Central London will turn all colours of the rainbow this weekend as the London Trans+ Pride festival hits the capital for the sixth year in a row.
The event will celebrate all things trans, highlight the need of trans rights around the world, and encourage people to come together to celebrate the community in one of the best cities in the world.
The parade for 2024 has been changed, because organisers are expecting more people than ever to attend.
Here is what you need to know.
What date is Trans Pride 2024?
London Trans+ Pride will take place on Saturday, July 27, at 1pm. It runs until approximately 5.30pm.
Where is it taking place and what is the parade route?
The London Trans+ Pride route will begin at Trafalgar Square. After setting off at 2pm, it will continue up Cockspur Street onto Pall Mall. The procession will turn right at Waterloo Place before proceeding to Piccadilly Circus. It will then turn left and continue straight on to Wellington Arch.
The total distance of the march is 1.35 miles and organisers estimate it will take one to one-and-a-half hours to walk through central London, culminating at Hyde Park Corner’s Wellington Arch.
In previous years, the London Trans+ Pride route has begun at Wellington Arch. However, this year the route has been changed to accommodate the huge numbers of people expected.
The event is set to finish at 5.30pm and, after the march, there will be music , speeches, and a chance to mingle.
What is Trans Pride?
Beginning in 2019, the event has sought to honour the memory of trans lives taken while “upholding the next generation of trans revolutionaries and support crucial trans rights”. In previous years, organisers have asked people taking part to wear flowers ”to honour the long legacy of transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming and intersex people who came before us”.
Its main focus is to provide a space for those who are transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming people and intersex to make themselves heard by protesting against transphobic and archaic legislation and advocate for changes to trans healthcare, as well as celebrate trans lives past, present and future.
Trans Pride Brighton took place on Friday July 19, and ahead of the event, one of its organisers expressed her views around trans pride and hopes for the trans community under the new government.
Chief executive Sarah Savage told the Independent: “There’s a lot of trepidation in the community about the new government.
“The election period was very bruising for us as a community. Both of the major party leaders said incredibly transphobic things, a lot of people remember that. We aren’t going to forget someone who said that we’re not allowed to pee in the right toilet.
“I think there is a lot of work to be done by those in power to reach out to the trans community and to make us feel at ease, make us feel supported and to be good allies.”
However, Ms Savage also said the trans community has “never been stronger” and “more together” as she hopes for the rights of the trans community in the UK.
