Read an extract from new book ‘Queer London’
As soon as June hits, London is packed with parades, parties and protests for Pride Month to mark the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots. But, this year the celebrations will feel extra special. Not only is it the first time many events will be taking place in person after two years of lockdowns, cancellations and livestreams, but in 2022 the London Pride parade will celebrate its fiftieth anniversary.
When is London Pride?
This year’s London Pride parade will take place on Saturday July 2. To mark its epic birthday it will retrace the original route of the inaugural 1972 Pride march. It will begin at Hyde Park, the terminus for the first ever march, before wending its way down to Piccadilly, then south to Haymarket and Trafalgar Square, and then ending at Whitehall Place.
What is London Pride 2022’s theme?
This year’s theme is #AllOurPride – a nod to the fact that this year Pride will be ‘uniting the collective past, present and future of pride from every corner of the LGBT+ community’.
The organisers of Pride in London have said that they want to use this year to ‘march towards progress’.
They’re calling on the UK government to ban conversion therapy for all LGBTQ+ people, to reform the Gender Recognition Act, to provide equal protection for LGBTQ+ communities against hate crime, to establish a national Aids memorial and more.
As well as the parade, there’ll also be four stages at various points along the route platforming grassroots and DIY performers as well as big names like Emeli Sandé, Ava Max, Samantha Mumba and Eurovision winner Netta headlining the main stage in Trafalgar Square.
Want even more action? Look out for the warm-up and after-parties as well as queer fringe events that will spill out across the summer.
Want even more action? Look out for the warm-up and after-parties as well as queer fringe events that will spill out across the summer.
Recommended: Everything you need to know about the London Pride parade 2022.