London Pride 2019 set to be ‘biggest ever’ with more than one million people expected to descend on capital

Ben Morgan6 July 2019

Pride in London organisers today said this year’s parade will be the “biggest ever” — but warned more needs to be done to stamp out intolerance towards the LGBT+ community.

More than a million people are expected in central London tomorrow, in the biggest parade in the countr y.

This year Pride will commemorate the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York, which is credited with kick-starting the movement for equal rights.

Pride’s co-chairwoman Alison Camps said: “We are aiming to be the biggest ever. There will be 30,000 people in the parade, 5,000 more than last year.

“We are looking to make a big statement about our community.”

People take part in the 2018 Pride in London Parade in central London
PA Archive/PA Images

Hundreds of performers are expected to take to stages set up around central London. Half of the artists were discovered by the organisers’ talent show — Pride’s Got Talent — where pop star Sinitta was among the judges.

Pride will also feature a world area stage for the first time, with space set up in Golden Square to celebrate black and ethnic minority members of the community.

Broadway star Billy Porter will headline the main stage in Trafalgar Square, while a cabaret stage will be in Dean Street and a women’s stage in Leicester Square.

Ms Camps said she wanted all LGBT+ attendees to feel secure at Pride — after a group of anti-trans activists protested in front of the parade last year.

The protest group has been banned from Pride and police have upped security around the parade route.

Homophobic and transphobic hate crimes have more than doubled in England and Wales over the past five years.

Reported homophobic hate crimes across London have increased from 1,488 in 2014 to 2,308 in 2018, according to the Met.

New York: Pride 2019 - In pictures

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Ms Camps highlighted the increase in hate crimes as an example of society’s tolerance “going backwards”. She said: “It is important to remember this is a protest movement and much more than a party.

“There is still a lot to protest about. We live in a London bubble and we think everything is okay but we are seeing a rise in hate crimes.

“It’s easy to be complacent but we are in a situation where society is going backwards not forwards.”

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