Mardi Gla 2023: date set for next year’s Pride march

Organisers of Glasgow's Mardi Gla have announced that the march for LGBT+ equality will return next year on Saturday, July 15, in a colourful and vibrant show of love and respect.

Following the success of 2022, when over 21,000 people march through the streets of the city centre in the largest ever pride march to be held in Scotland, Glasgow based Scullion LAW have extended their headline sponsorship for the next four years.

Glasgow's Pride was formed by members of the LGBT+ communities in 2018 following calls by the Leader of Glasgow City Council Susan Aitken that the city needed to have a pride event that was free and non-ticketed for members of the public who wished to take part.

Bringing together national LGBT+ charities and locally based organisations, it has quickly become a major event in Glasgow's calendar and is now established as the largest pride march in Scotland and ranked 5th in the UK behind London, Brighton, Manchester and Birmingham.

Dan Syme, chair of the organising committee, said: "Thanks to the hard work of our volunteers and support from local businesses I am delighted that we saw our largest ever pride march this year hot on the heels of being the biggest UK march in 2021 as covid restrictions began to ease.

“Already plans are well underway for 2023 and our team is working hard to ensure that Glasgow is proud of her LGBT+ communities as we explore additional ways of getting allies of equality involved in either taking part in the march or as spectators waving flags as we pass by.”

Executive director of Glasgow's Pride Euan McLeod added: "Some people question why we need pride these days but with hate crimes rising sharply across the Glasgow city region we need a large and very visible opportunity to say it is wrong to attack your fellow citizens because of who they choose to love.

“It is heartening that so many Glaswegians from all walks of life have come behind us to loudly say that love is love and their support has helped Glasgow's Pride grow into one of the UK's major pride marches in such a short period of times which shows what a mature, compassionate and modern European city that Glasgow has become.”