Leeds Pride is an annual LGBT Pride celebration held in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Leeds Pride is one of the biggest free pride events in the UK.
| Leeds Pride | |
|---|---|
 Freedom Bridge over Lower Briggate during the 2018 event | |
| Date(s) | Sunday 21 July 2024 |
| Begins | 10.30 am |
| Ends | 10 pm |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Location(s) | Leeds, England |
| Inaugurated | 2006 |
| Participants | Over 75,000 (2023)[1] |
History
editLeeds Pride first took place in August 2006 (then called Leeds Gay Pride) – there had been previous Pride events in Leeds such as Hyde Out in 2000 and in the few years before the first Leeds Pride, an informal picnic on Woodhouse Moor. Leeds Pride was supported by the city council and local business with 6,500 attending.[2] In 2009 the numbers attending the event had almost doubled, to 12000, with over 1,000 participating in the parade.[3] In its tenth year (2016) the name had changed to Leeds Pride[4] and it had over 40,000 people in attendance, with the figure expected to grow in year on year.[5]
The 2023 Leeds Pride took place on Sunday 6 August with 175 organisations taking part in the parade, and over 75,000 people in attendance, making it the biggest Leeds Pride ever.[1]
A 2024 policy change caused controversy after the organisation changed their parade guidance to include comments about “specific individuals, beliefs, or political opinions are strictly forbidden". Breaking of this rule could lead to removal from the parade. The activist group Dirty Dykes made a public statement on their Instagram explaining that they wouldn't be attending the event in 2024 due to this policy change. The parade policy was subsequently changed, but Dirty Dykes pointed out this only occurred after parade applications had already closed.[6]
Parade
editThe parade starts at Millennium Square at around 2.00 pm finishing on Lower Briggate by The Calls with a huge party.[3][4][5] The economic impact to the city centre of Leeds is approximately £3.8 million.[7]
Buildings on the parade route often have temporary decorations in the colours of the Rainbow flag. In 2017, the railway viaduct over Lower Briggate was painted in these colours and named 'Freedom Bridge" by Leeds City Council and Network Rail.[8] Steps going up to the station are also painted in the same colours as is a telephone box (an aql wi-fi hub, close to their headquarters) on Bridge End.
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Temporary decoration for the 2018 parade -
Steps up towards the station -
Telephone kiosk on Bridge End
Rainbow plaques
editIn association with the 2018 event, Leeds Civic Trust announced that it would be expanding its blue plaque scheme to create a trail of Rainbow Plaques to commemorate those who have contributed to the LGBT+ story of Leeds.[9] A map has been published showing the location of 15 plaques.[10]
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Plaque 1 on the Grove Inn, Back Row -
Plaque 2 on Queen's Court, Briggate -
Plaque 4 on Mill Hill Unitarian Chapel -
Plaque 5 on Hotel Chocolat, Albion Place -
Plaque 6 on the wall of Yorkshire Dance, St Peter's Square -
Plaque 7 on the BBC building, St Peter's Square -
Plaque 9 in the entrance to Leeds City Art Gallery -
Plaque 10 on the Swarthmore Centre, Woodhouse Square -
Plaque 11 on Leeds Beckett University Student Union building -
Plaque 12 on First Direct Arena -
Plaque 13 on the Parkinson Building, University of Leeds -
Plaque 14 on Leeds Central Library -
Plaque 15 on Leeds City Varieties theatre
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b Gray, Charles (7 August 2023). "Leeds Pride 2023: Organiser hails 'biggest ever event' as over 75,000 mark celebration of LGBTQ+ in the city". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- ^ Glypta, Anna (10 August 2006). "Share in our Pride". Yorkshire Evening Post.
- ^ a b "VIDEO: Gay Pride parade in Leeds". Yorkshire Evening Post. 3 August 2009. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
- ^ a b "Let's have a party! Leeds Pride celebrates its 10th birthday in style". Yorkshire Evening Post. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
- ^ a b Evans, Alex (5 August 2018). "Leeds Pride 2018: Thousands gather in Leeds city centre for colourful event". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ^ Hansford, Amelia (19 June 2024). "Leeds Pride reverses controversial new policy after backlash". PinkNews. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ "Leeds Pride – Impact Survey 2017" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
- ^ Newton, Grace (19 February 2017). "Leeds Freedom Bridge project completed". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
- ^ "Rainbow plaque trail set for Leeds". Yorkshire Evening Post. 12 February 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
- ^ "The Rainbow Plaque Trail" (PDF). leedscivictrust.org.uk. Leeds Civic Trust. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
External links
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