Birmingham Pride

Details of this years festival are currently being researched.

Last year has marked the 13th year of Birmingham Gay Pride, being held on the weekend of the 23rd of May 2009. It was a resounding success for organiser, Lawrence Barton, co-owner of The Village Inn and The Loft Lounge (two of Birmingham's premium gay bars). Birmingham Gay Pride also saw the return of a Gay Pride Parade, with plenty of colour and its more than fair share of torsos on display (partly due to the fantastic weather). Sporting an ethical feel to it, 'Pink Meets Green' was the chosen theme for Birmingham Gay Pride's thirteenth outing. This means that the Gay Parade was a rather random mix of pink and green..... with a bit of the rainbow thrown in for good measure! This means that Birminghams 13th Gay Pride festival promoted itself and the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Trans) community as a whole as environmentally ethical, hence 'green'. The Pride Party started at 1pm on Victoria Square with the Gay Pride Parade starting an hour later.

Birmingham's Gay Village was a sight to behold with lots of fun activities spread across the streets and the usual flashes of Rainbow colour left & right, up & down..... any which way you look really, as well as market and community stalls, The Village Inn cabaret marquee and the Nightingale providing top class live entertainment from gay friendly artists from around the country.

From all reports, it seems as though this year's Birmingham Gay Pride was a resounding success. With great weather, a very happy LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Trans) community, and a much welcome return of the Gay Pride Parade...... roll on next year. Thank you to Lawrence and the committee for a wonderful event!

We would like to thank Paul Robins for the use of these photos.

Birmingham Gay Pride 2008 did not sport a parade after a series of disagreements over the start time. Nevertheless it still attracted over 30,000 visitors, with events taking place in the Gay Village and its pubs and bars, dotted around Bromsgrove Street, Gooch Street, Kent Street, Lower Essex Street and Hurst Street.

The Gay Pride Festival kicked off at 3pm on Saturday in the heart of the Village with a Community Launch Event. The Lord Mayor opened Pride 2008 with an event showcasing community groups including Rainbow Voices supported by big name acts including Sonia on the main stage. The cabaret marquee, complete with pink carpet, large bar and Champagne Corner, was located next to the Village Inn. The marquee boasted a phenomenal line up of the best cabaret artists and entertainment from across UK with visiting cabaret from Gran Canaria. Entertainment was provided for all ages, with a fairground located behind the Hurst Street car park, and street performers and dancers sporting all the colour and atmosphere throughout the area.

The Nightingale had an all star line up, with acts such as Samantha Mumba (Thursday), Gabrielle (Friday) and Simon Webbe, the star of Blue (Saturday).

The Sonia photo is public domain from Wikipedia.
Other photos are Copyright © BBC Birmingham.