Reflections & Photos: Birmingham Pride 2025

Birmingham Pride 2025 took place over May Bank holiday weekend (23rd – 25th May), kicking off with the Free Community Event on Friday night. Despite a rainy weather forecast, the parade which set out from Centenary Square at 12pm, stayed relatively dry as it made its way towards the city’s Gay Village.

Eva Echo, Garry Jones, and Pippa Echo leading the parade accompanied by the trans flag

Garry Jones with the trans flag ahead of the parade

The parade was led by artist Garry Jones, activist Eva Echo and an accompanying group carrying a large trans flag, in a powerful statement of support for the trans community. In fact, solidarity for the trans community shone through the entire parade; in ‘Protect the Dolls’ t-shirts, a noticeable increase in trans flags, in sports teams including Birmingham Bulls and Coventry Corsairs RFC calling for trans inclusion, and in placards and banners proudly supporting trans siblings.

Birmingham Bulls RFC, featuring Drag Queen Gardener

The atmosphere felt slightly different from past years too, perhaps in part as a reflection of the increasing hostility towards trans people, and the LGBTQ+ community as a whole. Those watching the rainbow of colours and queer joy pour through Birmingham’s streets and those taking part in the parade itself seemed keener than ever to connect as community, and the loudest cheers rang out each and every time visibly trans people marched by. After the Supreme Court ruling, it is understandable that allies would want to make their support seen and heard in such a loud and visible way.

Trans rights, of course, were not the only concern reflected in this year’s Pride proceedings. Peter Tatchell joined Birmingham Pride to call, again, for an apology from West Midlands Police for historic homophobia, and placards for a free Palestine and calls to drop complicit sponsorship were also voiced.

Birmingham Pride 2025, Peter Tatchell

Meanwhile, others from the community organised and attended alternative Pride events including: Mosley Pride on Saturday and Trans Pride Birmingham and the Trans Tea Room’s picnic on Sunday.

With 2025 marking the final year that Birmingham Pride Festival are able to use the Smithfield Site before its redevelopment, it is unclear how Birmingham Pride might look in the future; whether it will return to its roots with a street party filled with local performers or whether organisers already have plans and ideas in motion. What I hope though is that those plans include conversations with the community to help shape what 2026 and onwards can be.

Birmingham Pride director, Lawrence Barton, has already hinted at the event's future saying: "We will be working closely with the community on a number of transformational initiatives that will shape the next chapter of Birmingham Pride.

“It's not about scaling back, it's about returning to our roots and putting community impact at the heart of everything we do."

Here’s to not letting the world push us back and divide us but to uniting in queer joy, protest, and celebration.

Crip Ladywood in the parade with Sense charity

Elektra Fence

Dominus & House of Allure