The different organisations behind Pride have provided an update
Liverpool’s Pride march makes its way through Liverpool city centre (Image: Liverpool Echo)
Questions remain over whether Liverpool will have a 2026 Pride celebration following the cancellation of this year’s event. The 2025 festivities looked different from usual, with a new route, party, and location announced as an alternative to it not happening at all.
The event and march were initially cancelled for the year, with the organisers citing “significant financial and organisational challenges” and insisting they “listened to the community” by cutting ties with sponsor Barclays. This decision created further issues with staging the annual event.
LCR Pride Foundation, the organisation behind Pride in Liverpool and the city’s annual March with Pride, then “regretfully” announced in a lengthy statement shared with ECHO that the event on Saturday, July 26, would not go ahead.
However, Sahir, the city’s oldest LGBTQ+ charity, managed “to turn things around” after stepping in to facilitate the event at seven weeks’ notice. In light of this, the charity made the necessary changes to the day to ensure it still went ahead in the provided time frame.
Team members Kellie, Shereen, Kat and Ant, from Sahir, the city’s oldest LGBTQ+ charity(Image: Colin Lane)
Since then, no update has been provided by LCR Pride as to what people can expect in the new year. Liverpool Pride chair Amanda Hilton told the ECHO that the board has recently been “refreshed with new trustees targeting key skills”.
She told the ECHO: “I have had many discussions with Sahir and discussions with potential sponsors. The council have been kept in the loop, and they will be key to achieving anything.
“We are also mindful that whatever we do is community-led, and it’s vitally important that it’s properly funded. This year’s difficulties with so many Prides, including our near neighbours in Manchester, will very much be forefront of our minds.
“Quite simply, what we can achieve will be dictated by support both financially and volunteering. I’d hope we can get something more substantial out there soon.”
Liverpool’s Pride march makes its way through Liverpool city centre today(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Ant Hopkinson, who lives in Rainhill, led a team of workers and gathered support to raise thousands of people to deliver this year’s celebrations.
Looking forward, he said: “Sahir is in conversation with a range of partners at different stages of development (including LCR Pride Foundation) regarding Liverpool’s Pride 2026. We remain committed to contributing what we can to maintaining a community-led Pride for Liverpool and to uplifting our LGBTQ+ communities.
“At the same time, we must be realistic about our capacity as a charity that many people rely on each day for practical support and emotional well-being.
“We’re also focused on securing funding for our core services, which continue to be our highest priority. Protecting these services is essential for the people who depend on them, and this will guide every decision we make about our involvement in Pride.
“We will share further updates in the new year and hope to host open conversations with community members and stakeholders as this work continues.”
A Liverpool City Council spokesperson added: “It’s important that LCR Pride continues to be a community-owned and led event – as such, we are not involved in the initial planning stages, but we’re delighted to offer our help and support with event management as we have in previous years.
“We look forward to hearing from LCR Pride Foundation once plans for 2026 have been formulated, and we will continue to assist them to ensure the community can march with pride again next year.”