10 Pride Events In London You Need To Book
It’s Pride Month! This summer sees London going all out with celebrations and festivities. Think meaningful parades, glitzy drag brunches, pop-up exhibitions and more.
If you’re wondering how to celebrate, we’ve rounded up the best Pride events in London worth booking.
Top Pride Events In London
Queer Joy Exhibition
A collaboration between SKITTLES, GAY TIMES, Queer Britain and Getty Images, QUEER JOY is a brand new pop-up exhibition that’s landed in King’s Cross for the summer season.
The free exhibition, running until the end of August, showcases 50 striking portraits of queer people, captured by LGBTQ+ photographers from the UK and abroad. Displayed across art benches on Granary Square, Pancras Square and Battlebridge Place, the exhibit hopes to shine a light on the unfiltered, queer self-expression that is vital to the LGBTQ+ community and highlight the feeling of Queer Joy.
Pride Parade 2023
Landing on the first Saturday in July, London’s Pride Parade 2023 is set to be the biggest celebration of Queer identity yet. Starting in Hyde Park Corner and finishing in Whitehall Place, expect over 600 LGBT+ community groups to march across the capital.
Activations will be going on all across the city, with stage areas taking over Golden Square, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Soho’s Dean Street and a family area at St Giles-in-the-Field.
The Grand’s Pride After Party
Anyone who has ever been to The Grand knows they know how to put on a party, and their Pride extravaganza is no exception. Head here for the ultimate London Pride after-party and expect to be dancing into the night. There’ll be live PAs, special guests, DJs and dancers.
When: 01.07.2023
Where: The Grand Clapham Junction, 21-25 St John’s Hill, SW11 1TT
Website: www.claphamgrand.com
Classical Pride, Barbican
The first Classical Pride concert to be given by a major orchestra in Europe is set to take place at the Barbican Hall in July. Presented by conductor Oliver Zeffman and the CBSO, the performance will feature the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, an LGBTQ+ community chorus and top international soloists.
The evening will be presented by broadcaster and former Radio 1’s Breakfast Show DJ Nick Grimshaw and will showcase that LGBTQ+ people have always been at the heart of the music scene at its highest level.
When: 07.07.2023
Where: The Barbican Hall, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS
Website: www.barbican.org.uk
The Glory, River Stage
Kicking off the National Theatre’s River Stage for summer 2023 will be The Glory for three days packed with memory-making highlights.
Hosted and curated by The Glory’s Grande-Dames of drag and performance, Jonny Woo and John Sizzle, this upcoming weekend will be packed out with DJs and cabaret artists, pop-up shows and drag showstoppers. From Prosecco brunches to Drag life drawing, inspiring talks and brilliant performances, there’s so much to get involved with.
When: 09.06.2023 – 11.06.2023
Where: River Stage, National Theatre, Upper Ground, SE1 9PX
Website: www.nationaltheatre.org.uk
Pride Summer Bandstand, Victoria Park
Throughout the summer season, Victoria Park’s Bandstand will be taken over by some brilliant musical names. On Sunday 25th June, there’ll be a special LGBT+ Pride Picnic, complete with music and festivities celebrating Pride Month. Expect names such as The Bleeding Obvious, Music In Our Underpants, Archway Big Band and Alice Nicholls to be performing.
Absolut Bottomless Drag Brunch
Hosted by Beverly Monét from Mountview Academy, Skylight Peckham’s monthly drag brunch is always a sellout. Book yourself in for their June edition and look forward to an afternoon filled with panoramic views over the city, fabulous performances, hilarious moments and brunch classes.
Priced from £39.99, look forward to your choice of brunch item and bottomless Prosecco, rum punch or Bloody Marys for two hours. The performances go on until 4pm, complete with lip-syncing specials, games and comedy.
When: 17.06.2023
Where: Skylight Peckham, 120 Peckham Hill Street, SE15 5JT
Website: www.skylightbars.com
Pride Boat Party
For more Pride events in London over the first weekend in July, book yourself in for the ultimate Queer boat party! Setting off from Blackfriars Pier, sail into the afternoon and let loose on the dance floor. The boat party will be packed out with live drag acts, dance anthems and plenty of good vibes.
Pride’s Got Talent
We’ve all seen Britain’s Got Talent but have you seen Pride’s Got Talent? Landing at the Adelphi Theatre this month is this year’s season finale.
Hosted by London Cabaret icon Michael Twaits, expect an evening packed with performances that are set to blow you away. With a special guest act performance from last year’s Cabaret category winner Alexa Vox, you know it’s going to be a good night.
Divine’s Life In London, Queer Britain
A deep dive into queer history, Granary Square’s Queer Britain will welcome an interesting discussion into the life of Divine’s time in London and the UK during the 1980s. Divine, known as Harris Glenn Milstead when off stage, was an American actor, singer and drag queen, and starred in a number of films. In this one-off event, Dame Zandra Rhodes and Jon Lys Turner will celebrate Divine’s life and career, taking a look at his 80s UK tour.
