| Leeds Pride | |
|---|---|
 Freedom Bridge over Lower Briggate during the 2018 event | |
| Date(s) | 6 August 2023 |
| Begins | 11.00 am |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Location(s) | Leeds, England |
| Inaugurated | 2006 |
| Participants | 65,000 (2019) |
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.
History
Leeds 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.[1] In 2009 the numbers attending the event had almost doubled, to 12000, with over 1,000 participating in the parade.[2] In its tenth year (2016) the name had changed to Leeds Pride[3] and it had over 40,000 people in attendance, with the figure expected to grow in year on year.[4]
The 2018 Leeds Pride took place on Sunday 5 August with over 100 floats.[4][5]
Parade
The parade starts at Millennium Square at around 2.00 pm finishing on Lower Briggate by The Calls with a huge party.[2][3][4] The economic impact to the city centre of Leeds is approximately £3.8 million.[6]
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.[7] 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.
Temporary decoration for the 2018 parade
Steps up towards the station
Telephone kiosk on Bridge End
Rainbow plaques
In 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.[8] A map has been published showing the location of 15 plaques.[9]
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
References
- ↑ Glypta, Anna (10 August 2006). "Share in our Pride". Yorkshire Evening Post.
- 1 2 "VIDEO: Gay Pride parade in Leeds". Yorkshire Evening Post. 3 August 2009. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
- 1 2 "Let's have a party! Leeds Pride celebrates its 10th birthday in style". Yorkshire Evening Post. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
- 1 2 3 Evans, Alex (5 August 2018). "Leeds Pride 2018: Thousands gather in Leeds city centre for colourful event". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ↑ "Thousands turn out for Leeds Pride parade". www.bbc.co.uk. BBC. 5 August 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ↑ "Leeds Pride - Impact Survey 2017" (PDF). 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
