Birmingham Pride aims to lead the way for inclusivity in 2025
Birmingham Pride’s Big Free Community Day hopes to return later this year, following record-breaking levels of social impact, engagement, and inclusivity for the pioneering initiative in 2024.
Over 4,000 attendees from communities across the West Midlands were welcomed to an afternoon and evening showcase of first-class multidisciplinary arts, presented as part of one of the UK’s major national LGBTQI+ celebrations last year.
Year-round outreach work by the Birmingham Pride team and partner organisations to engage with families from disadvantaged and impaired communities, matched with highly inclusive visitor and production facilities, delivered an enriching and memorable experience for thousands - including many culture fans who had not had the opportunity to enjoy live music or art for a year or more.
61 per cent of those who claimed the free tickets to the event lived in a community with significant socio-economic disadvantage – the bottom 40 per cent on the multiple of index of deprivation.
In line with Birmingham Pride’s aim to play a leading role in building a community free of fear or prejudice, along with creating safe spaces at its annual cultural spectacular, 65 per cent of Big Free Community Day survey respondents in 2024 had not attended any other cultural events in the West Midlands in the last 12 months and 57 per cent had not attended any other LGBTQI+ events in the same time.
Lawrence Barton, festival director of Birmingham Pride, said: “The mission of our Big Free Community Day is to enable everyone in our region and beyond, no matter their financial circumstances or background to participate in an inclusive, high-quality, and dynamic LGBTQ+ event at Birmingham Pride without the barrier of cost.
“We strive to do so in such a way that enables those who might find a large festival environment uncomfortable to have the space and freedom they need to feel at ease and included.”
The 28th edition of Birmingham Pride will take place in May 2025, featuring the parade, estimated to involve over 80,000 people moving through the City.
Alongside culturally diverse performances from contemporary multidisciplinary artists, Birmingham Pride hopes to once again celebrate art forms with an LGBTQI+ focus, including many seen as traditionally elitist, helping to break down socio-economic barriers through free and low-income ticketing schemes and via outreach work, collaborating with partner organisations and community leaders.
Vinay Jobanputra, founder of London-based dance organisation Bollyqueer who performed on Birmingham Pride’s main stage for the Big Free Community Event, said: “To be able to celebrate our South Asian identity as well as our queerness on stage was an exciting feeling, especially on such a big platform.
“This experience was us reclaiming who we are and showing that love and joy exists within our communities and that queerness exists within our culture, and we're not sorry about it!
“It felt great to be given the opportunity to be the representation that we needed whilst growing up."
Birmingham Pride welcomes expressions of interest from partners keen to help deliver their 2025 Big Free Community Day offering. For more information, email development@birminghampride.com.
Find out more information and secure tickets to Birmingham Pride 2025.
