Herts Pride celebrates its 10th year

The LGBTQ+ festival is taking place in Cassiobury Park in Watford

Author: Charlotte Evans-YoungPublished 20th Aug 2022

Hertfordshire's largest LGBTQ+ festival is taking place at Cassiobury Park in Watford, between 12 and 10pm today.

It's the tenth anniversary of the event and is designed to celebrate the county's LGBTQ+ community, as well as their family, friends, and other allies.

This year there will be live performances on stage in the big top, plenty of food and drink, a selection of stalls, a health and wellbeing tent, and the infamous dog show.

"We welcome everybody"

Clive Duffy, Secretary at Herts Pride, said, "we're known as the best traditional pride event. We don't have a march and we welcome everybody.

"It's a great, big fun day out but it's a time and place where people can get together to be who they are and recognise the fact that they're not alone.

He concluded, "It's for all generations, all genders, all sexualities, everybody is welcome."

In addition to Herts Pride, the County Hall has raised the flag in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community in Hertfordshire.

Hertfordshire Councillors and LGBTQ+ groups raise the Pride flag over County Hall

County Hall to be lit in pink

Councillor Annie Brewster is Chairman of the Council, she said, "we're going to floodlight the building in pink all over the weekend because that's the theme chosen this year for Herts Pride. The theme this year is #lovewins."

And when asked why the council is getting behind the community she added, "we want to keep showing a sense of belonging because belonging helps so much with people's wellbeing.

"Sadly during covid there was a big dive in people's mental health and wellbeing, often because they were isolated but also because sometimes they were in LGBT+ phobic households."

Tickets are no longer on sale for the event but people are still being invited to turn up and purchase them.

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