When did Exeter Pride begin and why?
“It was in 2008 ... I ran a gay night at Boxes on Exeter Quay …. the day after DJing there I'm listening to Radio Devon, and the Bishop of Exeter said on the radio that he wouldn't support some LGBT legislation in the House of Lords because there were no gay people in Exeter!
I went to see the director of Intercom, Michael Hall, and said we really need to do something to show that there are LGBT people in Exeter.
We did it at the Phoenix and at Central library. We tied it in with LGBT History Month.
And that worked really well. We had a panel discussion. We had various stalls…
… we had parachute games for the children. There was some art displayed on a stage. It was good fun day. It wasn't very big. Not like pride has grown into now. But but it was good. And we made a statement that we were there.”
Alan Quick
When was the first Exeter Pride march?
The first Exeter Pride march was in 2010. As Max says above it was a very different experience today where people line the streets to cheer on the people marching.
There are some things you’ll recognise - our 50 m flag, and the fire service truck - but other favourites like the Street Heat Samba band & Great Western Morris didn’t join till later. You can see photos of the march in our photo archive.
Firetruck from first march 2010
Banner from First march in 2010
When did we move to Rougement Gardens?
We moved to Rougement Gardens in 2016, which is where we had our first proper marketplace! There were several community groups that attended the first marketplace that will be familiar to seasoned Exeter Pride attendees including unison, amnesty international and the dogs trust, as well as a trampoline!
When did we move into Northernhay Gardens?
Then in 2017 we expanded from just Rougement gardens into Northernhay Gardens. This allowed us to expand our marketplace with food and drink and other small business stalls that we have welcomed back year after year. It also allowed us an outdoor stage for the first time!
How has Exeter Pride changed over the years?
That’s a good question! this has been a whistle stop tour of landmarks in the history of exeter pride, but we will been looking at how its changed over the years in a series of blog posts over the coming year.
But safe to say it has changed beyond all recognition from the small pride of 2009 in Exeter Phoenix to something that now takes over the entire of the city centre every may!
Exeter Pride 2022
Exeter Pride 2024
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