Pride events have been evolving ever since the early 1970s, allowing LGBTQ+ individuals and allies to celebrate their identities, discuss history, and advocate for change.
Pride Month focuses on acceptance, equality, celebrating the contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals, educating about LGBTQ+ history, and raising awareness of issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community. It also reminds us of the harmful impacts of homophobia, both past and present.
We asked our Pride event planners why pride events are so important and what they mean to them, along with how OnePlan helped them create their inspirational events!
Windsor and Eton Pride
Next year will be Windsor’s first-ever pride event and Steve Harris is making sure it is going to be a big one! He says: “Windsor and Eton have a bit of a royal status and are well known worldwide, I think it will be all eyes on us!”. There will be a parade from Eton, across the River Thames, and up past Windsor Castle, and a Pride Village with 2 main stages and lots of stalls and vendors.
Steve told us: “It has never been done before. Once it has it will be done again and again. However, this delivers a problem in that the traffic must still flow. OnePlan will come into its own at the council meetings. I have a sketch in my head, and in theory, it will not cause problems but convincing police, council, and traffic teams is where OnePlan will really help”.
" I have a sketch in my head, and in theory, it will not cause problems but convincing police, council, and traffic teams is where OnePlan will really help”.
Steve Harris
Chairman | Windsor & Eton Pride
The Pride village will also need toilets, waste, placement of security, and fencing, all easily placed in OnePlan’s studio. OnePlan is also perfect for quickly amending plans, as Steve tries to navigate the constantly moving goalposts and keep on top of his plan. When the plan is all done, Steve will also use the site map to create his public-facing map, along with his graphic designer.
The Parade will be the protest part of the event, giving a nod to the Stonewall riots and the struggles that over time people have had to endure.
We also asked Steve about the importance of pride events, and what matters the most. He says “The things that matter the most to me is that this is not something that’s specifically made for the LGBTQ+ community, we are catering for all ages, genders, ethnicities, and sexualities as ultimately we are all uniquely beautiful humans and we need to celebrate that”.
Steve continues: “We are very lucky to live in the UK. There are a lot of forward-thinking, inclusive people living here, but there are also people who don’t understand or have harmful out-dated views. Pride events normalise inclusivity and slowly chip away at these older views.
I only came out as such a few years ago as pansexual and have been married for 9 years and still am to my female partner. I did that because I visited a pride event with one of my many homosexual friends and immediately got an understanding of it and I think this is why my wife and I have been so close with each other and even more so now as it’s Hearts, not Parts. Our relationship now is even stronger and I wanted to do Windsor and Eton pride as a way of saying thanks to everybody.”
Isle of Wight Pride
Isle of Wight Pride has been held annually since 2017, consisting of a Pride parade and an entertainment arena each year. It took a break during COVID-19 but has bounced back stronger and better than ever!
This year, the entertainment arena has returned to the beach for the first time since 2018 and so, OnePlan has allowed the event team to accurately plan the entire event, as logistically sand is a nightmare! Harry, one of the event organisers told us: “We’ve found it especially useful to plan where to place accessible trackway and fencing, to ensure the event is safe and accessible to all- plus to work out how much we need”.
We also asked Harry what makes pride events so important. He states: “For me, Pride is a celebration of the progress made, but also a time to raise awareness of the inequalities and discrimination we see globally for those in the LGBTQIA+ community. Pride events are important as they create a safe space for people to be their true selves and for the whole community to come together to celebrate and stand as one in the face of discrimination.”
The Isle of Wight Pride takes place from July 19-21. With headliners Kimberley Wyatt and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner Ginger Johnson, this event is set to be amazing!
"Pride events are important as they create a safe space for people to be their true selves and for the whole community to come together to celebrate and stand as one in the face of discrimination.”
Harry
Event Organiser
Basildon Pride
Basildon Pride was founded in 2018 following a significant rise in hate incidents directed towards the LGBT+ Community in the borough. The response was a march through Basildon Town Centre with the message that “Love Conquers Hate” followed by a celebration at Colors Nightclub.
Following this, Basildon Pride formed and worked tirelessly on their first festival in 2019. Over 4,500 people attended, and it quickly became clear that Basildon Pride had cemented its place within the Basildon Borough and surrounding areas.
Event Lead, Alex Davies tells us, “OnePlan has been a great tool at Basildon Pride! We have been able to easily plan our Festival and Parade route and visualize what the Festival will look like each year, from a logistics point of view, we are also really looking forward to the addition of the Pride Festival add on coming to OnePlan”
The software has been really helpful with the slight changes the festival has each year, as our software is easy to edit and collaborate in real-time.
Alex also highlights: “With the Icons in OnePlan it’s really easy to see emergency routes. This helps when completing our Health and Safety requirements”.
"Organisations like Basildon Pride will continue to represent the LGBT+ community untill we have equality for everyone no matter their gender idenity or sexual orientation”
Matt Winslow
Project Director
Project Director, Matt Winslow adds, “Having the ability to mark Pride in some way is incredibly important to LGBT+ communities and their allies who demonstrate that people can exist side by side despite differences. We must not forget that Pride started as a protest, a resistance to society’s unfair and unjust treatment of people who did not conform to what was felt to be society norms. Organisations like Basildon Pride will continue to represent the LGBT+ community until we have equality for everyone no matter their gender identity or sexual orientation.”
Basildon Pride not only focuses on its fabulous events but incorporates pride into every day. With their Pride Everyday program, they reflect on LGBT+ history, help other local charities fundraise, and aim to create an LGBTQ+ support network in the borough. Hats off to Basildon!
“The things that matter the most to me is that this is not something that's specifically made for the LGBTQ+ community, we are catering for all ages, genders, ethnicities, and sexualities as ultimately we are all uniquely beautiful humans and we need to celebrate that”.
Steve Harris
Chairman | Windsor & Eton Pride
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