London Pride

London Pride is an annual event in London, comprising a march or parade in central London, together with a rally or festival, and sometimes other events.

Gay Pride Marches, subsequently re-branded as Pride Marches and now Pride Parades (see Pride) have been held in London since the early 1970s, normally on the nearest Saturday to 28 June, the anniversary of the Stonewall riots.

From 2004 to 2012, the London Pride events were organised by the charity Pride London.

Following widespread dissatisfaction following the last minute scaling back of World Pride 2012, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, invited community bodies to bid to run future Prides. In January 2013 it was announced that a community interest company London LGBT Community Pride had been awarded the right to run Pride for five years starting 2013. The company is now branded as Pride in London.

London Pride year by year

 * More information needed to complete this section.


 * 1971: There was a small march in 1971, organised by the GLF youth Group, starting with a Gay Day in Hyde Park and then a march down Oxford Street and Regents Street to Trafalgar Square. There were about 200 marchers and a large number of police.
 * 1972: The first Gay Pride March under that name was held on the 1st of July 1972 and was organised by GLF. The date was chosen to be the nearest Saturday to the Stonewall riots of 1969. About 700 people took part in the march itself and maybe 2000 in the whole event, including the rally and picnic in Hyde Park.
 * 1973: this year's Pride March was organised by CHE.
 * 1978: the Pride march went via Earls Court, ending at Shepherd's Bush.
 * 1981: the Pride March was moved to Huddersfield for one year only,in protest against police harassment of the Gemini Club.
 * 1985: the march went from Hyde Park to the Jubilee Gardens. The number of marchers went up to 15,000, including mining communities showing solidarity in return for gay support during the miners' strike. Capital Gay estimated attendance at 10,000 and called it, “the biggest gathering of homosexuals Britain has ever seen.”
 * 1988: about 40,000 people attended Pride, protesting about Section 28.
 * 1990: the annual parade went from Victoria via Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, and the Houses of Parliament, and down Kennington Road
 * 1991: 25,000 people joined the march from central London to Kennington Park, up to 45,000 people were estimated to have dropped in on events in the park
 * 1992: (Europride)
 * 1993: festival in Brockwell Park
 * 1994: festival in Brockwell Park
 * 1995: march from Hyde Park to Westminster; festival in Victoria Park.
 * 1996: march from Hyde Park to Westminster; festival in Clapham Common.
 * 1997: march from Hyde Park to Westminster; festival in Clapham Common.
 * 1999: festival ("London Mardi Gras") in Finsbury Park.
 * 2000: march from Hyde Park to Victoria; festival ("London Mardi Gras") in Finsbury Park.
 * 2001: festival ("London Mardi Gras") in Finsbury Park.
 * 2002: festival in Hackney Marshes.
 * 2003: festival in Hyde Park.
 * 2004: march from Hyde Park to Victoria; rally in Trafalgar Square; festival ("Big Gay Out") in Finsbury Park
 * 2006: (Europride)
 * 2012: (World Pride): The Pride Parade started as in previous years from Baker Street, but the start time was unexpectely changed from 1pm to 11am, and vehicles were banned. The party in Trafalgar Square went ahead, but a number of other events on the day were cancelled. Peter Tatchell has reported that the change in start time was intended to reduce the numbers taking part but in the event there are thought to have been 25,000 people on the march, the biggest number ever.
 * 2013: Half a million people took part in the Pride in London Parade, a march from Oxford Street to Whitehall, followed by a festival ("Summer Rites") in Shoreditch Park.