Lesbian and Gay Pride London 1994
Lesbian & Gay Pride '94 was held in London on 25 June 1994, with a march from Hyde Park through the West End and a festival in Brockwell Park, Herne Hill. It was organised by the Pride Trust.
This article draws on the official Pride map produced for the event by JWH Design, which recorded the march route, the transport arrangements and a detailed plan of the festival site.
The march
The march assembled at the Reformers' Tree in Hyde Park at eleven in the morning and moved off from the Cumberland Gate entrance at noon, passing along Park Lane and Piccadilly, through Trafalgar Square and down Whitehall, and dispersing in Great Smith Street and Marsham Street. Marchers were advised that it would not be possible to join the march at Hyde Park Corner.
The map set out how to reach the assembly point: Marble Arch and Lancaster Gate were given as the best Underground stations, with Bond Street, Knightsbridge and Victoria as alternatives, and Paddington and Victoria for those arriving by train. Coaches were directed to the Park Lane coach stops before eleven o'clock, and organisers asked to be contacted in advance by anyone travelling that way. Accessible routes were marked with the RADAR symbol.
To reach the festival afterwards, marchers were directed to the Underground to Brixton or the train from Victoria to Herne Hill, with a shuttle bus leaving Millbank at £1.80 and ordinary buses on routes 2 and 3.
The festival
The festival occupied Brockwell Park, with entrances from Dulwich Road and coach stops to the south. The site plan records an open stage, a cabaret tent, a firework range, a market area, a funfair provided by Heaven and a variety stage run by The Black Cap.
Eight bars were run by venues from the London scene, listed on the map as Brief Encounter, The Black Cap, The Champion, a women's bar, The Two Brewers, the Gloucester, Comptons and The Coleherne.
The plan also shows a women's tent run by Planet Venus, an area for people of colour, a health tent provided by Crusaid, a rest area provided by TNT, a fashion tent shared by the Red Ribbon campaign and the Ministry of Sound, a crèche, a bathhouse, a rainbow disco, mud wrestling, classic cars, amateur radio, and stalls for Stonewall and for Pride merchandise. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence had their own area. A music link was operated by Unison with the Pink Paper, Boyz and Shebang.
Provision recorded on the plan includes first aid posts, drinking water, toilets, a disabled viewing stand, a disabled persons' car park, and a police point for lost property and children.
Source
Lesbian & Gay Pride '94 map, JWH Design for the Pride Trust, 1994.