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There’s nothing like Pride. Halloween might be ‘gay Christmas’, as they say, but this worldwide celebration of LGBT+ people and culture is utterly without comparison. Since 1972, campaigners and revellers in the UK have shown their solidarity by having a right bloody laugh through music, parades, club nights and more, making the planet a little more colourful and inclusive along the way.
The beauty of Pride is that you never know quite what to expect; no two events are ever the same. Leeds Pride, for example, has booked a Chappell Roan tribute act for 2025, and it really doesn’t get any better than that, does it? The real deal, a former NME cover star, is fond of calling herself “your favourite artist’s favourite artist”. Short of booking the icon herself, the event’s organisers have opted for your favourite tribute act’s favourite tribute act. Bravo!
Across the country, UK Pride 2025 looks set to be as eclectic and joyful as ever, with metal and classical events rubbing shoulders with pop royalty and red-hot techno. Wherever you are and whether your colour scheme is rainbow-hued or goth black, there’ll be something to tickle your fancy. Here’s our pick of the best gigs…
Pride On The Park
Preston Park, Brighton (August 2-3)
Another former NME cover star, Mariah Carey, will finally headline Brighton’s Pride On The Park on the Saturday night, having been forced to cancel her planned 2020 set due to that rotten pandemic. Brighton Pride managing director Paul Kemp recently said he was “absolutely gutted by the cancellation,” but added: “Pride is always an amazing weekend of celebration and inclusiveness of our city and this year is going to be incredibly momentous.”
No kidding: Sugababes will headline on the Sunday, with Fatboy Slim, Ashnikko, Confidence Man and The xx’s Romy just some of the world-class acts also on the bill. As Mariah would say: obsessed.
Pride Rock ft. Sophie Lloyd
CHALK, Brighton (August 1)
Guitar shredder Sophie Lloyd rose to fame on YouTube and has since become a bona fide modern rock star, releasing chart-bothering solo albums, touring in Machine Gun Kelly’s band and smashing stages across the land. Topping the bill at this festival, a sort of axe-wielding alternative to the poptastic Pride on the Park, she’ll rock out in the name of love.
Classical Pride 2025
Various venues, London (June 27-July 10)
Like sexuality, taste can be a spectrum – why shouldn’t we mosh to Sophie Lloyd and throw on our glad rags for Classical Pride 2025? Curated by conductor Oliver Zeffman, this is a series of events held across the capital (with one at LA’s Hollywood Bowl if you’re feeling really committed). London’s leading LGBT+ choir The Fourth Choir will take to London’s historic Wigmore Hall, while the Barbican Hall will host Voice of Tomorrow, which sees hotly tipped young LGBT+ composers set music to poems by queer poets. Remember to polish your Docs.
Worthing Techno Militia Presents Worthing Pride Party
Coast Cafe, Worthing (July 4)
After all that respectability, let’s blow away the cobwebs with Worthing Techno Militia, a party on a self-described “mission to bring real underground deep techno music to Worthing”. Here Wes Baggaley and DJ Bunnyhausen will shake West Sussex to its very foundations with thumping house, techno and more. It’s all part of Worthing Pride, which this year also features S Club 7’s Jo O’Meara and Atomic Kitten’s Natasha Hamilton. Now there’s an event with range.
Gladrags: official Notts Afterparty
Rough Trade Nottingham (July 26)
Legendary Midlands LGBT+ club night Gladrags is throwing the official afterparty for Nottingham’s Pride event, promising performances from fabulously named drag acts such as Fatt Butcher and Pork Elizabeth Pie. Check out “punk horror drag superstar” – to quote their Insta bio – Baby Lame, who was once part of bizarr-o stage show Circus of Horrors and rocks a look best described as “Art the Clown stumbled into Claire’s”.
The Grand’s Pride After Party
Clapham Grand, London (June 29)
Back in 2022, after appearing as a guest presenter at the BandLab NME Awards, drag superstar Bimini promised us “some unexpected collabs,” teasing: “Think about someone you wouldn’t expect… and expect it!” Even in our wildest fever dreams, though, we couldn’t have imagined the Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK don appearing at a Pride afterparty with – checks notes – Tulisa and Nadine Coyle. Iconic.
Mardi Gras
Depot Mayfield, Manchester (July 5)
Determined not to let Brighton have all the glory, Manchester Pride’s festival, Mardi Gras, boasts an embarrassment of riches. If Mariah Carey is pop royalty, Manchester has some heirs to her throne lined up: Little Mixer Leigh-Anne will headline the shindig, as will former Years & Years frontman, one-time Eurovision hopeful and current solo star Olly Alexander. Throw in triple threat Billy Porter and rap pioneer Big Freedia and you’ve got yourself a party.
Among other essential events, Manchester Pride is also hosting a Gay Village Party – basically, imagine the greatest local fete on the planet – and an always eye-popping parade. All in all, it’s a knees-up like no other.
Not officially Pride, but don’t miss these too!
Lady Gaga
The O2 Arena, London (September 29 – October 4), Co-op Live, Manchester (October 7-8)
Lady Gaga has described herself as a “supporter” of the LGBT+ community, which has supported her in kind for almost 20 years. Her Little Monsters create a powerful sense of unity at her shows – and with her latest mega-tour dubbed the Mayhem Ball, you can bet the atmosphere will be celebratory, loving and a whole lot of fun. It’s no wonder, then, that 13 per cent of Brits voted her their number one bucket list artist to see live (according to data from secondary ticket provider viagogo). That’s more than Beyoncé, Rihanna, Bruno Mars, Bruce Springsteen and Ariana Grande.
Billie Eilish
OVO Hydro, Glasgow (July 7-8), O2 Arena, London (10–17 July) Co-op Live, Manchester (July 19-23)
Billie Eilish has many gifts, one of which is to make arenas feel as intimate as a tiny gig down your local pub. A Gen-Z superstar who’s made inclusivity central to her pop persona and whose ‘Lunch’ is a modern LGBT+ anthem (not a love letter to the Boots meal deal), she’s the perfect person to congregate around as we celebrate Pride 2025.
Lana Del Rey
Principality Stadium, Cardiff (June 23), Hampden Stadium, Glasgow (June 26), Anfield Stadium, Liverpool (June 28), Wembley Stadium, London (July 3-4)
By the time she seemed to depict a queer relationship with 2019’s woozy ‘Doin’ Time’, she had already become an LGBT+ icon. Lana’s always played with different personas through her music, making her entire career an ode to self-invention. At a Lana gig, you can be whoever you want and find your people. If you’re only looking for tickets now you better get a move on though. According to viagogo, woozy pop pioneer Lana Del Rey ranked at number eight in the world’s top-selling female artists for 2023. So she’s incredibly popular with just about everybody.