Nottingham's 7th Gay Pride took place on Saturday 25th July. In the past, the event has been restricted to the Arboretum, but this year, for the first time, there was a march from the Forest Recreation Ground. The route down Mansfield Road is one familiar to local activists, but rarely are the marches so colourful and enjoyable. The marchers, many of them dressed up for the occasion in an array of costumes and outfits, were accompanied by both a samba band and a marching band. From Mansfield Road, they turned right onto Shakespeare Street and then right again, up North Sherwood Street before entering the Arboretum where they joined the component of the event.
On the newswire: Nottingham Pride 2009 | Arrest before Nottingham Pride 2009
Previous Coverage: 'My Big Gay' LGBT Nottingham photo | Pride 2008: 1 | 2 | Nottingham Gay Rainbow Heritage Exhibition | Pride 2007: 2 | Pride 2006: 1 | 2 | Pride 2005: 1 | 2 | Pride 2004
Links: Nottingham Pride | Nottinghamshire's Rainbow Heritage
This year there were stalls from the usual bizarre array of organisations, with a mix of activists (e.g. IWW), health advocates (NHS, Healthy Gay Notttingham, Terrence Higggins Trust), unions (Unison, RCN) and official bodies (city and county councils, the National Probabtion Service and the police).
Entertainment was provided by local drag queens, a rock band, a rapper and many others.