Lambeth Council invited community leaders, LGBTQ+ activists, and essential stakeholders to discuss ‘Bringing Pride Home’ and plan an LGBTQ+ Pride celebration for summer 2025.
The meeting follows on from Lambeth officially marching at Pride in London for the second year, and from the Leader’s Pride reception, which this year took place in the Assembly Hall, once associated with the Gay Liberation Front as part of their Tea Dance and Disco fundraisers.
At the Pride reception, the council pledged again to explore bringing Pride ‘home’ to Lambeth, supporting the LGBTQ+ community to host our own 2025 celebration.
Word from the Cabinet
Cllrs Fred Cowell and Nanda Manley-Browne, Lambeth’s joint Cabinet Members for Equalities, Governance and Change, said: “We call it ‘Bringing Pride home’ because the borough is home to the highest population of LGBTQ+ people in London, and the second highest in the UK.
“In the last decade, prides have appeared in many London boroughs to focus on celebrating local communities as well as the London-wide march and festival.
“It’s essential that a Lambeth Pride should be led by the community and that ‘what it looks like’ will be driven by them and supported by Lambeth Council.”
Pride in Lambeth
Lambeth is no stranger to Pride.
- From 1985 – 1997 the celebration after the march was hosted in Jubilee Gardens, Kennington Park, Brockwell Park and, in 1996, a huge festival (estimated at 70,000 on the march and a staggering 250,000 at the festival) on Clapham Common for Pride’s 25th
- UK Black Pride was founded in 2005 and what was then a record 7,500 people, came to the event in Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens in 2018.
- Estimated crowds of over 100,000 visited EuroPride in Brockwell Park in 1992, 1993 and 1994.
- Clapham also hosted the 1997 London Pride festival, a year of change with sponsorship, huge pop acts and a message of support from newly elected Prime Minister, Tony Blair. It’s been called the start of Pride becoming mainstream.
“I have lived in Lambeth since 1985 and remember clearly the Pride marches back then ending with a big celebration in Kennington Park. Lambeth has been the spiritual home of London Pride for over four decades and is now home to the second largest LGBTQ+ population in Britain. It’s time for #PrideInLambeth to come home!” – Jason Jones, Human Rights Defender
Join us to plan Lambeth Pride
Our next Pride planner will be mid-November. We’ve invited other borough’s pride organisers to talk about the challenges and rewards of organising an event to celebrate Pride.
We also want more people from Lambeth’s LGBTQ+ community and their Allies to have their say at this and future planning events throughout the year. Please contact us for details and an invitation.
