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Home NEWS & BLOGS Pride Cymru 2025 set to attract 50,000+ visitors: History & Highlights

Pride Cymru 2025 set to attract 50,000+ visitors: History & Highlights

Tuesday, 17 June 2025

 

As temperatures soar, Pride Cymru returns to the Welsh capital this weekend. What began in 1985 as a modest march along Queen Street – led by Cardiff University students – has blossomed into one of the UK’s most vibrant LGBTQ+ celebrations.

From fewer than 100 participants at the original march to over 50,000 expected to celebrate in the city centre this weekend, Pride Cymru has grown into one of Cardiff’s most significant cultural and economic events.

 

PRIDE CYMRU THROUGH THE YEARS

  • 1985–1987: The first Pride marches in Cardiff began in 1985, organised by Cardiff University’s Gay Society, with around 100 in attendance.
  • 1999: The inaugural Cardiff Mardi Gras was held in Bute Park in September 1999, attracting over 5,000 attendees.
  • 2012: This year saw the reintroduction of the Pride parade, with approximately 600 marchers joining the festival.
  • 2014–present: The event was officially renamed Pride Cymru in 2014. Since then, attendance has surged to around 50,000 over the whole weekend.

 

PRIDE CYMRU – 2025 HIGHLIGHTS

 The Pride Cymru festival hits the city centre on Saturday 21st – Sunday 22nd June. Expect live performances from UK icons, drag and cabaret shows, DJ sets, dancers and more. Headliners this year include pop star Ella Henderson, Drag Race UK winner Danny Beard and The Pussycat Doll’s Kimberly Wyatt. For more info and for tickets, visit: pridecymru.com/festival.

 

THE CITY CELEBRATES

But the celebration stretches far beyond Coopers Field. Events around the city include:

  • The Parade: This year’s parade is back and it’s bigger and better than ever. On Saturday 21st June, starting on Westgate Street at 11am, join thousands of marchers and spectators in celebrating love, inclusion and diversity.
  • The World’s First A-Spec Cabaret at The Queer Emporium: The spotlight shines on a-spec joy as the world’s first asexual, a-romantic, and agender cabaret hits The Queer Emporium for one night only on Saturday 21st June.
  • The Big Queer Picnic at Sophia Gardens: on Saturday 21st June join a free, community led, picnic that celebrates Pride in a more grassroots way. Expect queer art, live music, performances, and more, all in a chill outdoor setting.
  • Pride Afterparty at Flight Club: on Sunday 22nd June, expect DJ sets, colourful face painting, tasty nibbles, and the launch of their brand-new Pride cocktail ‘Love Wins’ – sales of which will raise money for MindOut, a charity supporting the mental health of LGBTQ+ communities.