Posted on 1 Nov 2018

Midlands Zone can exclusively reveal that Birmingham Pride visitors have overwhelmingly decided that they want the event to remain in the city’s gay village.

From more than 6,000 responses to a survey last month, a resounding 85% of people voted to keep the festival within the gay village area.

Last month, Birmingham Pride organisers asked the Midlands LGBT community to choose where they wanted the festival to be staged next year - and it’s fair to say the community made their feelings abundantly clear!

There were three options on the table... 

1. To relocate the entertainment stages to Calthorpe Park, which is situated about one mile away from the gay village, with the street party taking place in the gay village.

2. To remain in the gay village, and for the event organisers to look closely at how the available space could be used more effectively, given that the car parks on which the stages have usually been located will no longer be available for use, due to redevelopment. 

3. To relocate the entire event to Calthorpe Park.

There were more than 6,000 survey responses from the Midlands LGBT community, with an overwhelming 85% of you voting for the event to remain in the gay village.

The other options were not at all popular, with just 4% wanting Pride to take place in the park alone, and 11% preferring the festival to be located in both the park and the gay village.

Birmingham Pride Festival Director Lawrence Barton commented: “The Pride team are working hard to deliver an even more diverse festival in 2019, one that will  now remain in the gay village.” 

He added: “Preparations are already being made to look at locating the Dance Arena on the top floor of the Arcadian Car Park, and the Main Stage down at the bottom of Hurst Street - either on the street or the adjacent car park, which is due to be flattened soon to provide an open-air car park. The Cabaret Stage could be located on the road in between Amusement 13 and the Nightingale Club.”

Birmingham Pride 2019 takes place over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend of Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 May.