Plymouth Pride event sees 'incredible' turnout

Organisers have praised the turnout for Plymouth's annual Pride event.

The LGBTQ+ event began with a march from Plymouth Hoe towards the city centre at 11:00 BST.

The main festival taking place in nearby Central Park will run into the evening.

This is the second year the event has been run by Plymouth Pride CIC and its community director Juliet Williams said the event was "better than imagined".

'You can be proud'

"It's absolutely incredible, we've had so many people turn up to the march," she said.

"There was long of line people, it was beautiful, it's gone better than I could have imagined, there are so many people here being themselves."

Ms Williams said Pride was "really important" for visibility "so people can see they're not alone and there is a community out there".

"So many of us grow up feeling shame in who we are and feeling like we have to hide who we are, so the importance of pride is to show that you don't need to be ashamed, you can be proud of who you are," she added.

It is s the second year the event has been run by Plymouth Pride

Organisers said the event had tribute acts, drag queens, fairground rides and more than 70 market stalls.

"Everybody is welcome regardless of their gender or their sexuality," Ms Williams said.

"There is a community here and they can be themselves."

The previous Plymouth Pride CIC event in 2023 had to be scaled back due to concerns over strong winds.

That event featuring up to 80 traders was called off due to the potential for strong winds to cause "flying gazebos".