Pride Cymru 2023 line-up led by pop legends Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Steps’ Claire Richards
British chart-topper Sophie Ellis-Bextor will headline Pride Cymru 2023 on Saturday, 17 June. (Joseph Okpako/Getty)
Cardiff is gearing up to celebrate Pride Month in style as Pride Cymru returns to the city for 2023 this weekend.
Tens of thousands are expected to line the streets in the Welsh capital on Saturday (17 June) as the annual Pride parade makes its way through the city centre, with a ticketed festival featuring performances from some British pop legends set to entertain crowds across the weekend.
Pride marches were held on a small scale in Cardiff from 1985 onwards, before the first Cardiff Mardi Gras was held in 1999. An official city centre parade has taken place every year since 2012, with the event being renamed Pride Cymru in 2014.
Pride Cymru 2023 will feature several notable changes, including a newly-revised parade route and a festival location that’s moved from its previous home in City Hall Lawns to a famed local landmark mere minutes down the road, Cardiff Castle.
After an anti-trans group attempted to gate-crash 2022’s parade before being drowned out by marchers, Pride-goers will be hoping for a more drama-free affair in 2023, but one thing’s for sure: calls for trans and wider LGBTQ+ equality will remain ever-present.
When is Pride Cymru 2023 and what time does it start?
The Pride Cymru 2023 parade takes place on Saturday (17 June), and while an exact start time is yet to be announced, past years suggest that marchers will get moving from late morning onwards.
The Pride Cymru festival at Cardiff Castle takes place on both Saturday and Sunday (18 June), with doors set to open at 12pm BST each day.
What is the parade route for 2023?
Pride Cymru confirmed some last-minute changes to the 2023 parade route on Monday (12 June), announcing that this year’s march will pass by some of Cardiff’s “most iconic LGBTQ+ venues on St Mary’s Street” following feedback from the public.
Organisers also confirmed that the change means there will be no moving vehicles in 2023’s parade as a result.
According to a newly-released map, the 2023 parade will commence on Castle Street and head down the High Street and St Mary’s Street before turning onto Mill Lane and up The Hayes and Working Street.
From there, it will turn on Queen Street before circling round onto Park Place, Greyfriars Road and Kingsway before coming to a stop back at the Cardiff Castle festival site.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Steps’ Claire Richards are headlining Pride Cymru 2023
Get ready to party like it’s the 90s and 00s, because some bona fide British pop legends are set to take to the main stage during Pride Cymru 2023.
‘Murder On the Dancefloor’ singer and certified trans ally Ellis-Bextor – who told PinkNews last year that supporting the trans community is a “no-brainer” – is set to headline the main stage at Cardiff Castle on Saturday, following performances from Jodie Harsh, the House Gospel Choir and July Jones.
Ellis-Bextor, who released her sixth studio album Hana earlier this year, will be back in Cardiff in December as part of her UK tour.
Pride Cymru’s Sunday festival will be headlined by Steps star and ‘Tragedy’ singer Claire Richards, whose bandmate Ian ‘H’ Watkins is a Pride Cymru patron.
Watkins, who came out publicly as gay back in 2007, recently spoke to PinkNews after a rainbow Pride bench was vandalised in the Welsh town of Cowbridge, where he helped found a Pride event in 2022.
“I take this as a homophobic attack”, said Watkins, 47. “This bench was a symbol of inclusion, kindness and diversity in Cowbridge. People ask why we need Pride. This is exactly why.”
Joining Richards on the Sunday line-up are RuPaul’s Drag Race UK stars Black Peppa and Ginny Lemon, as well as pop-rockers The Feeling, who boast out gay singer Dan Gillespie-Sells as their frontman and Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s husband, Richard Jones, as their bassist.
Will you need tickets for Pride Cymru 2023?
While it’s free to watch the parade, you’ll need tickets to get into Pride Cymru 2023’s festival – but the good news is that they are still available at the time of writing.
Adult tickets for those aged 15 and over are priced at £16.80, including a booking fee. Under 16s booking an adult ticket must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 or over.
Tickets for children aged 5-14 are priced at £5.60, including a booking fee. All children must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 or over, and under-5s do not need a ticket.
For those looking to indulge themselves at Cardiff Castle, VIP tickets are still available for Sunday, 18 June and cost £50.40, including a booking fee.
VIP tickets are only available to over-18s and provide access to a dedicated main stage viewing area, VIP toilets, a dedicated bar, complimentary drink and priority access to the festival.
Tickets are single-entry only, so make sure you’ve remembered to pack you’ll need for the day in advance: Pride-goers who leave the Cardiff Castle site won’t be allowed to re-enter without buying a new ticket.
Tickets are available at pridecymru.com
