20-year-anniversary of Essex pride: a day full of colour and celebration
Chelmsford hosts Essex pride for the 20th year and organisers encourage everyone to come along
Essex pride is coming to Chelmsford for the 20th year this Saturday (22nd June) and the organisers welcome everyone to come and join the celebration of Essex’s LGBTQ+ community.
The event will start with a parade making its way through the city to Central Park where the main ticketed festival will take place.
Chair of Essex Pride Garry Ormes says everyone should feel comfortable coming along to the event, which even has a ‘family zone’ this year with craft, story time, and award-winning author Olly Pike.
“Someone once described it as receiving a great big hug... It’s supportive, its reflective, and it’s fun! It is about celebration, there is a deeper meaning to it of course as we know, but it’s also about bringing people together.”
Garry says the event is great for meeting like-minded people and making friends. He even recalls people who have met at pride and later got married, with a couple one year actually getting engaged on the big stage.
Although pride has come a long way since its beginnings in 1970 America, there is still work to do both in Essex and worldwide, says Garry who hopes the event encourages LGBTQ+ people to be themselves in their local communities.
But he also sees the event as an opportunity for older members of the LGBTQ+ community to look back and celebrate how far we’ve come since the first pride in Essex 20 years ago.
The festival will feature acts from up-and-coming LGBTQ+ artists as well as headliners including Claire Richards from Steps, Jaymi Hensley, and Jordan Gray.
“We really encourage everybody, whoever you love, to come along to Essex Pride this weekend and support the event” says Garry.