The Mayor of London Boris Johnson today announced plans to help secure the long term future of London’s Pride celebrations. The Mayor’s Office is already the main sponsor of the event, which takes place each year in early July and attracts hundreds of thousands of people from across the UK and around the world.
The Mayor is inviting non-profit community based organisations to submit expressions of interest to run and develop Pride in the capital over a five year period under a grant agreement worth up to £500,000. Waiving the fee to use Trafalgar Square and assistance from a GLA events officer would bring total support to around £650,000.
The Mayor believes it is critical that the event is run by an organisation, which is drawn from and is responsive to the needs of the community with funding in place to enable it to seek further financial backing to build and sustain the event over the longer term.
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: ‘London’s Pride celebrations are a key event in our city’s cultural calendar. They attract not just Londoners, but people from across the UK and around the world, contributing to a tourism sector that generates billions for our economy and creates thousands of jobs. I am proud of London’s reputation as a dynamic world city in which LGBT people can be who they are and it is only right that we should host a high profile celebration to rival other major Pride celebrations around the world.’
The Mayor is looking for a delivery partner to run Pride for five years from 2013. Interested organisations should email their initial interest to eventsforlondon@london.gov.uk. The aim is to announce the winning bid in the New Year.