Break out the rainbow colours and choose love
Pride in London is back in full force for 2026, with the annual parade returning to central London on 4th July. Attending the parade is just one of many ways to celebrate Pride in the city though, as there are a whole host of events popping up across the whole of Pride month, from queer performance festivals to alternative Pride festivals to marches protesting the injustices faced by trans+ people. Outside of the many parties, parades and concerts, you can also hit up the city’s best LGBTQ+ venues.
Pride in London Parade
The annual Pride in London parade honours the movement’s history by following the event’s original route, passing by locations key to the LGBT+ movement in this country. It starts at Hyde Park Corner, (where the first post-march picnic happened in 1972 and where the miners stood in solidarity with the LGBT+ community in 1985) before going down Piccadilly, turning onto Haymarket, going through Trafalgar Square (where the 1972 march ended) and finishing at Whitehall Place. Beyond the parade route, there’ll be a number of stages hosting performances, including the main stage in Trafalgar Square where MNEK and Beth Ditto will be playing, the women’s stage in Leicester Square, and the trans and a non-binary stage in Soho Square.
Sat 4th July 2026
Central London
HOWL Pride Festival
HOWL is a sexual wellness brand, education platform and LGBTQ+ party thrower. After a successful first festival last year, it’s bringing HOWL Pride back this summer. Taking over five venues in Hackney Wick – Colour Factory, All My Friends, Crate, Hackney Bridge and HWK – it’s offering an alternative to mainstream Pride events. The line-up includes Juliana Huxtable, LYDO, Evissimax, Mykki Blanco, Tom Rasmussen, Holy C, I.jordan, Manuka Honey and more.
Sat 4th July 2026
Various Hackney Wick venues
Pride After Party at Clapham Grand
Wanna keep the fun going after the parade? Head to the Clapham Grand for its big after party extravaganza. There’ll be Pride and pop anthems – we’re talking Gaga, Cher, Kylie, Britney, Charli, Beyonce, Rihanna, Chappell and more – all night long courtesy of DJ Tete Bang, The Grand’s Dream Team and special guest drag stars. Expect performances, a spesh Madonna celebration, confetti, disco balls and glitter galore.
Sat 4th July 2026
21-25 St John’s Hl, London SW11 1TT
Pride Exhibitions at Queer Britain
After relaunching in February with all new displays, including a panel from the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt, Club Kali costumes, Justin Fashanu’s football shirts, and subversive song lyrics of the Women’s Liberation music movement, Queer Britain is opening two new exhibitions for Pride. Fighting With Pride (from 3rd June – 20th December), will explore the stories of those whose lives were devastated by the ban on gay people serving in the Armed Forces, and Progressive Advertising with Diageo (3rd June – 26th July), will showcase a selection of Diageo’s most progressive drinks ad campaigns.
From Weds 3rd June 2026
2 Granary Square, London N1C 4BH
Pride Shake at Shake Shack
Shake Shack is back with another limited-edition shake to raise money for local LGBTQIA+ charities. Made with vanilla frozen custard, chocolate honeycomb, salted honey, whipped cream, crushed chocolate honeycomb and rainbow sprinkles. £1 from every Pride Shake sold will be donated to a range of charities, including MOSAIC LGBT+ Young Persons’ Trust, akt, Oxford Pride, Pride Cymru, The Kite Trust, and Birmingham LGBT.
Thurs 21st May – Mon 6th July 2026
All Shake Shack locations
London Trans+ Pride
London Trans+ Pride, which was established in response to the daily injustices trans+ people face and to create an event where all trans+ people can freely express themselves, is coming back for 2026. LT+P continues the legacy of Pride being a protest, so the march will serve as a way to protest for justice and liberation. The theme is Our Future, Our Fight, with the organisation calling for urgent support as the trans community faces continued attacks. Last year’s event saw 100,000 people come together, making it the largest trans pride event ever, and hopefully this year’s will be even bigger.
Sat 25th July 2026
Trafalgar Sq, London WC2N 5DS
London Queer Fringe Festival
The inaugural London Queer Fringe Festival is taking over the Queer Comedy Club for a month this summer. The venue will become a playground of queer creativity, hosting live comedy, theatre, drag, spoken word and performance. The event will also be raising funds for Stonewall Housing, supporting the organisation’s work tackling LGBTQ+ homelessness and housing insecurity.
Weds 1st July – Sun 2nd August 2026
The Queer Comedy Club, 9 Hewson Wy, London SE17 1JS
Queer Migrant Pride Fest
This annual free arts, wellbeing and activism festival that celebrates Pride and Refugee Week, is returning to St Margaret’s House in Bethnal Green for a fourth year. Expect workshop, activities, talks, screenings and performances, including a clothes swap, STI testing, martial arts sessions, haircuts and friend speed dating, that all foster a world without borders.
Sun 21st June 2026
St Margaret’s House, 21 Old Ford Road, London, E2 9PL
Pride Season at The Arzner
Named after pioneering lesbian filmmaker Dorothy Arzner, The Arzner is London’s first and only LGBTQ+ cinema. For Pride, The Arzner is doing a bunch of special screenings, including Fairyland with a Scoot McNairy Q+A, a Scorpio Rising and Pillion double bill, Pink Narcissus, The Powerpuff Girls Movie with an intro from Nyongbella, 10s Across the Borders followed by The Arzner Ball, and queer horror movies for Soho Horror Pride.
Tues 2nd – Tues 30th June 2026
10 Bermondsey Square, London SE1 3UN
Pride With Moomin
Moomins are returning to The Common Press for Pride with a full-day takeover this year. During the day there’ll be story time with Liz Fost, a workshop with the award winning Dr Ronx, a colouring and crafting station hosted by Olly Pike, and a Moomin reading and performance from cabaret and theatre star Gigi Zahir. Come evening you can catch a screening of the Tove Jansson biopic, Tove, followed by a panel event featuring Moomin fanatics Paul Gravett and Ben Pechey.
Sat 6th June 2026
97 Stoke Newington Rd, London N16 8BX
Queer 60s at Barbican Cinema
Following the Queer 80s season in 2024 and Queer 70s in 2025, the Barbican Cinema is time travelling once again and heading back to the 1960s for Pride month. The Queer 60s season will celebrate LGBTQ+ cinema in a decade of massive social change, which ended with the Stonewall riots in 1969. Highlights from the programme include Frank Simon’s The Queen, featuring the legendary Crystal LaBeija; Diferente, made by director Luis María Delgado during Franco’s repressive regime; Sergei Parajanov’s The Colour of Pomegranates (Sayat-Nova); and shorts programme Gay Erotica from the 1960s.
Tues 9th June – Tues 7th July 2026
Silk St, London EC2Y 8DS
The Sip-In at Rita’s
Rita’s is teaming up with gay taco bar Querida to host The Sip-In, a brunch celebrating the connection between queer hospitality, protest and community. You get a three-course taco brunch, featuring dishes like watermelon salad with queso fresco; tinga de pollo, camarones al mojo de ajo, and calabacitas tacos; and tres leches cake, cocktails, and readings from members of the Soho queer community. Proceeds from the event will be donated to The Outside Project, an LGBTIQ+ community shelter, centre and domestic abuse refuge.
Sun 28th June 2026
9 Lexington St, London W1F 9AP
Big Gay Brunch
The Big Gay Brunch is returning to the Actors’ Church for Pride. The gardens will be turned into a “camp village fête” complete with live performances, creative workshops, drag bingo, a makers market, a glam station, food, drink, and a raffle supporting London Friend, all hosted by Ella V Ryde
Sat 4th July 2026
St Paul’s Church, Bedford Street, London, WC2E 9ED
