An in-depth look at Birmingham Pride 2025, featuring insights from co-founder Phil Oldershaw on the festival's evolution, upcoming events, and the challenges ahead.
00:00Birmingham Pride 2025 kicks off across the Spring Bank holiday weekend, with the parade leaving from Centenary Square and the Mind Festival based around the LGBTQ plus village.
00:12It's one of the biggest events on the city's calendar, but its roots lie in protest and visibility, born out of necessity, not just celebration.
00:20That balance between pride and politics has shifted over the years, and for many, the question now is what the festival really represents in 2025.
00:29It's a conversation that goes beyond logistics and line-ups, and right to the heart of what pride means in Birmingham.
00:36For many thousands of people, it's a time of celebration, enjoying the equality and freedoms that are now afforded to us.
00:45And for others, it's still very much a protest, in particular our trans family, it's a platform for striving for equality, universal equality for our whole community.
00:56The work behind pride stretches far beyond the main stage, from managing crowd safety and staging to making sure it feels like it belongs to the community.
01:04Pulling it off is no small feat. Some feel it's become too corporate, others argue it's lost its grassroots edge.
01:11But this year's programme includes a wide mix from cabaret and drag to local performers and political voices,
01:17rising the question of how to keep things fresh without losing sight of what pride's supposed to be.
01:24It is absolutely important that in its roots that you strike a balance between having what is effectively can be considered a commercial event,
01:34and also that can be considered that that's pride and represents those values that pride upholds.
01:40To have that kind of visibility in the city is crucial, but then to also have an offer that people want to enjoy and come to and have a party is the other part of it.
01:49So I think it's always about, for me, it's striking a sensitive balance between our values, our protest and also the party element.
01:58Smithfield has been at Pride's home for years, but not for much longer. The site is set to be redeveloped and while this year's celebration is going ahead as planned, the clock is ticking.
02:10With no confirmed venue lined up for 2026 and organisers warning that the festival could leave the city altogether, the stakes are high.
02:18It's a worrying prospect, not just for the LGBTQ plus community, but for the city's cultural scene and local economy.
02:26The situation is this. This doesn't exist anymore after this year. This is our last year.
02:33And Pride will therefore return mainly to its roots and that will be in the form of some kind of street party, street festival party in the Gay District.
02:43That's where Pride will take place. What it looks like at the moment, it's too early to call, but that's what Pride will happen.
02:49It will happen. It will happen in the heart of its own community, taking it right back to where it took place in 1997, its first year.
