Explainer
Birmingham Pride 2024: Road closures, performers and everything you need to know
Birmingham Pride takes place for the 27th time weekend, with three days of festivities and a parade involving thousands of people moving through the city.
Big acts such as Natasha Bedingfield, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, and Swedish Eurovision winner, Loreen, will take to the main stage during the festival on the Smithfield site in Digbeth.
The event first took place in Birmingham in 1997 and has since become one of the biggest Pride events in the UK attracting over 40,000 people for the paid-for festival weekend and around 75,000 spectators and participants to the free Pride Parade in the city centre.
Free community events are taking place for those who do not have tickets for the festival at Smithfield, and low income tickets have been made available to make the event more accessible and inclusive.
For such a big event to take place in a densely populated city, a number of road closures and diversions will be in place. Here is everything you need to know about Birmingham Pride 2024:
The Parade:
The Birmingham Pride Parade on Saturday 25th May is an important aspect of the event, with organisations and communities from across the region marching through the city centre with colourful floats and costumes.
The event starts at Centenary Square in the city centre from 11am and the parade makes its way through the city from midday.
The march continues along New Street, then up High Street, before turning onto Carrs Lane. It then follows St Martins Queensway and Small Brook Queensway to Hurst Street where it will end near the entrance to the LGBTIQ Village Street Party.
The 1.5 mile route takes approximately 45 minutes from start to finish - given the slow moving nature of the parade, which will have a lot of stops and starts.
Road Closures
There will be phased road closures in the city centre while the parade takes place along the following roads:
Broad Street, Centenary Square
Carrs Lane
Moor Street. Priory Queensway to St Martins Queensway
St Martins Tunnel for when Moor Street reopens but Tunnel is closed
Smallbrook Queensway. St Martins Tunnel to Hill Street
Hurst Street
Transport
There will be a number of bus diversions in place throughout the day with some bus stops closed and temporary stops in place.
National Express West Midlands bus services 2, 3, 4, 4A, 5, 6, 9, 12, 12A, 13, 13A, 16, 17, 23, 24, 35, 45, 47, 50, 60, 61, 63, 80, 82, 87, 97, 126, X1, X2, X8, X10, X21, X22 will be subject to diversions due to the parade.
Normal tram services for West Midlands Metro are expected to resume through the city centre after the parade has finished at around 2:30pm.
People are advised to avoid driving to the event as roads will be busy and car parks are likely to be full.
Free events
The Birmingham Pride Parade and LGBTIQ Village Street Party are free to attend for all who want to celebrate.
The Smithfield festival site is also home to The Big Free Community Event on Friday 24 May - featuring local LGBTQ+ talent, choirs, keynote speakers, drag performers and a candlelit vigil from 6:30pm.
Organisers say the area provides limited seating and a quieter vibe than the rest of the festival activities across the next two days.
Line-up
The ticketed Birmingham Pride Festival in Digbeth has a number of music stages and welcomes 40,000 people across two days.
On Saturday 25 May the Main Stage will see the following performers: Natasha Bedingfield, Louise, Heather Small, Danny Beard and their live band, Tia Kofi, Beth McCarthy, Raven Mandella, Louis III and Homoparody.
On Sunday 26 May the Main Stage line up is: Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Beverly Knight, Loreen, Jamelia, Gok Wan, House Gospel Choir DJ set, Dylan and the Moon, Lyvia and Bollyqueer.
Across both days the Dance Stage will have sets from Bush Baby, Silva Bumpa, Artful Dodger, Rat Pack and Chad Lewis among others.
Meanwhile the Cabaret Stage will offer more theatrical performances from drag artists and tribute acts such as Twiggy, Miss Penny, Lola Lasagne, Shania Pain, Yshee Black, Fatt Butcher, Lady Bushra and more.