Words and pictures by Mabel Wellman.
Southampton Pride returned to the city on the 23rd and 24th of August, bringing with it a huge line up on both their main stage, and also a community stage; as well as a plethora of market stalls in the Guildhall and a range of food and drink options around the site.
I have attended Southampton Pride for many years now, and it still amazes me how every year there is something new in improvement from the previous year’s Pride.
One thing that really stood out to me this year were that there was a very fairly large sized Youth Zone in a shaded area near the main gate. My first Southampton Prides were as a teenager where I do not believe these areas existed, or if they did there was not so much space offered for youngsters as at this year’s event.
As a woman in my mid twenties with no children, this wasn’t an area I looked into much during my visit to Pride; but it did make me happy to think that any youngsters who went to Pride with friends (or on their own like I did) were able to have a safe space especially for them, with their own stage and acts suitable for youths especially. Youths also had the option of gaming in a free-to-play Mobile Gaming Van to play a range of popular video games such as Minecraft during the weekend. This is something Southampton Pride has done which truly does convince me that they care for everyone who attends their event and makes sure there is something for everyone.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the huge variety of food and drink on offer. This bank holiday weekend, I visited a funfair where stalls sold the exact same drinks, ice cream, hot dogs and donuts. However, Southampton Pride had a diverse range of food including German, Tibetan, Sri Lankan street food and more, which was being sold for a fair price. Something I did take note of was there is a local independent coffee shop which had a van in Southampton Pride, and the prices on site were the exact same as the prices inside their café. I’ve been to, and helped run, a lot of Pride events; and the price of food and drink is something which is always heard complained about, but the prices for such at Southampton Pride have again been extremely fair compared to festivals and other events of a similar size.
Accessibility is something which should always be at the forefront of Pride events. Pride, above anything, is always a protest; in which the most vulnerable in society need to be included. It is often people who are disabled or neurodiverse, people of colour, or are otherwise further marginalised on top of being LGBTQIA+ who have needed to fight the loudest to help lift us all up.
As an able bodied person who can regulate myself quite well when I do get overwhelmed by crowds or noise, I’ve not needed to use what was there to truly test how accessible Pride was. But what I can confirm was there was a raised viewing platform for people in wheelchairs (and their companions) to listen to music at the main stage without being unable to see or be unsafe around people dancing (who might not see someone in a wheelchair and have an accident). The Community Stage was in the Civic Centre Car Park, where people in wheelchairs had plenty of space to view the stage due to the elevation of the rest of the venue. There was also ample seating near the Community Stage in the form of deckchairs for people to sit and enjoy live performances. Inside the Guildhall there was also a Quiet Zone, which had headphones and earplugs and also fidget and regulation tools. There was also BSL interpretation in the Main and Community stages and accessible toilets and changing spaces in the Civic Centre Car Park.
A couple of years ago I attended a Pride event local to Southampton organised by another group, which had an accessibility area which was placed some space away from the stage, but unfortunately was still very loud because it was near generators which were running for electricity for the event. The difference between Southampton Pride’s event layout compared to this other event really highlights just how well thought out the event organisers for Southampton Pride were in making sure that everyone’s needs could be met. Again, I am not disabled myself, so I would be interested to hear from anyone who needed to use these accessibility features to make sure they did work in practice, or if instead there is still work to be done for 2026 (to share your views please email editor@in-common.co.uk).
The Market Hall had a number of interesting businesses and organisations inside. These included trade unions like USDAW; charities such as Breast Cancer Now and Beyond Reflections; hand made crafts and so much more. Several organisations were queer owned which was a welcome sight. As a trans woman, it is very nerve wracking when going somewhere new. It can feel like I’m bargaining my safety when needing to find somewhere that I may need to eat, use the restroom of, or otherwise use the services from and hopefully avoid being discriminated against. In perhaps the hardest year in the UK many of us have had to endure for the rollback of trans rights, it was very heart-warming to see so many organisations giving out leaflets, advice, or even just a company pen, and essentially let us know that they respect us.
Another aspect of a good Pride which is important to me is that it needs to stay with you past the day(s) that the event is run. An amazing way that Southampton Pride has achieved this as well this year is by organising a HIV/AIDS Awareness Project in partnership with John Hansard Gallery, GO! Southampton and City Eye (with further support from Arts Council England and the University Of Southampton).
Six artists from across the UK were shortlisted to create artwork which helped raise awareness of HIV/AIDS, including ongoing risks and stigmatisation of those who live with HIV/AIDS. Through a vote in June, a winning price of artwork by Emily Foster has been commissioned for Guildhall Square and is displayed in the window of John Hansard Gallery for anyone visiting Southampton to see inside the Cultural Quarter. Foster’s art piece highlights how misinformation about HIV/AIDS has, not only historically but to this day, been an excuse for homophobia, as well as supporting people to be open about their HIV status and support research to help fight the spread of the disease as well as social stigma about those affected by the disease. This now stands as a pro-LGBTQIA+ fixture in the city centre which I am proud of Southampton Pride for organising for us to have.
Overall, Southampton Pride has surpassed itself yet again to be a hugely successful event for our community. They had a great line up of both local and national acts, and with the Youth Zone and accessibility arrangements have made sure as many people can be safe and enjoy the weekend as possible. I can’t wait already to see what they do for their weekend of protest and celebration in 2026!
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