More than a million people are expected to gather for the first Pride in London since before the pandemic.
Saturday’s event also marks the 50th anniversary of the UK’s first Pride Parade, which was attended by some 2,000 people.
Including a parade and a line-up of artists performing on four stages in central London, this year’s Pride has been hailed as the “biggest and most inclusive event in history” by its organizers.
Uniformed officers have been asked not to march in the parade, which begins at noon in Hyde Park Corner.
It follows calls from LGBTQ + activists to ban them from Scotland Yard’s allegedly homophobic handling of the investigation into serial killer Stephen Port.
Metropolitan police said Friday that officers who wanted to join the celebrations should do so in civilian clothes instead of a police uniform, after hearing activists’ “legitimate concerns.”
Met members of the LGBTQ + network are expected to take part in the parade on Saturday afternoon, while uniformed officers will still be watching the event.
Matt Jukes, a deputy commissioner of the force, said: “I understand the concerns people have about the Met’s participation in the London Pride March. Everyone who will attend the parade has asked to be part of Pride as to a member of our LGBT + staff network “.
The parade is to pay homage to the 1972 march, passing through important places of the first gay rights movements in the UK, and will last until 6pm and end at Whitehall Palace. More than 600 LGBTQ + groups are expected to join the march, which so far 30,000 people have signed up to attend.
Among the stars who will take to the stage throughout the day is American pop singer Ava Max, who will close the show at the Trafalgar Stage.
Emeli Sandé, Eurovision winner Netta, Samantha Mumba and Kat Graham are also in the lineup.
The first Pride event in the UK was held in response to the Stonewall riots, which began in June 1969 following a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village, New York.
Human rights defender Peter Tatchell, who was among the organizers of the 1972 event, told The Guardian: “We came up with the idea of Gay Pride, as it was then called, to challenge the prevailing consensus. which was that we should be ashamed of who we were.
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“Pride was what was chosen to contradict the view that we should be ashamed and that there was something fundamentally wrong with being LGBTQ +. As far as I know, London Pride was the first in the world to it was called Pride “.
Organizers said all proceeds from trade associations this year will be reinvested in the LGBTQ + community, including through the Unity Fund.
Public health officials have urged those who have symptoms of monkeypox or those who feel unwell not to attend the Pride events on Saturday.