Pride in London 2019 brought a huge parade and a brilliant street-party atmosphere to central London. I went along to catch some of the celebrations, beginning near Westminster before following the action and spending time around Soho. There was far too much happening to see everything, so this is a collection of the moments I caught along the way.
My first problem was my outfit. I had come out in black and grey, which suddenly felt very understated among all that colour. A rainbow garland helped put that right. Then it was time to join the crowds and see what was coming down the road.
Joining the Pride in London 2019 parade
When I introduced the parade, I was near the Houses of Parliament, towards the end of the route. It had started roughly an hour earlier, and the first floats were beginning to reach us. That gave me a chance to watch the celebrations arrive before moving further along the route.
Flags rose above the spectators, people held up signs and phones, and groups of marchers filled the street. There was music, applause and plenty to look at in every direction. Even standing in one place, the scene kept changing as another group or float came into view.
I wanted to show more than one stretch of the parade, so I headed along the route. The video moves between the marchers and the people watching them. Both were part of the atmosphere: the cheering on the pavement was as much a part of the day as the colourful displays in the road.
Why Pride still matters
During the walk, I stopped to reflect on how the event felt compared with the Pride parades I remembered when I was younger. My memories of watching on Regent Street had more of a sense of protest. In 2019, I was struck by the scale of the celebration and by seeing families enjoying it together.
However, a happy crowd does not mean prejudice has disappeared. Although I am not part of the LGBTQ+ community, I want to support Pride and share the experience. I talked in the video about the hateful comments that my previous Pride coverage had attracted, including footage shown through Amazon Prime.
Those responses were a reminder of how easy it can be to become complacent when something does not affect you directly. For me, they reinforced the reason to keep coming along and showing support. I hoped that one day the hatred would end. In the meantime, the celebration still had a purpose beyond having a good afternoon.
That was the thought I carried back into the crowd. Pride could be joyful, noisy and welcoming while still making an important point. The placards and banners along the route were reminders that the party and the message belonged together.
Colourful floats and Soho celebrations
After that pause, I returned to the celebrations. One float was covered in enormous bright flowers, while rainbow flags and decorations appeared throughout the footage. There were so many different details that I kept turning the camera towards something else.
Around Soho, the party spread through streets packed with people. Rainbow bunting hung overhead, and balloons framed a shopfront. The crowds were not just watching a procession here; they were filling the streets and enjoying the afternoon together.
The wide views show how busy it was, but I also liked the smaller details: a flag above the crowd, a decorated building or people stopping to watch what was happening nearby. They help bring back the feeling of walking through London on a day when familiar streets looked completely different.
This was never going to be a complete guide to everything taking place. I was moving through one part of a much larger event, filming what I could as I went. That is what I enjoy about this kind of visit: following the atmosphere and finding the next scene around the corner.
Finishing the afternoon in central London
Towards the end of the video, the crowds around the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain at Piccadilly Circus give another sense of the scale of the day. People had gathered all around it, with more flags and parade scenes still to come.
I said goodbye to the camera before heading off to enjoy more of the parade and party. The closing footage stays with the crowds and marchers for a little longer. It was a fabulous day out, and these are the highlights I wanted to keep from Pride in London 2019.
Watch the Pride in London 2019 video
The original video premiered on 6 July 2019. Watch it below for the music, movement and atmosphere of the parade and Soho celebrations, together with my reflections from the day.
