00:00Pride Parade kicked off from Centenary Square, weaving through Birmingham streets before ending in the Gay Village.
00:10It's a celebration, yes, but also a protest.
00:13This year political parties were banned from marching.
00:16A move organisers say shows solidarity with the trans community.
00:21But with the Smithfield site set for redevelopment, the future of the festival is uncertain.
00:27Organisers are considering a return to a more community focused event in the Gay Village.
00:32I asked attendees what Pride means to them.
00:36For me Pride is about feeling a sense of wholeness and togetherness.
00:42Everybody comes, everybody loves one another, it's just a happy, happy place to be.
00:48I think it means it's like equality, it's love, it's acceptance of everybody no matter who they are.
00:54It means just being yourself, completely unapologetically yourself.
00:58It's just about celebrating really and obviously embracing who people are in a community that is so judgmental nowadays.
01:05Lauren Spartan has been at the helm of Birmingham Pride since 2009, overseeing its growth into one of the UK's largest LGBTQ plus festivals.
01:15But with the loss of the Smithfield site, he faces the challenge of reimagining the event's future.
01:21I spoke to him about the road ahead.
01:24So we intend to create a Pride village in the Gay District of Birmingham.
01:31It will require us to go out into the community, consult with them fully, that they are part of the process.
01:39And it's a redefining moment for what Birmingham Pride is and how it presents itself in the future.
01:46Phil Aldershaw co-founded Birmingham Pride in 1997 when the event was a small grassroots protest.
01:54He's seen it evolve over the decades.
01:56I asked him how he feels about the festival's journey and its future direction.
02:01Do you know what? It has grown at an incredible pace.
02:0529 years ago we had the first Birmingham Pride that was in the Hearst Street and Kent Street area of the Gay Village.
02:13It's now grown. It's on the Smithfield site.
02:16We've got this huge parade in the city centre.
02:19It has grown phenomenally over the years and millions of people have enjoyed exactly what this is all about today.
02:27For many Pride is more than a party. It's a statement of identity and resilience.
02:34I return to the crowd to hear more about what this event means to those attending.
02:39For me personally I am gay myself so it's nice to be represented here.
02:44I'm straight but it's important for me to be here as an ally to stand up for what I believe in for the diversity that is on show today.
02:53It's for everyone. It's to give everyone that chance to be unapologetically who they want to be.
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