What is a Pride parade?

Meet twins Alex and Thomas - they celebrate Pride in a parade with their family every year.

Their mums Catherine and Julie have brought them to Manchester's Pride parade since they were little.

The family says it gives them a chance to celebrate love, friendship and show how far rights for LGBTQ+ people have come.

Thousands of people attend the parade in Manchester every year, dressing up in colourful clothes, waving Pride flags and dancing to music.

Newsround went to speak to the twins to find out more about what Manchester's Pride parade means to them.

What is a Pride parade?

Thomas and Alex show off the bees that they have made as part of their Pride parade costumes

The idea of Pride started as protest in 1969 in the US called the Stonewall Riots which happened when police raided the Stonewall Inn - a bar which was popular with the gay community in New York, US.

This raid inspired the community to protest at their unfair treatment, which ultimately changed gay rights for a lot of people in America.

Pride parades were created to celebrate the gay community, and later parades embraced more LGBTQ+ identities.

The parades are usually very colourful, full of music, costumes and performances.

You might also see lots of rainbow flags at Pride parades, which are an important symbol for many LGBTQ+ people.

Pride: What is it and why do people celebrate it?

The Stonewall Inn was the site of protesting and riots in June 1969

LGBTQ+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender and queer. The + is an inclusive symbol to mean ‘and others’ to include people of all identities.

Pride parades take place across the UK and around the world.

But Pride parades are not just about celebration, they are also about highlighting issues facing LGBTQ+ communities.

In many countries across the world LGBTQ+ people have fewer rights and there are many countries where it is illegal to be LGBTQ+.

Alex and Thomas have celebrated Pride with their family for many years