Thousands turn out to celebrate Peterborough Pride

Thousands of people turned out in Peterborough on Saturday (June 8) to celebrate this year’s highly anticipated Pride event.

Close to 3,000 people joined the opening march, which saw members and supporters of the city’s LGBTQ+ community parade from Stanley Park, through the cheering grounds of the Cathedral and on to The Green Backyard on Oundle Road, where a day of entertainment and celebration awaited.

Around 5,000 people gathered at Oundle Road to be heard and be seen, and soak up the carnival vibe, which was enhanced by an eclectic ensemble of vibrant singers, dancers and community performers.

In addition to the entertainment acts and food/drink vendors, the Backyard also played host to a lively craft market and an array of informative stalls offering valuable resources for the community.

The festival’s chair, Teddi the Drag Queen, said the Pride celebrations took 12 months to organise and was made possible via fundraisers held throughout the year.

“The event was an incredible success,” she said, “with thousands saying how inclusive and safe they felt, which was our main goal.”

The first Peterborough Pride event took place in 2018. More than 4,000 people took part in last year’s event.

“[This] was our largest pride yet,” Teddy said, “and… I think personally our best so far.”

“We wanted representation and we achieved that.”

First conceived in 1970, Pride is a celebration of people coming together in love and friendship. It aims to show how far LGBTQ+ rights have come, and how – in some places – there is still much work to be done.

“Pride is all year long,” Teddi emphasised: “we are not queer for one day and stop the rest of the year.”

“[We want] to make sure we are seen more, heard louder and deliver for the queer community of Peterborough.”

Teddi, who is a musician and singer, said she was “very happy” with the feedback she received about this year’s event:

“We had acts from around the country and world saying how fun, kind and welcoming we were as a Pride [event], and how it was even better than some of the larger Prides in the country.”

Check out our gallery to get an idea of just how vibrant and positive this year’s Peterborough Pride was.