History
Pride Canterbury through the years.
The History of Pride Canterbury
Learn more about the history of Pride Canterbury, from our first event in 2016, to where we are now.
Sat 8th + Sun 9th June 2024
Pride Canterbury will proudly be returning in 2024 for another two day event.
Sat 10th + Sun 11th June 2023
We were proud to host our first ever two day event in 2023, whilst still remaining free! Over 20,000+ people attended our Pride Festival with our parade hosting 2,000 participants. The front of the parade prominently featured youth groups + trans community organisations. We had four stages this year, including our Main Stage, Second Stage (Community Stage), a new Dance Stage, and a Whitefriars Stage. This year also saw the launch of our first ever Wellbeing Area and our new VFP (Very Fabulous Person) tickets.
Pride Canterbury continues to actively work to increase LGBTQ+ awareness and acceptance by collaborating with universities, schools, and youth groups. A signposting page on our website provides essential resources and information for those seeking support. We have also partnered with Canterbury College on an LGBTQ+ art project, and with Pride Art Canterbury to bring an interactive art stall to the event. The We Are With You Charity's involvement in hosting the Wellbeing Area at the Pride event has been instrumental in providing a supportive atmosphere for attendees. This dedicated space offered assistance, signposting, and resources for individuals in need of mental health support.
In a Pride Canterbury first, KMFM broadcasted LIVE from the Main Stage on the Saturday to the whole of Kent with Floorfiller Anthems with Rob Wills.
Featured Artists (A—Z)
Absolute Britney ◇ Baga Chipz ◇ Becoming Freddie ◇ Caity Baser ◇ Dakota Schiffer ◇ Dame Jame ◇ Danny Beard ◇ Dee Lexia ◇ Delilah Tickles ◇ DJ Craig Law ◇ DJ Jacky L ◇ DJ Tom Barber ◇ Hariana Live ◇ Just May ◇ Layton Williams ◇ Le Fil ◇ Liberty X ◇ Miriam-Teak Lee ◇ Rob Wills (Floorfiller Anthems) ◇ Smashby ◇ Sophia Stardust ◇ The Diety ◇ Twist and Pulse ◇ Video Geeks
“I think it’s amazing how you keep improving the event and keep it free. Access to these events, especially in the current cost of living crisis is so important to people who are still working out who they are. Pride Canterbury has always been a safe space for me to be who I truly am and I feel blessed we have that in one of the major cities in our region. I work in Canterbury and it’s so nice to have an event like this in a city we all love so much.”
Saturday 11th June 2022
This was the biggest year so far for Pride Canterbury, and the biggest event in Canterbury. The parade was the biggest it had ever been.
Featured Artists (A—Z)
Anubis ◇ Baga Chipz ◇ Dame Jame ◇ Danny Beard ◇ Delilah Tickles (Host) ◇ Denise Van Outen ◇ Donna Marie as Lady Gaga ◇ Jimbo ◇ Jujubee ◇ Lycra 80s Aerobics ◇ River Medway ◇ Ryan James Abbot's Haus of Heels ◇ The Diety ◇ Tom Barber (DJ Set) ◇ Vicky Jackson (as P!NK)
Saturday 11th September 2021
After being unable to run a pride event since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we still saw a huge turnout. The parade starting point moved to Westgate Gardens for the first time, meaning the parade route took over most of the high street. The parade is a huge part of the event, and a tradition that we know many of our attendees value deeply, as well as marking the official start of Pride Canterbury. For many, it’s the only time they are able to feel truly themselves in a public environment. The main event was headlined by 5ive.
Featured Artists (A—Z)
5ive ◇ Baga Chipz ◇ Cheryl Hole ◇ Danny Beard ◇ River Medway ◇ Tayris Mongardi ◇ The Saturgays
2020 Exhibition
Pride Canterbury could not go ahead as normal in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead, we published a video of our previous event highlights, and we went on to develop an exhibition, proudly hosted by The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge.
The Canterbury's Pride Exhibition
The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge
Our exhibition showed highlights of previous events, and shone a light on the history of pride and the importance of pride events.
“please tell us what you would say to your ten year old self?”
At the exhibition, we asked people to tell us what you would say your ten year old self. Here are just a few responses.
Saturday 15th June 2019
2019 has been a year of significant growth for our event, both in size and quality. As well as growing our attendance figures, we have also grown our partnerships both locally and nationally. More LGBTQ+ organisations took part in the parade than ever before, and there was more coverage of our event in the LGBTQ+ press. This event was 51 years after homosexuality was decriminalised in England and Wales, but 72 other countries and territories worldwide continue to criminalise same-sex relationships. For this reason, it’s vital we keep LGBTQ+ visibility higher than ever, and Canterbury can show to the world that it’s a city that values equality and will not tolerate intolerance towards LGBTQ people.
Featured Artists (A—Z)
Amanda Bang ◇ Baga Chipz ◇ Big Brovaz & Booty Luv ◇ Cynthia Lee Fontain ◇ Delilah Tickles (Host) ◇ DJ Jack Aird ◇ Felix Le Freak ◇ Gok Wan (Lip Sync Showdown) ◇ Jack & Joel ◇ Lana Evoli ◇ Luna Le Strange as P!NK ◇ The Glitterbombshells ◇ Tom Barber (DJ Set)
“It is probably the best-organised and most professionally run Pride event I have been to outside London. The team deserve huge credit for the way they bring everything together and work so hard to get local businesses and other organisations involved. A huge thumbs up from us as a sponsor.”
“It was a huge success for us: we had almost double the daily amount of visitors to our BeYou website on the day, 73% of whom were new visitors. Plus we have seen attendance increase at all groups we run across Kent.”
Saturday 9th June 2018
Pride Canterbury returned in 2018 for our third event, and we knew it would be a real test of what we had accomplished so far. Expectations were high after we had two previous successful events with considerable growth between them. We are extremely pleased to see from our research that the event was as well received as ever, considering a 60% growth in attendance figures. We faced greater challenges in preparing for this increase in attendance and operational costs reached levels we had never anticipated when we started in 2016. The amount of time spent planning the event also increased and our committee, as volunteers, were challenged and pushed harder than ever. Entertainment was headlined by the chart-topping S Club, putting on a show like never before seen in the Dane John Gardens, and the community stage was also particularly well received in our family zone. There was something for everyone.
Featured Artists (A—Z)
Abalicious (ABBA Tribute) ◇ Delilah Tickles (Host) ◇ Kylie Minogue (Tribute) ◇ Mini Mixx (Little Mix Tribute) ◇ Miss Jason Dear ◇ S Club (Jo, Tina, Bradley) ◇ Spice Girls 2 ◇ Sum Ting Wong
Saturday 10th June 2017
The second Pride Canterbury continued to grow, surpassing expectations, and filling Canterbury with a wash of colour. At both the main event and our after party, we saw Courtney Act & William headline.
Featured Artists (A—Z)
Courtney Act & William ◇ Delilah Tickles (Host) ◇ Donna Marie (Lady Gaga Tribute) ◇ Glitterbomb Drag Queens ◇ Mary Mac ◇ Vicky Jackson (as P!NK)
Saturday 11th June 2016
The first pride event in Canterbury in many years saw a turnout of 3500+, creating a lively, diverse and friendly event. Around 500 people took part in the parade led by our Lord Mayor and Delilah Tickles, with many watching as it travelled up the high street to the Dane John Gardens. A music show was then put on in the park, with a range of performers from tribute acts to LGBTQ+ community choirs. There was a small selection of food and drink vendors, and marketplace stall holders, with a range of handmade and craft items on sale.
Featured Artists (A—Z)
Danny Beard ◇ Delilah Tickles (Host) ◇ Little GaGa (Tribute) ◇ Vicky Jackson (as P!NK)
June 1973
Canterbury's first pride demonstration took place in June 1973, organised as a joint effort between East Kent CHE group and Kent University's GLF. We have made significant progress since 1973 and it's important we reflect on the work done by those before us, but we must continue to fight for our rights, for equality, and for love.
Pride Canterbury CIC was set-up many years later in 2016 to continue fighting for our rights, to educate, and to celebrate. Since then, Pride Canterbury has hosted numerous highly attended Pride events in Canterbury and we continue to demonstrate that there is no place for discrimination or hate in Kent. Together we can make a difference.
