Leeds Pride has hailed its landmark 20th anniversary celebrations as the biggest and most successful festival in its history, after more than 90,000 people gathered in the city centre for a weekend of community spirit, entertainment, and visibility.
This year’s event marked a major milestone for the festival, featuring its first-ever full weekend programme. Following the overwhelming response to the expanded format, organisers have confirmed that Leeds Pride will return on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th July 2027, officially establishing the two-day event as an annual fixture in the city’s calendar.
The expanded festival footprint offered visitors a wider range of food, drink, market stalls, and community activities, delivering a major boost to the city’s visitor economy and hospitality trade.
Entertainment & New Highlights
The milestone weekend featured the festival’s largest entertainment lineup yet. Main stage performers included La Voix, Sweet Female Attitude, Tomara Thomas, Livin’ Joy featuring Luzahnn, and Baga Chipz, alongside a lineup of emerging local artists.
A standout addition to this year’s schedule was the launch of The Freedom Party, the festival’s first-ever ticketed Saturday event, which attracted thousands of attendees while raising vital funds to support the future of Leeds Pride.
The iconic parade once again filled the city streets with colour, bringing together community groups, charities, businesses, and local organisations in a display of inclusion and solidarity.
A Milestone Moment for the City
A spokesperson for Leeds Pride said: “Seeing thousands of people come together to celebrate our 20th anniversary has been incredible. The atmosphere across the city all weekend was simply unforgettable, and it’s a testament to everything Leeds Pride stands for.
“From the spectacular parade to an outstanding line-up of performers and the fantastic response to our new Freedom Party, this has been our biggest and most ambitious event yet. None of it would be possible without our volunteers, sponsors, partners, performers and, of course, everyone who came along to celebrate with us.”
The spokesperson added: “Leeds Pride has always been about bringing people together in the heart of the city, and this weekend once again demonstrated just how special that is. Not only have we celebrated our LGBTQ+ community, but we’ve also welcomed tens of thousands of visitors into Leeds, supporting local businesses, hospitality venues and the wider city economy.
“As we look ahead, we’re excited to build on the success of this milestone year and continue making Leeds Pride bigger and better for future generations.”
