Pride's future looks a bit bleak, organisers say

Birmingham Pride must vacate its Smithfield home after 2025

Organisers of Birmingham Pride have challenged the city council to "find us a home", after its current site becomes unusable after next year.

The LGBT+ festival, one of the biggest in the UK, is set to take place this weekend.

Tens of thousands of visitors are expected at the two-day music event on the Smithfield site in the city centre.

However, after the 2025 event, Smithfield is set to make way for a multibillion-pound regeneration plan, including thousands of new homes, offices and leisure space.

Festival director Lawrence Barton said "we're homeless" after 2025

The plans, by developers Lendlease, originally included a festival space big enough for Pride.

But festival director Lawrence Barton said this had been scaled back: "We were promised a space that would hold 20,000 people.

"Five years on, we're presented with a space that, with infrastructure, would hold probably 3,000 to 4,000 people. It's simply not conducive for us.

"The future at the moment looks a bit bleak".

A new festival square for Smithfield is too small for Birmingham Pride

The Smithfield planning application was deferred by Birmingham City Council's planning committee on 16 May, to look again at objections to the lack of public space.

Developers Lendlease said: "We respect the planning committee’s decision and will now work closely with officers to understand the reasons for a deferral. We look forward to presenting the application again in the near future.”

Pride bosses said Birmingham City Council had not proposed any alternative sites for the festival, leaving it with the prospect of moving away from the gay village.

Julia Robinson, the Southside Business District Manager, said that would harm the local economy: "It would be a disaster, not just for our businesses but for our residents, and the city too. The gay village is Pride, and Pride is the gay village. We think it's incredibly important that it stays here."

Mr Barton is calling on the council to help him find a viable location for Pride: "Find us a home in the city centre. I'm sure it's achievable somehow, it's about getting the right people around the table with the willingness to make it happen."

A Birmingham City Council spokesperson said: "It has been great to see Pride grow from strength to strength, and its success means it is more of a challenge to find a suitable venue, but we will continue to work with the organisers and partners to help secure its future."

This year's Birmingham Pride features headline performances from Eurovision winner Loreen, Wolverhampton soul singer Beverley Knight, and Birmingham singer Jamelia.

An annual parade, separate from the festival, regularly attracts 75,000 people to Birmingham city centre.