Pride In Kent
Pride Events in Kent Guide
From dazzling parades to family-friendly festivals, Kent’s Pride celebrations are back with a vibrant mix of live music, entertainers, with lots of community spirit. Discover where to join the rainbow-filled fun in 2025 with our guide.
Discover the dates for Pride celebrations across Kent with our guide!
🏳️🌈 In East Kent, join the festivities at Ramsgate Pride, Pride Ashford, and Margate Pride.
🏳️🌈 Heading to South Kent? Don’t miss Folkestone Pride and Dover Pride.
🏳️🌈 In West Kent, celebrate with Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells Pride.
🏳️🌈For North Kent, mark your calendars for Maidstone Pride, Dartford Pride, and Medway Pride (held in Rochester).
We’ll keep you updated as more events are confirmed!
For more great events, visit our Festivals in Kent feature for a full round-up of festivals in Kent for all ages. We also have a Family-Friendly Festivals guide, one for Music Festivals in Kent and a round-up of Food & Drink Festivals. See also our Carnivals, Country Shows, & Fayre guide articles for community fun.
Don’t miss out on attractions and events – see our Things To Do and What’s On menus for lots more in the county and our features for more ideas & inspiration.
For even more, see our Free Events in Kent feature.
EAST KENT
Pride events in Kent, including celebrations in Ashford, Ramsgate and Margate.
RAMSGATE PRIDE
🗓️ EVENT OVER – DATE FOR 2026 TBC
A full day of Pride fun in this Thanet town, with a creative stage, queer chess, comedy and poetry. The parade is followed by plenty of live music, storytelling and crafts for younger visitors, with a dog parade too. Don’t miss a family picnic, market and lots more.
⇒ More details
PRIDE ASHFORD
🗓️ EVENT OVER – DATE FOR 2026 TBC
Start the day of Pride celebrations in Ashford at the town’s bandstand for music and entertainment. This is followed by the Pride march at this family-friendly event. Then you can join the after party for lots more fun.
⇒ More details
PRIDE IN THE PARK
Victoria Park, Ashford
🗓️ EVENT OVER – DATE FOR 2026 TBC
Enjoy live music, line dancing, face painting and lots more community fun. There will also be a BBQ at this family-friendly day of celebrations for Pride in Kent.
⇒ More details
MARGATE PRIDE
🗓️ EVENT OVER – DATE FOR 2026 TBC
Expect free family fun and a great parade on the day, with lots of events preceding the main celebrations.
⇒ More details
FAVERSHAM PRIDE
🗓️ EVENT OVER – DATE FOR 2026 TBC
Enjoy a day of celebrations as Pride returns for another year to Faversham.
⇒ More details
SOUTH KENT
Pride events in South Kent - what's on for Pride in Kent covering Deal, Dover, and Folkestone
Dover
DEAL PRIDE
🗓️ EVENT OVER – DATE FOR 2026 TBC
Join in the march at this family-friendly event, followed by live music, food and market at Wlamer Green.
⇒ More details
FOLKESTONE PRIDE
🗓️ EVENT OVER – DATE FOR 2026 TBC
Enjoy the parade, live music, performers, and lots more fun. There will be plenty of celebrations at this Pride in Kent event.
⇒ More details
DOVER PRIDE
🗓️ EVENT OVER – DATE FOR 2026 TBC
Join in the celebration of Dover’s LGBTQ+ community. Enjoy the parade, music, entertainment, market and lots more family fun.
⇒ More details
NORTH KENT
Pride events in North Kent – covering Dartford, the Isle of Sheppey, Medway, and Maidstone
MAIDSTONE PRIDE EVENTS
🗓️ EVENT OVER – DATE FOR 2026 TBC
Celebrations include films at Maidstone Museum, an exhibition at Fremlin Walk, and a Pride Family Picnic – Big Gay Day – at Brenchley Gardens.
⇒ More details
DARTFORD PRIDE
🗓️ EVENT OVER – DATE FOR 2026 TBC
Shows and entertainment on stage from Jake Quickenden, Luzahnn from Livin’ Joy, lip synch battles, giveaways with co-hosts Anton Stephans and La Voix. Plus, craft activities, poetry workshop, balloon modelling and a Baby-themed concert and a silent disco afterparty.
⇒ More details
SWALE PRIDE
🗓️ EVENT OVER – DATE FOR 2026 TBC
Sheerness, Isle of Sheppey
Lots of fun with a day starting with the parade, followed by acts, live music and community fun in the heart of the town. Followed by (18 years+ only) an afterparty into the early hours!
⇒ More details
MEDWAY PRIDE
🗓️ EVENT OVER – DATE FOR 2026 TBC
Rochester
In the heart of Rochester, follow the parade to the community festival at Rochester Castle with live music, entertainment and lots more.
⇒ More details
WEST KENT
Pride events confirmed include Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells Pride for West Kent.
TONBRIDGE PRIDE
🗓️ EVENT OVER – DATE FOR 2026 TBC
Enjoy a parade through town, followed by family-friendly entertainment with music and lots more. Plus, a late adult show with dancing and drag.
⇒ More details
TUNBRIDGE WELLS PRIDE
🗓️ CANCELLED
In the heart of town, more details to follow of events to celebrate Pride.
⇒ More details
Pride History
🌈
Understanding Pride in Kent means looking back at its roots. From acts of resistance to jubilant marches, the history of Pride is a testament to the ongoing fight for LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance. Here’s a brief look at how it all began.
By Wendy Copping
Britain’s first official Pride march took place in London in on the 1st July 1972. This date was significant, as it was the nearest Saturday to the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. This was a year, on the 28th June 1969, since the Stonewall Inn in New York, saw LGBT+ patrons targeted by the New York Police Department, according to London Museum’s How London Pride Began feature. This was the beginning of similar Pride’s around the country. Lesbians and trans women of colour were some of the key people involved in the act of resistance which became known as the Stonewall uprising.
Though this was not the first time the community had had to face police brutality, media focus on this event ignited solidarity for LGBTQ+ rights in the US. It also led to the first ever Pride marches, which were held in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago on the first anniversary of the uprising.
UK Pride
In the UK, inspired by the events of Stonewall branches of the Gay Liberation Front (GLG) was formed. According to the House of Lords Library’s Pride in the UK: From its roots to today feature, two British activists attended the Black Panthers’ Revolutionary People’s Convention in America, which for the first time invited delegations from the movements for women’s and LGBT+ rights.
Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P Newton said, “We must gain security in ourselves and therefore have respect and feelings for all oppressed people […] When we have revolutionary conferences, rallies, and demonstrations, there should be full participation of the gay liberation movement and the women’s liberation movement”.
Pride Before Pride
In August 1971, in what is sometimes called the ‘Pride before Pride’, the GLF youth group demonstrated in Trafalgar Square about the age of consent for gay men being 21. This was followed by the On 1 July 1972, the UK’s first Pride march in London. Pride in other parts of the UK has grown since that first Pride, including key towns and cities in Kent.
We are gay and we are proud and we are going to enjoy ourselves
Statement printed on the programme of Britain’s first Pride in London.
Support
Resources
🌈 The University of Kent has compiled a great list of resources
🌈 Deal Pride Support – they have a list of groups and supports systems
🌈 Be You: Porchlight has introduced a new service for LGBT+ young people – The BeYou Project. As Young people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, non-binary or questioning their sexual orientation and/or gender identity are disproportionately affected by homelessness, Porchlight has set ups this new support service.
It currently runs in Dartford, Gravesham, Swanley, and Swale. The scheme is funded by local NHS organisations and run by Porchlight.
🌈 Live Well – in Dover, Deal and Margate Live Well Kent and Medway groups meet in a safe and supportive environment for a friendly discussion to gain support from other members of the community, make new friends and share experiences.
🌈 NHS Kent Community Health has advice and links for useful resources here
🌈 Health For Teens also has links for advice and support too
🌈 Kent Family Hub helps you find advice, support and services to help throughout your family journey, from newborns to 19-year-olds, or up to 25-year olds with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
🌈 Kent Police: If you are a victim of hate crime, please report it to the Police. Click here for details on how to report hate crimes to Kent Police.
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