Pride Month: Things to do in London this June

Pride in London

London’s main parade this year is being held on June 29th. The route starts at Hyde Park Corner, through Piccadilly Circus, down Haymarket, through Pall Mall and Trafalgar Square before before culminating at Whitehall Place. As usual, the parade is free to watch, but there is a grandstand available in Haymarket with tickets costing £50.

After the parade, several stages will open across central London with a variety of different acts as the festivities kick off in earnest. The main stage is at Trafalgar Square. This is usually the biggest event at Pride, and the busiest. The Golden Square Stage usually has stalls where you can get refreshments and food. The Women and Non-Binary Stage and trans-led Soho Stage specifically prioritise women/non-binary talent and trans talent respectively.

Approximately 2 million people travel to London every year for Pride in London. Whilst this outpouring of queer love is amazing to see, it makes for an extremely busy event. As the day is likely to be extremely warm, we would recommend that all attendees carry a bottle of water with them to avoid heatstroke. Further, to make the most of the day it’s best to either attend with friends, or make some friends whilst you’re there. Have a plan of which stages you want to visit, which acts you want to watch, and which bars you plan to visit. There are also a great many of after parties and other celebrations going on through out the city after Pride in London - most queer bars offer drag shows and other events - we’ll be posting about the must-see events later on.

Trans Pride

Trans Pride is being held on the 27th of July this year, already in its fifth itineration. It started as a way to spotlight the specific issues and challenges faced by the trans community in the UK. Considering the political opposition the trans comm unity has been facing both in the UK and abroad, the overall tone of this event is decidedly more political than Pride in London, which has been criticised in the past for ignoring the promotion of queer issues in favor of receiving sponsorship from large corporations.

Despite this, Trans Pride remains a celebration of queer life and love, welcoming everyone both inside and outwidth the community to celebrate. This year, Trans Pride has also been protesting for an end to conflicts in Sudan, Congo, Haiti, Tigray and Palestine. Given the more political tone of the event, it would be our recommendation that attendees prepare as if they were attending a protest - take a mask, water, snacks, wipes, portable charger and any medication you may need. Feel free to bring a sign or placard - unlike Pride in London, anyone is free to participate in the march.

London Black Pride

London Black Pride is being held on August 11th, at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford. Now the biggest event globally specifically celebrating LGBTQI+ people of African, Caribbean, Asian, Latin-American, and Middle-Eastern descent, UKBP is bringing the community together for both ‘a party and a protest’. The event features a number of performances, talks, workshops and community stalls.

As in past years, the event is liable to feature a great deal of dancing, empowering and amazing speakers, as well as many community workshops to help attendees get involved with the community. Fashion is always on-point at these events, so be sure to wear your queerest outfits. As always, take water and your medication.

London Bi Pride

London Bi Pride is being held on August 31st at the University of West London, in Ealing. Bi Pride states that their mission is to create a space where people who experience attraction beyond gender are spotlighted and celebrated. There will be a variety of performers and speakers, with the event also typically being live-streamed. The Main Stage will feature artists and performers, and the Second Stage will feature discussions and activism, with specific attention paid to those issues faces by the Bi community.

In past years, this has been a fairly laid back event with plenty of space to sit down, take a rest, and enjoy Ealing’s natural scenery. Neither the headliner nor the panelists have been announced for this year, but watch this space!