
Birmingham Pride celebrations to return to Gay Village in 2026
The festival has been held at the Smithfield site for the past four years but that area is now undergoing redevelopment.
Work will begin later this year to develop the 17-hectare site into 3,000 homes, restaurants and event space, costing £1.9 billion pounds.
The plans mean that Pride needs to move from the site to a new home - and there was uncertainty around where that might be.
It is hoped that bringing the festival back to the Gay Village will result in a more community-focused event.
"Our departure from the Smithfield site provides the ideal opportunity to reshape Birmingham Pride and consider wider community feedback", organisers said in a statement.
"This change reflects a wider commitment to realign Pride with its founding values of protest, inclusion, and grassroots celebration".
The team also said, as part of the change, it wanted to "evolve its approach to sponsorship".
The statement said: "With HSBC UK's title sponsorship concluding this year, we thank them for their support over the past decade. The partnership benefited local LGBTQ+ charities, community groups and not-for-profit organisations across our region, enabling them to secure funding to deliver services and undertake important work in the community.
"We warmly welcome interest from other organisations that share our values and wish to play a meaningful role in the next chapter of Birmingham Pride and the Pride movement."
Lawrence Barton, Festival Director, said: "This is a pivotal moment for Birmingham Pride. As the Pride movement continues to evolve, we believe it is the right time to realign our festival with its core values, protest, inclusion, andgrassroots celebration.
"Our return to the Gay Village symbolises more than just a change of location, it represents a renewed commitment to the communities that built this event from the ground up."
"We are grateful to HSBC UK for their support over the last seven years. Their partnership has had a meaningful and lasting impact on LGBTQ+ communities across Birmingham and the West Midlands."
Birmingham Pride will take place in May 2026.

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