London Pride 2019: 1.5 million people to descend on capital for ‘biggest ever’ parade

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As many as 1.5 million people will descend on London today for what is being hailed as the UK’s biggest and most diverse Pride parade yet.

Those taking part will celebrate 50 years since the Stonewall uprising in New York, a moment which changed the face of the gay rights movement around the world.

Parade groups will honour five decades of activism, protests and victories, and those behind this year's march have said it is an opportunity for people to stand up against bigotry and hatred in all its forms.

From midday on Saturday some 600 groups, a 25 per cent increase on last year, will march through the capital's streets for the annual burst of colour, music and dance.

The route will start at Portland Place and move down Oxford Circus, passing along Regent Street, through Piccadilly Circus to Pall Mall and passing Trafalgar Square before finishing up on Whitehall.

This year's parade is aiming to champion diversity, with the introduction of a new World Area at Golden Square in Soho, in a bid to increase the visibility of black, Asian and minority ethnic (Bame) LGBT+ people.

The event also has improved accessibility this year, including viewing platforms for the Trafalgar Square stage, sign language interpreters and captioning for all performances across two large screens, and accessible, gender-neutral toilets.

Crowds watch the Pride in London Parade along Regent Street in 2017
PA Archive/PA Images

Hundreds of officers will police the parade, and Scotland Yard has advised people to stay vigilant while enjoying the day.

Commander Helen Millichap said: "We want Pride to be a friendly and safe event for everyone to enjoy.

"We need the public to help us by taking the usual precautions by remaining vigilant and reporting anything of concern to police officers or stewards at the event."

"As with any large event, the Met's priority is public safety and we are working closely with the organisers in the lead-up to Pride to develop our policing plan".

Revellers enjoy last year's London Pride
Getty Images for Pride In London

Organisers announced a day ahead of the parade that they had declared a climate emergency in response to demands made by environmental protest group Extinction Rebellion, and said they aim to make the event carbon neutral by 2020.

The parade has been free from plastic glitter since 2017 and other environmentally friendly measures include volunteers being given a refillable bottle on the day.

Alison Camps, co-chairman of Pride in London, said: "As we take to the streets of London once again, it's vital that we remember that Pride is not just one day a year - we must fight for the rights of all members of our community all year round.

"In this momentous anniversary year, we must all take stock of how far we've come, and of the contributions and sacrifices made by trans women of colour to get us to where we are today.

"Our main aim is to ensure that everyone who comes to Pride in London has a safe space to celebrate, protest or mark the occasion however they wish.

"We will not allow Pride to be used as a platform for hate and we encourage everyone to come out and join us today so we can stand together against bigotry and hatred in all its forms."

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