Bath is set to host its annual Pride parade today, Saturday 22 August, with a number of key roads closed to accommodate the event. From 11.30am to 1pm, around twelve roads in the city centre will be partially or fully closed, including prominent locations such as Grand Parade and Pulteney Bridge.
This year’s parade aims to foster a sense of community and support, with a particular emphasis on transgender and non-binary individuals. Phoenix Dewberry, founder of Safe Space Bath, explained the theme ‘Stand Up, Show Up’: “Bath Pride is about creating a space where our community can come together, celebrate and stand beside one another. We’re incredibly excited to welcome people back for our third year. This year, we are loudly centring solidarity with our trans and non-binary community and asking everyone in Bath to stand up and show up.”
Participants and spectators are expected to gather at Kingston Parade from 11.30am, with the march commencing at noon from Abbey Square. The route will take the parade through Stall Street, Cheap Street, Orange Grove, Grand Parade, Pulteney Bridge, Argyle Street, Great Pulteney Street, Sydney Place, and conclude in Sydney Gardens.
READ MORE: New Traffic Cameras Activated in Bath to Enhance Road Safety
READ MORE: Hopeful Prospects for West Somerset Railway’s Reconnection to GWR Mainline
Following the parade, a family-friendly ‘Pride in the Park’ event will begin at Sydney Gardens at 1pm. Later in the day, from 6pm, the new ‘Late Stage’ will open for attendees aged 18 and over.
Bath and North East Somerset Council has advised that roads will only be closed when appropriate signage and marshals are in place to ensure safety. Additionally, the usual right-turn only restriction on Upper Borough Walls will be temporarily lifted to allow left turns onto Northgate Street during the event.
For those planning to attend or travel through Bath today, it is important to be aware of these temporary changes to traffic arrangements to minimise disruption and enjoy the celebrations safely.