circus of Acceptance' so expect a load of clowns, acrobatics and more streaming through the streets. As is tradition, Manchester's Pride weekend wraps up on a sombre note with a Candlelit Vigil to remember those lost in the fight for equal rights as well as HIV/AIDS victims.
When: 24-27 August
Where: Gay Village, parade route tbc
Glasgow Pride
If you’re in Scotland, you’re going to want to chart a course for Glasgow this pride season. There’s loads happening this year over the two day celebration, including the fact that Steps will be performing (something we’re super excited about here at Marie Claire). Beyond bopping to Tragedy, you’ll also be able to frolic at a fairground, peruse the wares at an LGBT market and even make some furry friends at a dog show. The festival starts with the parade, which will take place on July 14 and start at Clyde Place before wrapping up in Kelvingrove Park.
When: 14-15 July
Where: Main celebrations in Kelvingrove Park, parade begins in Clyde Place
Dublin Pride
Make sure you’ve got some good walking shoes on as you’ll actually be able to join in the Pride parade march in Dublin, alongside vibrant floats and all sorts of colourful people. While the official events calendar is looking a little bare at the moment, the pride parade will be held on June 30th and start at St Stephen’s Green South with speeches, live performances and a lot of fanfare from 11am.
When: June 30 (parade)
Where: Meeting point at St Stephen’s Green South
