Frequently Asked Questions
The Parade in general
- Is it free? Do I need a ticket? Who can participate?
- Where/when does it start?
- Where does it go?
- How long will it take?
- Is there a park festival this year? / Is this the Big Gay Out?
- Where's the best place to watch the parade?
Travelling on the day
- Will the roads be closed?
- Can pedestrians still walk down these streets?
- Can I use the Tube/undeground?
Floats
- What happens after I have submitted an application?
- When will I know if my application has been successful?
- I represent a commercial organisation with no direct connection with the LGBTcommunity. Can I enter a float into the parade?
- When is the closing data for applications?
- when and where will the training sessions take place for stewards attached to our float?
- What is a float?
- How do I register our float?
- What happens next?
- does it cost anything?
The Parade and you
- I want to walk in the Parade!
- We are a registered group, where do we have to be, and when?
- We have a float, where do we have to be, and when?
- I want to get involved/volunteer for the Parade!
- I want to avoid the Parade.
Other events on the 1st July
The parade in general
Is it free? Do I need a ticket? Who can participate?
It's completely free. Nobody needs a ticket, and everybody is welcome to walk down the route—whether gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, cisgendered, asexual, or straight. The Rally and the Cabaret are also completely free, and open to everybody.
The Parade will start off Baker Street at 1pm on Saturday 30 June 2007. For a detailed calendar of all the Pride London events, please see our events calendar.
You can see the Parade route map on the route page.
We expect the head of the Parade to hit Victoria Embankment between 3pm and 4pm. The tail of the Parade should arrive around 5pm.
Is there a park festival this year?
Pride London is a registered charity and does not organise commercial park festivals. However, there are plenty of free events after the parade, please refer to Pride Events section.
Where's the best place to watch the parade?
Whitehall is a big wide road, you'll be able to see a good length of the parade without getting crushed. Please try and avoid loitering around in Oxford Street and Regent Street as it'll be very crowded there.
Travelling on the day
Yes; the following roads will be closed to traffic on 30 June:
Baker Street: Closed 08:45 - 15:30.
Wigmore Street: Closed between Gloucester Place and Thayer Street 12:45 - 15:30.
Oxford Street: Closed between Gloucester Place and Great Portland Street 12:45 - 16:00.
Regent Street: Closed between Cavendish Place & Piccadilly Circus 12:45 - 16:00:
Piccadilly Circus: The following roads are closed: Lower Regent Street, Piccadilly, Coventry Street, Shaftsbury Avenue, Haymarket.
Pall Mall, Cockspur Street: Closed 13:20 – 16:00.
Whitehall: Closed 13:30 – 16:00.
Bridge Street: Closed Eastbound from Whitehall to Victoria Embankment 13:40 – 16:00.
Victoria Embankment: Closed from Westminster Bridge to Temple Place 13:45 – 16:30.
Northumberland Avenue, The Strand westbound: Restricted access.
All the times provided are approximate, as they entirely depend on the Parade’s progress.
Can pedestrians still walk down these streets?
In theory, yes. Concretely it will be very difficult to move in the whole area along the Parade route, as we are expecting 0.5 million people to gather in the same places.
Can I use the Tube/undeground?
It is highly advised that you do not use Bond Street or Oxford Circus Tube stations. Official Pride volunteers will encourage people to move away from these stations, and TfL will close them if they get too crowded.
Instead, please try to use Baker Street, Marble Arch, Green Park, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus stations. Besides, a number of works are planned to occur on the TfL network independently of the Parade; please see TfL's website for more information.
Floats
What happens after I have submitted an application?
A Float Manager will contact you, normally within 7 days of your application. He or she will be able to advise you of what happens next.
When will I know if my application has been successful?
All applications are reviewed at our monthly float meetings. At these meetings, your application will either be approved, rejected or a request will be made for more information. We cannot approve any application unless we understand your float concept & design. Your Float Manager, who is assigned to you once you have submitted an application, will keep you up-to-date on the progress of your application.
I represent a commercial organisation with no direct connection with the LGBTcommunity. Can I enter a float into the parade?
You will need to link up with a non-profit making LGBT organisation and submit a joint float. Please contact us if you would like us to find a suitable organisation for you to partner with.
When is the closing data for applications?
20 April 2007. However, spaces could have been filled before this date, so you are strongly encouraged to apply as early as possible.
when and where will the training sessions take place for stewards attached to our float?
The sessions will take place in central London in the 2 weeks prior to the Parade. There will be a number of sessions, and individuals can choose which session to attend.
Pride Parade rules define a float very broadly as “any motorised or manually powered entry that has been constructed in such a manner that the individual components create a unified whole”.
Generally speaking, we mainly think of parade floats as the concept of dressing up a lorry or vehicle and adding music and happy people which can parade through town and spread joy to the public. Nice, eh!
This means that if you’re on wheels, we think of you as a float, and there is plenty of scope for you to come up with something imaginative and innovative! However – it is actually a complex and challenging logistical process to put together a float on spec, on budget and on time, and there are a lot of dos and don’ts to take into account.
Complete the application form located on our website
- We will acknowledge your application within 7 days, and you will be assigned a Float Manager who will look after you all the way up to and including the day of the Parade. If you do not hear from us within 7 days, please email us at floats@pridelondon.org.
- Our Artistic Director will contact all applicants to discuss your thoughts on your float concept & design, and to offer support.
- Your application will not be formally accepted until we have discussed your concept and seen your designs.
Well, it’s free to register to join the parade, if that’s what you where thinking of. But it certainly costs a lot of money to actually produce a float and you’re going to have to pay for all that.
A full sized float based on a large flat bed truck, with full sound and generator kit and all costs associated with decorations and production comes to around £6,000. The actual cost could be more or less than this depending on the nature of your float design.
The Parade and you
Great, the more the merrier! Whether you are listed as an organised group or not, you must be in Baker Street early, i.e. between 12pm noon and 12.30pm. You might be unable to join the Parade if you turn up too close to 1pm, for the area will be heavily crowded—so please turn up on time. Besides, the public will not be able to join the Parade along the route, except in the "sweep", i.e. the join-in area at the tail of the Parade.
We are a registered group, where do we have to be, and when?
Please be at Baker Street for 10.30am. There are a lot of organised groups, so you will have to be patient before someone can sign you in and place you in Baker Street. Hurry up, and be patient...
We have a float, where do we have to be, and when?
You should already have this information. If you don't, please contact your Float Manager.
I want to get involved/volunteer for the Parade!
Fantastic, we do need you! Please visit the Get Involved! page, register your details and follow the instructions. It doesn't cost a penny, you're giving your valuable time and energy for the project, and your Europride Volunteer Privilege card will get you a wealth of discounts throughout next year.
It is best to avoid the very centre of London on 30 June if you wish to avoid the Pride Parade. We apologise for any inconvenience caused on the day.
Other events on 30 June
Please see the events page, or a detailed map of the events.
Is the women stage a women-only area?
Certainly not. The aim of the women stage is to promote a greater visibility for women and women-related issues, not to alien women from the rest of the public. Everybody is welcome in the women stage area. Read more about the women stage...
