Over 35,000 people from more than 600 groups took to the streets of central London today for the annual Pride in London parade, in what organisers described as both a celebration and a protest.

The parade made its way from Hyde Park Corner to Whitehall via Piccadilly, with over a million spectators lining the route. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan joined the front of the march, leading crowds in a chant of "Happy Pride" as the procession set off.

But the party atmosphere was matched by a serious message. Pride in London organisers pointed to a string of pressing issues facing the community — NHS gender-affirming care waiting lists that now exceed four years in some regions, a government pledge to ban conversion therapy that remains unfulfilled since 2018, and the loss of 58% of London's LGBTQ+ venues since 2006. Home Office figures show more than 18,000 hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation were reported to police in 2025 alone.

Julian Hows, 70, a veteran activist marching at the front of the parade, said: "Pride is important because it needs to have an underlying level of protest, and you can see the freedoms that we have can so easily be taken away. We also always need to push further because there's always somewhere where our rights are being taken away."

Rebecca Paisis, the event's interim chief executive, said she wanted to oversee "the most inclusive Pride in London event yet".

"As LGBTQ+ people, we've never been strangers to adversity, but neither are we strangers to collective action," she said. "This year's campaign is a reminder that while the community often faces challenges in isolation, it is by coming together that we can change history."

The main stage at Trafalgar Square featured headline performances, with names like Beth Ditto and MNEK tipped to appear. Rumours had circulated that Madonna would make a surprise appearance following the launch of her album in London on Friday, but organisers confirmed she would not be attending.

Britain's first official Pride march took place in London in July 1972, inspired by the Stonewall uprising in New York three years earlier.