While some may consider that we have no room to talk, but having been sitting on the scene sidelines while fighting a deadly disease, we have been watching the days roll by as the biggest gay gathering in the city we are resident draws closer. Yet despite what should be a colossal celebration, we once again declare our downright disappointment in the committee powers that be, who are once again failing us in promoting London Gay Pride, we standing on our soapbox to say how & why.
In years gone by with London Gay Pride virtually on our doorstep, we would find ourselves not only immersed in all the preparations, fanfare & fun of it all, this most colossal of celebrations on the calendar always broadcast news, whether it be in the weekly press through other forms of communication. And before the advent of social networks such as Facebook & Twitter, committees had to be extremely adept in delivering all the detail to the thousands of Pride devotees that would descend on London for what was always the most prestigious party weekend of the year, while without these extra online gateway aids, the message always seemed to get through, the annual’s, leaflets, flyers & posters always prominent across clubs, bars & all sorts of other places across the capital. Furthermore, the organisers of Gay Pride for what was recognised as the biggest scene of any city on the planet, seemed to go to great lengths to plan the most prominent parades & then the most prolific parties, the idea of partying in a park, whether it be Kennington, Brockwell, Victoria, Finsbury or Hyde, going down a storm (sometimes of the rain kind it has to be said), London very much leading the world way & showing just how Pride celebrations should be done.
However, despite all these amazing new social network communication channels, Pride in London this year is akin to the world’s best kept secret, not one announcement coming our way, no sign of posters or leaflets around and certainly nothing in terms of the annual magazine that was always so informative. Yet, we perhaps shouldn’t be surprised, as the stature of Gay Pride in London has been on the downturn for a good three or four years now, as the city’s committee have effectively stood in the wings watching the competition not just catch up, but overtake us with prestigious parties Madrid & Cologne two perfect examples, they clearly having mastered the art of organisation, communication & outright overt party gatherings. Indeed, the Spanish capital boosts its massive “Telefonica” stadium as the centre of festivities there, while what do we have?, Trafalgar Square, a space a tenth of the capacity of Telefonica and, to be honest, not that conducive an area for an a-typical gay celebration, while the inevitable spill onto the streets of Soho tends to descend into a mass block of bodies which inevitably descends into one massive (pardon the phrase) piss up, overindulgence in alcohol for celebratory driver rather than what could be a full blown street festival one that Cologne Pride is proud to promote.
So why has London Gay Pride fallen by the wayside? And what’s actually in store for this year? Well, to answer the first question in a nutshell, it’s the word “money”, or more the lack of it, as successive Pride committee’s have not just failed to attract the necessary sponsorship, but, in the vase of last’s years disgusting debacle, gobbled up what funds they had at their disposal on their own salary payments, this in a year, 2012, when London should have staged World Pride, yet we were left with no dance arena & a paltry party or two dotted around Soho. However, not all the blame can be laid at the committee’s door, as both Westminster Council & the London Mayor have a lot to answer to in terms of both accommodation & funding, the tight restrictions placed on businesses, organisations & committee’s by the council powers that be are so constrictive, that the street festival we hinted towards would never be approved funding or not, while on that very subject, with the mayoral budget allocation to Pride slashed when Boris came to power, this very action is a clear statement that both he & his city as a whole, would rather we continue to hide behind blackened windows, rather than celebrate Pride as our European neighbours do. And that word budget looks like continuing to plague London Gay pride for a number of years to come, as the austerity we find ourselves within, plus the seemingly ineffectual tunnel vision of this latest in a long run of failing Pride committees, rather than reacting to the central London restrictions by aiming to recreate those halcyon days of Pride made us truly proud, by containing to pursue Trafalgar Square & its surrounds as the centre of festivities has, in our view, taken scores of steps back rather than forward.
So what do we have for Pride this year? Well, if you hadn’t realised, the actual day & date for London gay Pride is Saturday 29th June, something which should have been shouted from the rooftops, yet is not, while the parade, always the start of the big day, is this year not kicking off till 1 p.m., even the lengthy route which, in our marching days, stated at Marble Arch & ended at Parliament Square, is down to just a small section of Oxford St, then Regent St & Haymarket, the authorities even stopping it short of Whitehall. And as for the Pride committee, it seems they have watered down their responsibilities and are now very much leaning on the gay community & businesses to organise events, UK Black Pride having taken their own initiative to secure Golden Square for their celebrations, while the false trail that clubbing conglomerate, Orange Nation, would be holding a massive party in Trafalgar Square, sees them squeezed into Soho boozer Compton’s, yet another example of how Pride parties in central London are quickly falling out of favour. Indeed, evidence that it is the community & not the committee that is driving London Gay Pride 2013, is reflected in the calendar of events (http://londoncommunitypride.org/festival/calendar/), two highlight happenings for us being The Clapham Street Party which takes place next Saturday (22nd June), while the crowning glory is the splendid Summer Rites, their “Pride In The Park” festival, one that is set to rekindle London’s love for a park party & is the ace in the 2013 Pride schedule pack.
So, can we be proud of London Gay Pride in 2013?, well not of those already condemned committees, of the constructive council or of the monstrous Mayor that’s for sure, but in the community we can be proud, proud that they have ceased the organisational imitative and in Summer Rites at least, we have a party come festival this year that we can really shout out loud& proud to the rest of the world. (DISCO MATT)
Postscript
For more information on London Gay Pride 2013, visit http://londoncommunitypride.org/ or keep your eyes peeled on https://facebook.com/LondonLGBTPride, while for Summer Rites follow https://facebook.com/SummerRitesEvents or take a peek at the official website at http://summerritesevents.com, plus watch this space for our preview on Pride itself, plus a series of special features which will include our “Rites To the Rescue” special Pride preview.
