How to make the most of Pride in London this weekend

London's Pride parade will take place this weekend on Saturday 1st July, the annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community in the city. The tradition dates all the way back to 1972 when 2000 people took part. Now, the event has grown to a huge scale and over a million people are expected to attend. It is one of the most celebratory atmospheres you will ever experience in the city and we thought we'd give you some tips on where to celebrate pride in London this weekend.

 

Find a good spot to enjoy the parade

Starting at Hyde Park, this year's route is going all the way down to Embankment via the West End, meaning that there will be all kinds of celebratory stop-offs along the way. Naturally, central London is going to be packed but it's well worth it to see this tide of colour and unrestricted passion. The start of the route may just be your best bet to getting a great view and you could follow it all the way down if you don't mind squeezing past people.

 

 

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Catch one of the musical acts

This year's Pride headliners have been announced as Adam Lambert, Idina Mendzel and Todrick Hall. There are plenty of gems to find further down the lineup too with it all kicking off at 12pm. There's no doubt that whatever stage you find yourself at, you'll be treated to some brilliant queer talent.

 

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Attend a screening of Pride

The London Art Bar will be hosting a screening of the film Pride which follows a group of queer activists who raise money to help those affected by the 1984 miners' strike. A day before the parade commences, this is the perfect time to see a film which explores what can be achieved when people pull together.

 

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We Party 7th Heaven London Pride

When: Saturday 1st July

Where: Electric Brixton, London

One of the biggest London Pride parties taking place this weekend, Electric Brixton is going to turn into a heavenly space. With Ana Julieta on the decks, you can't go wrong, become enraptured in dreamland for one of the most euphoric Saturday nights of the year.

 

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Visit one of London's queer clubs

 There's no better time to acquaint yourself with some of London's top queer clubbing spaces. After all, these are often hubs for the LQBTQ+ community where you can express yourself however you want. We recommend Fold (pictured), Electrowerkz and Heaven as our top tips for clubs yous should be visiting. 

 

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Beyond London Pride

When: Saturday 1st July

Where: FIRE Nightclub, London

Special guest DJs, The Freemasons are headlining this party which will be going on well into Sunday. With five rooms of music to choose from you can switch from pop to House, Disco and R&B in a heartbeat. End your pride celebrations for the day amidst some amazing company.

 

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Grab some reading material from Gay's The Word

The oldest LQBTQ+ bookshop in the whole of the UK, Gay's The Word has a lot of history attached to it. Here, you can browse a huge collection of queer writing. It's fair to say that it is much more than a bookshop, it is a community hub packed full of knowledge.

 

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Check out our What's On Guide to discover even more rowdy raves and sweaty gigs taking place over the coming weeks and months. For festivals, lifestyle events and more, head on over to our Things To Do page or be inspired by the event selections on our Inspire Me page.