Pride in London: What you need to know

Once upon a time London Pride was just a few club tents in a park. These days, the event stretches out across much of Soho and down into Trafalgar Square where huge acts gather to entertain the masses. Pride in London takes place from 21-28 June, with the main Pride events taking place on Saturday 27 June.

Last year more than 750,000 people came to pride in London, with 30,000 people joining the parade. Organisers are promising that this year’s event is going to be bigger and better than ever. There’s so much going on this year that you’ll need to plan your day so you can squeeze it all in.

There’s Pride’s Got Talent, the event’s annual talent competition in which artists from London’s LGBT community sing alongside headline acts in Trafalgar Square. In the week leading up to the big parade, a series of events have been planned for the Pride Arts Festival, showcasing some of the finest visual art, spoken word, film, photography, sculpture and other work by LGBT artists. Highlights include: Queer’Say, a spoken word event with Rosie Wilby at the Hackney Picturehouse on the Sunday, as well as the #Outcome photo exhibition, which showcases the photography of London’s LGBT community, as well as debate nights, quizzes and performance art shows.

Aside from the main stage, which last year featured the likes of Conchita and Sam Fox, the highlight of the weekend, is the parade, which is once again set to include the Lesbians and Gays Support The Miners Group as seen in hit film of last year, Pride. Rather fittingly, this year the theme is ‘Pride Heroes’, recognising such figures as Alan Turing, Chelsea Manning, Stephen Fry, Drew Barrymore, Harvey Milk, Freddie Mercury, Marlene Dietrich and Billie Jean King, as well as various organisations.

For those of you who are in it for the party, Trafalgar Square hosts pride’s main stage, where revellers can enjoy the best live entertainment and community stalls on the Saturday following the parade. Around the corner in Soho, you’ll find the Cabaret Stage, Women’s Stage, and Family Area, and there will also be Pride in the Park this year in Vauxhall, which features live entertainment, community stalls and sports events. Keep an eye on their website. 

WHERE TO STAY

London Marriott hotel County Hall / Marble Arch

London pride is such a fabulous day that you might as well make a weekend of it. You can either spend the weekend at our Marble Arch Marriott, which is a stone’s throw away from Soho, but nothing beats the amazing views from the County Hall hotel. Marriott Marble Arch, 134 George Street, W1H 5DN. 020 7723 1277 / Marriott County County Hall, SE1 7PB. 020 7928 5200

More Pride info: To book Exclusive Gay Travel packages visit Marriottweekends.co.uk/pride