| Norwich Pride | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Location(s) | Norwich, England |
| Founded | 2009; 16 years ago (2009) |
| Founders |
|
| Most recent | 29 July 2023 |
| Next event | 27 July 2024 |
| Website | norwichpride.org.uk |
Norwich Pride is an annualLGBT pride event and registered charity in the city ofNorwich,England, first founded in 2009 by the Norwich Pride Committee. It organises a pride parade fromCity Hall toChapelfield Gardens, where it is often centered, as well as associated events on the last Saturday in July each year.[1]
Norwich Pride was founded in 2008 by Julie Bremner and Michelle Savage. The two stated at the time that they were "fed up withausterity".[2]
The first Norwich Pride in 2009 ran from Friday 24 to Sunday 26 July[3] and was attended by approximately 3,000 people.[4] The slogan for the event was "let's turn Norwich into a rainbow," and most of its funding came fromtrade unions. Events included 'Camp It UpCabaret' on the Friday and the first Norwichpride parade on the Saturday fromChapelfield Gardens to theForum, which was launched by theLord Mayor of Norwich and preceded by an Oxjam concert organised byOxfam.[3][5] A multi-faith service was held at St Peter Mancroft Church that afternoon.[6] The event was attended by prominent LGBT human rights campaignerPeter Tatchell.[3] Some Christians attended anti-LGBT protests during the procession and handed out leaflets which included words deemed "hateful" and "violently offensive" by Norwich Pride organisers.[7]
In 2010, an interfaith church service was held at theOctagon Chapel in the city entitledComing Out as a Spiritual Practice on the day of the parade, in an attempt to avert the "religious prejudice" seen at the parade the previous year.[7] Other events aside from the parade to the Forum included lectures and aLadyfest concert headlined byViv Albertine of punk bandThe Slits.[4]
Tatchell again attended the event in 2011, and participated in a "Question Time style debate" with MPChloe Smith. It was again supported by the city's Lord Mayor.[8]
Over 5,000 people turned out for Norwich Pride 2013, which was cited as "record numbers" for the event. Norwich Pride booked outthe Forum for a week, with organisers stating that it was "all about visibility".[9]
Organisations such as anti-domestic violence charityBroken Rainbow, school advocacy charity Educate and Celebrate and trade unionUnison attended the 2015 event.[10]
In 2016, insurance companyAviva began sponsoring Norwich Pride.[11]
The event in 2017 featured an LGBT+ question time involvingPhyll Opoku-Gyimah andRuth Hunt, as well as art exhibitions, fitness sessions, and performances fromJack Rose andHelen McDermott.[12] Josh Elms and Jo Rust attended the 2017 event, inspiring them to foundKing's Lynn Pride the next year.[13]
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The 2018 march was attended by approximately 10,000 people, and featured a "rainbow river," a fifty-metre longpride flag that was carried through the parade.[14] Event organisers estimated that 10,000 people also attended the event in 2019.[15]
In 2020, the parade was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[16] Despite this, the march was recreated in digital form using video clips of people taking part. The event also adopted theprogress pride flag designed byDaniel Quasar for the first time, which was projected onto the walls ofNorwich Castle.[17]
The 2021 event was also called off due to continued safety concerns about the pandemic. Instead, smaller events took place around the city, working with local venues and businesses.[18]
Norwich Pride returned for the first time after the pandemic in June 2022.[16] That year, Aviva became the event's main sponsor.[11]
For the 2023 event, a bus wrapped in the colours of the pride flag was unveiled in May.[19] The event itself included five stages across the city centre, as well as an art exhibition and a makers' market.[20][21]
Prior to the 2024 event, Aviva stated that it would no longer sponsor Norwich Pride after members of Norwich Trans Pride called for organisers to drop the company "in solidarity with our siblings facing agenocide in Palestine", due to its investments inBarclays, which itself had ties todefence companies supplyingIsrael as well asfossil fuel firms. Aviva cited the "safety of our people at the event" as the main reason it made the decision to pull out, but said that they "remain[ed] committed to the Pride agenda".[11] The Norwich Labour Group was told not to display their party flag during the parade due to anger concerning the policies ofWes Streeting.[22]
