Ryde Pride 2027 / UK Pride 2018 in Ryde on the Isle of Wight 2027

Ryde sits on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight, facing Portsmouth across the Solent. It is a small town of a little over 24,000 people, yet it hosts the island's biggest LGBTQIA+ event, Isle of Wight Pride.

The island's first Pride parade went through Ryde in the second half of the 2010s. It is run by Isle of Wight Pride, a volunteer-led registered charity based at the Riverside Centre in Newport. In only its second year the new Pride won the national bid to host UK Pride, ahead of Exeter, Folkestone, Liverpool, Preston and Pride Cymru, so for one summer Ryde was the host town of the UK-wide Pride.

Pride takes place on a Saturday in July. The parade sets off in the late morning from Ryde School, winds through town and down Union Street, and ends on Ryde Esplanade by the sea. That is where the Pride Community Village stands, with stalls from community groups, charities and traders. Individuals can simply join the march. Groups of ten or more, and anyone bringing a vehicle, register with the organisers in advance. Political parties and political groups are not given stalls, speaking slots or a place in the parade.

Watching is free. No ticket is needed for the parade, the Community Village or the daytime entertainment in the Pavilion Bar on the seafront. A separate ticketed programme with live music follows in the evening.

The charity's stated aims are to promote equality and diversity, to work against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and to raise awareness of the problems LGBTQIA+ people face. Outside the festival it also tries to reduce isolation among queer people on the island. Getting there from the mainland is quick. The hovercraft from Southsea takes under ten minutes, and the Ryde terminal is a short walk from the parade route.