Thousands of activists marched through London in the capital’s LGBTQ+ Pride parade as campaigners issued a stark warning about trans rights.
Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan was among those at the front of the Pride in London march on Saturday and led activists in a chant of “Happy Pride” as the parade began.
More than 35,000 marchers from more than 600 groups took part in the procession from Hyde Park Corner to Whitehall Place via Piccadilly, with an audience of more than a million expected to flock to the capital for celebrations.
A number of artists, such as Beth Ditto and MNEK, were tipped to perform at the main stage in Trafalgar Square, with rumours that Madonna would also make an appearance following the launch of her highly anticipated album, Confessions II, in London on Friday.
However, organisers later confirmed that the 67-year-old pop star would not be attending.
“In response to the rumours, we can confirm that Madonna will not be appearing or performing at Pride in London,” organisers wrote in a post on social media.
“We have two fantastic headliners at Trafalgar Square to conclude a brilliant day of protest and celebration.”
It is understood that there had been communication between organisers and Madonna but that she was never a confirmed attendee.
Spectators cheered as floats full of people dancing and speakers pumping out music drove through central London, with many donning rainbow colours and carrying Pride flags and fans on a hot and sunny day in the city.
Pride in London issued a warning beforehand to those attending to bring suncream and water with them as temperatures were forecast to peak at 28C.
Some 650 police officers were deployed as the Met said before the event that there would be “no tolerance of hate crime” as a busy weekend of Pride celebrations takes place in the city.
This year’s parade has focused heavily on four critical issues: trans healthcare rights, Black and Brown queer visibility, chosen family rights, and ending hate crime.
It also marks the beginning of London’s official bid to host WorldPride 2032.
Gay rights activist Julian Hows, 70, said the Pride in London march was important with “rights being taken away from trans people” in the UK.
Speaking at the front of the parade, Mr Hows, who was expelled from school for early gay rights activism in 1971, said: “Pride is important every year.
“I’ve been coming to Pride marches since 1972 when the policemen outnumbered the marchers.”
Mr Hows, wearing a rainbow-coloured waistcoat with “Abseil Against Section 28”, and Gay Liberation Front pins, said: “Pride is also important because it needs to have an underlying level of protest, and you can see the freedoms that we have can so easily be taken away.
“We also always need to push further because there’s always somewhere where our rights are being taken away – whether it’s in this country with Reform, whether it’s this country with rights being taken away from trans people, whether it’s abroad in other countries.”
A spokesperson for Pride in London said: “The urgency is clear: NHS gender-affirming care waiting lists now exceed four years in some regions, while a comprehensive trans-inclusive ban on conversion therapy remains uncodified into law despite a 2018 government pledge.
“At the same time, the community infrastructure LGBTQ+ people rely on is shrinking – since 2006, 58 per cent of London’s LGBTQ+ venues have closed.
“Together, these gaps in care, protection and safe spaces are unfolding amid continued hostility, with Home Office figures showing that more than 18,000 hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation were reported to police in 2025.”
As part of our campaign championing people in Pride Month, The Independent marched among the parade in partnership with Pride in London and launched our iconic Pride List for 2026, which celebrates the LGBTQ+ community’s biggest trailblazers.
Companies that sponsored floats at the parade included Lidl, Tesco and Ikea, with the Swedish furniture brand’s float carrying the message: “Love doesn’t require instructions.”
London-based football teams including Arsenal, West Ham and Crystal Palace also had floats in the parade.
Activist Peter Tatchell said Fifa was “doing nothing” about 11 countries banning gay footballers at the World Cup.
Speaking at the march, Mr Tatchell said: “We’re marching in London Pride today to highlight the fact that at the World Cup, which is ongoing right now, 11 countries ban gay footballers from their team – that’s against Fifa rules, but Fifa is doing nothing.”
The Australian-born campaigner added: “This year’s Pride is as important as ever.
“Particularly now that Reform councils across the country are banning Pride flags … wanting to remove books from shelves.
“That is very dangerous, very threatening to all of us.”
Pride in London interim chief executive Rebecca Paisis said: “We want 2026 to be the most inclusive Pride in London event yet.
“Our movement has always been built on many voices becoming one united front – from the people who marched in 1972 to those joining us for the first time this year. That’s where our power lies.
“As LGBTQ+ people, we’ve never been strangers to adversity, but neither are we strangers to collective action.
“This year’s campaign is a reminder that whilst the community often faces challenges in isolation, it is by coming together that we can change history.”
Co-founder of Stonewall and LGBTQ+ activist Lisa Power said: “Adversity is meant to shatter us but it can make us stronger as it did in the Eighties.
“Right now, we have a government and institutions meant to defend our rights that are attacking trans people’s rights, and the rest of ours will follow.”
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