A host of colourful Pride events

King’s Lynn will be turned into a sea of colour with the annual Pride celebrations which take place on Saturday.Celebrating diversity and promoting equality, the event is in its seventh year of taking to the streets of Lynn to bring colour, rainbows and absolute Pride for the LGBTQ+ community and following the parade, there will be a free family festival in The Walks from 1pm to 5pm.Pride is now recognised as a significant event in West Norfolk Council’s summer schedule, with thousands attending to show their support, take part and to celebrate the gains that have been made.

Pride chairperson, Darren Whiley said: “We have an excellent offer of events taking place in the park, as well as the stunning location itself. We have live entertainment, stalls for the Pride market and a great selection of food vendors. We can’t wait to once again host another spectacular event for 2024. We’re already making plans for the LGBTQ+ calendar for later in the year. None of this can be done without the support of our Pride sponsors and the people attending who make such generous donations. Each year our costs go up as we seek to extend our accessibility. We couldn’t make this a free event without all this financial support.”Jo Rust, one of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Pride founders, said: “We must never forget that Pride is more than just a colourful parade, it is political. The LGBTQ+ community continues to suffer from persecution, and trans people in particular face prejudice and bias, even by this government. So, it is important that the LGBTQ+ community and their allies, come together with a message of unity that says none of us are equal until we are all equal and trans rights are human rights.”

Pride organiser Paul Baker said: “We have a great schedule of entertainment, with KL1Radio warming up the crowd gathering for the parade in the Tuesday Market Place and, at The Walks, we have Mx Holly Wood covering for Titania Trust hosting acts which include Kirk Heathfield, Alexa Vox, vocalist Arianne, and DJ L.I.AM the last set will be followed by Bar 100 who will continue the entertainment until 9pm.”The parade will gather in the Tuesday Market Place at 10am ready to set off at noon.