Warwickshire Pride's 2026 festival hailed 'biggest and best so far'

The festival, which returned to Leamington on Saturday August 22, celebrates LGBTQ+ life and culture and also aims to highlight injustices LGBTQ+ communities still face locally, nationally and around the world.

This theme for this year’s event was ‘Pride is a Protest’, which the organisers said was “because of rising hate towards LGBTQ+ people, and especially trans communities, the attacks that LGBTQ+ people are under locally from people in positions of power, and the need for LGBTQ+ communities to rise up against hate in the spirit of the origins of the Pride movement”.

Like previous years, the event started with a Pride March through Leamington which led to the main event in the Pump Room Gardens, featuring stalls, entertainment and activities.

Speaking about how this year’s event went, Daniel Browne, chair of Warwickshire Pride, said: “This year's Warwickshire Pride was definitely the biggest and best so far.

“The sun was shining and thousands of people came along to show their pride and support for LGBTQ+ communities.

“Against a backdrop of rising hate, disturbing incidents locally, and a Warwickshire County Council administration that is determined to erase LGBTQ+ visibility, this year's Warwickshire Pride showed that love will always triumph over hate.

“I'd like to express my thanks to everyone involved – my fellow trustees, volunteers, sponsors, suppliers, funders, stallholders, sign language interpreters, performers, speakers, and hosts.

“It takes a whole team of people and a strong, resilient, fabulous community to make it all happen. Roll on 2027 when Warwickshire Pride will return."