Pride in London – live: Parade begins as one million expected for LGBT+ celebration

The Pride in London Parade has begun as more than one million people are expected to take part in the LGBT+ celebration on Saturday.

The streets of central London are packed with colourful crowds, music can be heard, people are dancing, multicoloured outfits are everywhere, and huge rainbow flags are seen flying high.

The Independent are ready for the Pride in London parade, with members of the newsroom, including editor-in-chief Geordie Greig, all gathered in the central London crowds.

This newspaper is proud to be the exclusive media partner of Pride in London this year and is taking part in the parade, which is led by mayor Sadiq Khan.

Director Oliver Hermanus writes: “I experienced my first proper London Pride last year. I got swept up in the humdrum of Soho streets, packed with revellers, swaying from bar to bar, drink in hand.

“I danced the night away in a mess of glitter and gay pop anthems. It was freeing, it was easy and familiar. Perhaps so much so that I might easily have believed that Pride was now simply an annual event that meant little more than that – a good night out, being free.

“I recently turned 40 and found myself reflecting on my various privileges. It felt like the right time to take stock. I’m a coloured (google it) South African filmmaker, born during apartheid, gay and living in London.”

Cheering, clapping and singing crowds are lining the streets of central London as the Pride in London parade is set to begin.

People are waving rainbow flags, a symbol of LGBT+ pride and social movements, with many having come dressed in multicoloured outfits, including facepaint and colourful props.

More than one million people are expected to attend the parade, which will see about 600 LGBT+ groups take part and is set to begin around midday.

The chair of a refugee group who is fundraising for her members to attend a Pride parade said the march will be a “confidence-boosting experience” to “affirm and celebrate” asylum seekers of the LGBTQ+ community.

Sarah Cope, chair of Queer Refugees Unite, which is a support group for LGBTQ+ people seeking asylum in the UK, has set up a Go Fund Me to raise money to take 40 of its members to celebrate Pride at the London Pride Parade.

Ms Cope said the experience “can’t be overstated” as it will allow LGBTQ+ refugees to take part in the parade, particularly as many cannot afford to attend the event, and spoke of the significance of the trip.

“It’s just really important that they go to pride for a lot of reasons. One is that all of these people have had to keep who they are a secret all their lives up until this point,” the 45-year-old from Hertfordshire told the PA news agency.

“Asylum seekers get an absolute pittance from the government in terms of money they receive to live on so it’s not really enough for travel expenses.”

“We needed money for t-shirts and for people’s expenses, travel expenses, because they are based all over the UK.

To raise awareness of the countries where being part of the LGBTQ+ community is illegal, the group will attend the event wearing t-shirts designed by one of the members depicting the words Queer Refugees Unite written across a drawing of the globe.

Ms Cope said the image of the planet represents the members who “come the across the world from some of the countries where it’s still criminalised if you’re gay or trans”.

The Prince of Wales joked that he felt underdressed without sequins or glitter as he marked the end of Pride Month by discussing mental health in an LGBT+ venue.

William spoke of the importance of “mental fitness” in a short YouTube film in the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in south-east London.

The film sees the heir to the throne in conversation with volunteers from The Mix and Shout discussing mental health and support in the LGBT+ community.

The Mix and Shout are both charity partners of the Heads Together campaign which was founded by The Royal Foundation.

Both charities offer free confidential support for young people who are struggling and feel alone.

William chats to 20-year-old Michael Lister, chair of The Mix youth advisory board, Sharvari Patil, a 20-year-old student and volunteer at The Mix, and Alexis Caught, a Shout volunteer who is also an author and podcast host specialising in mental health and wellness in the queer community.

Speaking near the beginning of the film, William joked: “I feel very underdressed today in the Royal Vauxhall Tavern. I should have come with some sequins or some glitter. Maybe next time I’ll bring it.”

The prince talks to the trio about their own mental health journeys in the LGBT+ community.

They discuss the importance of ensuring people look after their “mental fitness” and why checking in on others and supporting those in your community is vital.

William commented on the importance of having an open conversation and how emotions can prove more difficult for men.

“I think guys particularly find emotions quite difficult, don’t quite know how to deal with them – strong emotions, no emotions, whatever it might be, they kind of find it quite hard.

“And I think that’s why we’ve got to get better at having an open conversation about these things,” he said.

William thanked Michael, Sharvari and Alexis for their insights and told them it will mean “an awful lot to everyone” to hear from them.

Gok Wan said he hopes that Pride offers the chance for “us to join hands with our allies and fight for the remaining work that needs to be done for equality”.

Ahead of Saturday’s march, the fashion consultant and TV presenter said: “Pride is as important as when it first started because there are still injustices and lack of equalities around the world which need to be fought for.”

He added that Pride allows “our wonderful community to come together and be seen”.

“It’s a time for us to join hands with our allies and fight for the remaining work that needs to be done for equality,” he said.

“It’s one hell of a party, but it’s also an opportunity for us to show our international friends that we stand with them and continue the fight for change.”

Wan is also set to DJ at Manchester Pride in August, which he said “holds a special place in my heart”.

“I love all Pride events for their solidarity, unity, and of course visibility, and Manchester holds a special place in my heart as it was one of my first pride events that I DJ’d at many years ago,” Wan said.

Just Stop Oil has threatened to disrupt London’s Pride march if the parade does not stop accepting sponsorship money from “high-polluting industries”.

In a statement, LGBT+ members of the group also called on organisers to ban floats from those organisations in the parade – and condemn new oil, gas and coal.

“These partnerships embarrass the LGBTQ+ community at a time when much of the cultural world is rejecting ties to these toxic industries,” they said.

LGBT+ people are “suffering first” in the “accelerating social breakdown” caused by climate change, they added.

“Pride was born from protest,” the statement continued.

“It speaks to how far we’ve come as a community that high-polluting industries and the banks that fund them now see Pride as a useful vehicle for sanitising their reputations, waving rainbow flags in one hand whilst accelerating social collapse with the other.”