Gay village

Sam
I think its a great idea charging people to enter onto the street for pride as it does keep the idiots out and lets us enjoy our festival in peace.. if you had seen the state a few years ago you would understand why they charge! xx

laura
Hi, gay pride this year was excellent!! even though the weather wasnt its best, the people and the atmosphere were great. I had an excellent time the whole weekend. well worth dancing in the rain for!!

paul tomboy
After last years £10 charge for pride i was looking forward to a FREE pride as DAVE-everevent states below. But as usual nothing comes for free.On ordering my usual drinks at my regular bars i discover an increase in prices. when questioning this with management i was told the increase was to pay for pride.I understand that someone has to pay for this event put please stop saying it is free, As you clearly state on your web page that drinks prices will increase to pay for pride.So once agin the customer pays.

Jessica
The gay pride festival was so much better when it was free because not only did we get to celebrate it freely, alot more people came to enjoy it. I think paying for our pride is ridiculous.

iaian
yes , i agree that a fee isa good thing, cuz it makes ufeel you're in a select club

Michael
Who cares? This is a against the Human Rights of hetrosexual beings.Homosexuality remains a minority practice/lifestyle, call it what you will, but tolerance of it is enforced on the majority. Is that democracy at work? No, it is not. I have only one problem with homosexuality and that is that I am told I must accept it. I will accept it if I choose to, not because I am told I must. I also question the reason why it is celebrated in quite the way it is. It doesn't matter to me if someone is homosexual or not and I would not be inclined to ask. Why is it so necessary that we must be told?

Jax
the fee to get into pride would have been well spent if the occasion was better thought out.. i dont mind paying to be entertained but when u see peeps get in for free then theres something wrong somewhere.. the whole event for me was a wash out.. bring Pride back to HURST street where it belongs....

hey!!
thats me and my friends!! the partyin at pride photo! i hope this yrs pride is better! last yr was a let down especailly cuz we had to pay £10!! its like being charged for being gay, it was an insult!

queen B
I didn't enjoy last years pride either, it wasn't paying the £10 although it was disheartening to see people getting in free, it was the fact that it was away from the Village. There wasn't much to do at Cannon Hill park and we all missed being out on the streets Hurst St end with music and drink and friends, we've all done it for about 9 years and prefer it to Manchester as the atmosphere is better so we are hoping it is back to drinking on the street with everyone.

Dee
I dont understand why you have to pay, and why the pride does not go though hurst street 2007 will be the first pride i attend and hopefully not the last if i enjoy it, also why does the pride go though straight sides of town thats just asking for trouble dont you think we still have alot of anti gay people about.

anonymous
I was planning to got to gay pride, but looking at the comments below, sounds like its gone a lil bit rubbish. I'm gonna give it a go, but I do hope its good.

michael p
door men leting in frinds itshould be£5.00, you have to make itbetter,Manchester went downhill when we had to pay,£5.00 charity not the pubs& club ?????????

kat
i would rather pay the measly 10 quid an keep the un wanted people out!!!

Alison
So where is Pride being held this year? The park again? I much preferred the centre of town, however the mess that people left behind was absolutely appalling! Use the bins folks!

jay
i would like to say that birmingham pride last year was the best and i cant wait to be part of it this year

James
Pride should be free and not an overpriced comercialised event as it was last year. it should be free and about coming together not making vast amounts of money to fill the pockets of a couple of people who are already rich

D Smith
Definitely, why should tax payers pay for your convorting!

collette gracie
i dont think we should have to pay as it is a day for gay people to celebrate and be open with their sexuality

Gemma
Hi all, This was my fourth pride and the worse!! The only good part was hanging out with my friends, pride use to leave you with a buzz but not this year. Please give us a good pride this year!!

Madeleine Doyle
I paid 10 pounds on the 3rd day of Gay Pride, and I found that I was in a muddy field with very little to do. I was hugely disappointed, seeing as 2005 Gay Pride was free and one of the nicest couple of days of my life. do something, half the price, atleast!

Dave - Everevent
Hi all! Just to let you know that Birmingham Gay Pride Festival 2007 is on its way! I've taken account of all of your comments and am doing what I can to address everything (I'm working on the weather!) This year will see a Parade, a Concert, a Community Village and a Queer Arts Fest. With no wristbands to be paid for - the event will be Free. The concert will be a charged one but it's your choice on if you go to it. Everything else is Free. With the concert a quarter of the money will go to charity - GUARANTEED (Breast & Testicular Cancer and others). This is the communities event and is coming home to them. This year people need to take part in the Parade and make it bigger, better and something to be proud of - Let Twiggy's frieds be glad they came to our Pride. With a theme of "United for Equality", lets join together this year and make it the best yet with more fun than we've ever had! If you hive any money to the collections that are starting then it will go to charity and not to the event so Community is central to this event. To contact me and express any interest in volunteering, being in the parade, sponsoring the event or having a market stall, call: 07870 899 373 or email: everevent@blueyonder.co.uk

lisa
If they want to charge for gay pride they are going to have to make it better, why should we pay for something we've been going to for free? and having it away from the gay village was a daft idea.

andy
bring the party back to the village, Bring back the outdoor music and djs,Charge on the gate and spend more on securing the event so people can dance and drink outdoors safely, its a gay festival, it should be held in the gay village, if people have to pay it filters out the trouble makers who just pass thru. pride used to be a great event in the village, if you have somthing good why change it? if manchester can do it i am sure we can

nikki
can anyone tell me if the rumours are true that birmingham ciy council have taken over pride 2007. i was told last night there is going to be a concert on saturday 26th May at millennium point with a charge of £10. then on sunday 27th there is parade which doesn'teven go to hurst street then ends at millennium point were a straight events will take place. On the village there will be only pride on sunday with no charge to get in because it is being scaled down under orders from the council so it does not clash with there own events . if true i would love to hear your views are i am totally against it.

te and kitty
we went to lots of prides all over the country and think that birmingham was one of the best we didnt mind payin it kept the scum out and made it a much nicer day for the people it was aimed at we will defo be there this year thanx brum xx

debbie
hey come £10 not gonna break the bank and no it wasn,t as good as other years its 1 weekend that we can show people that we r proud of who we are my only moan is we should be aloud to take are own refreshhment in instead of spendin hours up the bar lets hope they get it right next time an not to many people have been put off

Twistz
2006 gay pride was rubbish i prefered the year before..just lets hope this year 2007 will be muc betta

kerry mason
i went gay pride for the first time in my life i think its an amazin atmosphere, everyones so friendly, i see bbc has a picture of me and my cousin, number 25 from last year woo! cnt wait for this year :-D xxx

lawrence
HI GAY PRIDE WAS SUPER I'M 16 AND GAY AND THIS WAS MY 1 ST ONE!!!!!

WEST
the main concern relating to the now infamous 2006 £10 was the there was no control with some paying and others not. also as a full member of the Gale i was denied direct access to the club. for this reason other Gale members will appose pride fee's for 07.

lorna
I BELIEVE IN GAY AND THERE IS NOHING WRONG WITH THEM...INFACT THEY ARE BETTER THAN STRAIGHT PEOPLE!!!!!!!!1X

Twiggy
Hi I was just wondering if other large events are charged for to the community? How much is it to attend the Handsworth Carnival???????

lee overton-jenkins
what a sorry state of affairs BIRMINGHAM PRIDE 2006 was it pride or glastonbury the park was as sucsessful as the titanic i attended and stayed for the duration of 30 mins how many times can you be given a safe sex pack and queue for a uncooked burger. the funfair gypsys were totally anti gay and looked like they needed a decent wash the parade was a bit better not much support though no organization and no security control. the scum of birmingham still got in the enclosed area without paying. it totally grieved me to pay ten pounds to walk down hurst street and to find out the pubs/bars were taking advantage of charging extra on drinks and entrance fees ...lets just say get it right next year as you will see some change in attendance of the whole event . the whole community spirit to pride needs to come back.

keshia
i think that gay pride should be a free for all parade. This is because when carnival comes to birmingham we are not asked to pay to dance and feel vibes, so why should this have to change for a homosexual event???

joe casley
y r u all gay u gay

Twiggy
Well I have to say that this years pride was the worst ever.I have friends from all over the world come and stay with me hoping to have a wicked time instead they left disappointed and annoyed.They had payed the £10 fee which didn't really bother them until they saw people without wristbands entering the zone for free that they had payed to enter.The park was a washout and although the weather was beyond any organisers control the acts were terrible and there was also the distance and inablility to take whatever they wanted into the park.Not allowed to enter with their own beverages and forced to pay upwards of £1 for a can of coke.Along with that there was just greasy burgers and very little in the way of refreshments for vegetarians...oh yes=chips. How about the "parade"? A few colourfully dressed people pushing shopping trollies...IMPRESSIVE? I was working in Manchester for their Mardi Gras and although the weather was similar nothing else was.It was a well extremely well organised event with everyone appearing to have fun.The floats where full of party people and they'd really gone to town on making it similar to major prides celebrations which are successful. I'm lucky enough to have been to Sydney Mardi Gras,South Africa Pride,Toronto Pride aswell as other events in this country and I can safely say that after witnessing and participating in the above Birmingham should hang it's head in shame! Reduce the entry fees have drinks promotions and stop having the same tired acts on.Yes ok Rowetta was a talking point last year but still having her and other people who's careers are flagging turn up and mime is to most people pointless.When was the last time Hazel Dean(if ever) had a hit?Searchin' is over twenty five years old and although a popular tune it has been overworked.Boy bands???Who needs them?A club night goes much better when people are permitted to carry on dancing without the music being stopped and four maybe five lads from nowehere who are heading towards popstar oblivion fast,lipsynch and do a few old dance moves or body popping.Yes it worked for Take That but how long ago was that? Things and peoples taste change but sadly most bar/club promoters don't. I know I sound quite negative about my own city but the above are all facts.Hopefully a lot of things will change to make future events as vibrant as the city of Birmingham(the 2nd city after London-the capitol) and as popluar as Manchester and Brighton which are always a hit with the LGBT communities.

colin and john
£10 for being given the chance to be who you want to be for 3 day. I know some of you are saying that you sould be yourself no matter what. but is hard to if your area does not allow you to be. At least with the £10 charge it will prob be more organsied and get bigger every year. maybe it will become the new manchester or brighton and take over as the gay capital of the UK

Jennifer
It was my first Pride and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can understand some people griping about the £10 as I saw some people get in for free. All in all it was a good Pride for this first timer.

D*no
For all those that are disappointed with the £10 fee, to clarify: To organise this years event and to have Party in the Park AS WELL AS added security for the Village, there was not enough money in the 'pot' to pay for it all. Therefore, Pledge Bands were introduced for this year as to help cover those costs, otherwise Pride was going to be cancelled (and it nearly was). Hopefully next year there may not be the need to have the Pledge Band system. Fingers crossed for 2007. I know thousands of people who didn't have too much trouble with paying ten pounds because they were all the people at the event so it couldn't have been that bad! Good Luck to Upton Clue who has moved onto Manchester, hopefully he'll make a come back for Pride '07!!

george
been to pride for the last few years and dont mind paying a tenner to enter what i do mind is the idiots they let in who are not up for a good time, who are there to try and ruin everyones day with there moody faces and homophobic comments no one asked you to come...id pay even more next year to keep them out.

tom
i hated pride this year, lastyear was fab, this year was a shambles and everything was confusing! Where r the picture galleries, I can only find last years? Like the pride rainbow article and the club guide, shame upton clue has moved on. x

Paddy
Oh dear all these people complaining about paying the small fee of £10.00 for Bham Gay Pride (my 9th). SO i take it if you all went to a concert to see your fav act you would expect it to be free? Come on get a life nothing in life is free!

Loz
Hi i am 16 yrs old and go to an Gay youth club in Birmingham we all went along and it was cool it was my 1st time going to this event for more details about the gay youth club for 14 to 25 yr old check out www.geocities.com/outcentral

Terry H
Although we do not live in the UK. Most of our gay friends in Birmingham, did not go to Pride 2006 because of the £10 charge. Where did the funds go, to a worth while charity I hope.

Dave T.
Pride is free, Gay or otherwise. Pay to walk in the park no thank you Where did the £10 go to? I will hang on to my Gay pound thank you Birmingham.

Carl
Hey all, c'mon £10 wasnt too bad for three days the event was awesome but shame on the nightingale club for rising prices!! boohiss hehe. dEFFO BE THERE NEXT YEAR CANT WAIT. CIAO XX

Sarah
I thought Pride was OK a bit let down by the weather though. I don't mind paying the £10 charge its the same as what Manchester Pride charges, however does any of the £10 go to charity as it does at Manchester if not then I think its a bit of a rip off and won't be coming back, it wasn't that good or worth the money if none of it goes to charity!

Ian
Its not £10 to celebrate the fact you're gay! We've moved on since the days when this was some sort of political statement. I'm in my 40's and remember when being gay WAS a big issue. Its not now. The £10 contributes towards the costs - road closures, security, street cleaning, etc, etc. There's no such thing as a free event any more. Thats a fact. If you don't like it, don't go. Simple.

Jon
£10 to celebrate the fact i'm gay? No way capitalists!

samantha
wooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh go go go ZAK

anon
how freddy are sum people below 10 pounds nothing and yes gay pride ruled this year cum on manc pride xx

Ian
Well, thats it for another year. Saturday was wrecked by the weather - up to my knees in mud in the park. But Sunday more than made up for it. However, i hope they don't put the Saturday into the park again - it killed the Hurst Street area until early evening, which is a shame for those venues who put a lot of effort in yet have no presence away from their own venue - not everyone has Subways budget or The Gales sponsors you know!! My real concern for the future of Pride (and the village generally) is the amount of housing development in the area. Will the so-called "professional classes" in their swanky £200k+ "city dwellings" really want a 3 day carnival on their doorstep - or any of the clubs, pubs & bars at any time come to that? Thats the real worry for the gay community - not petty arguments over £10 ticket prices.

tonia
I was discusted at having to pay £10 as I only wanted to stay for a few hours maybe if they do have to charge why not have coloured wristbands that reflect a day pass with a cheaper charge of £5.00. Out of principal I never entered the barriers and refused to pay to walk up a street. This will kill Gay Pride because of greed.

Karl
Had a wicked time. The best birmingham pride yet!! Can't wait till next year. The music and the entertainment were fabulous and i'm shattered now. I'll need till next year to recover.

beccy
gay pride is awesome but i reckon more people will go if it was free like last year! xXx

cleopatra
pride was Fabulous this year!! I think it is a good idea to charge people to get into the village. Because it keeps nutters out and makes pride a gay friendly environment. The police and the organisers did a wonderful job. I would just like to let my public know that I had a wardrobe malfunction with my big pink parade frock so I had to go as Cleo this year hope you all wernt too disapointed. Love queen naz (Cleo)

Gemama
I absolutely loved it! I partied...HARD. The atmosphere was amazing (especially on the Sunday) i didnt mind paying £10 considering it was three days. I did think the park was a little bit of an anti climax but this may have been due to the weather and the fact that it was so spread out as seemed much emptier whereas the atmosphere round hurst street on sunday was awesome as was so rammed. Even Monday night was a busy night!!! i cant wait til next year and has been a brialliant way to kick off a summer full of prides!!

GEE
This was the 5th time I visted pride - we had a great day - but was slightly angered at paying £10.00 only to see NUMEROUS people just walking in and not being challenged for not having a wrist band. In theory charging should work eg keeping out the trouble makers, but in reality it was just those types that avoided paying - and basically got away with it - what a shame...

Jess
my first year and it was wicked! (apart from the rain) i loved the dance tent at the park thort it was an ace idea but i think i prefered hurst street for the my clothes sake! got to say i'm lovin the fact that i'm on this site! how famous can you get on your first year at pride! see you all next year! xx

anon
well iv been to pride since year 1 and i think this has got to have been the worst pride on record paid £10 WHY........as people were not getting checked on hurst st the security was a joke half the pubs the staff in there couldent even be bothered to smile and as for missing that place should be shut down it stank..the park was a laugh not the tents had put the prises up on the drink .i think its been a total waste of time and effort shame on you birmingham ..next year i think its going to be a no no

Gemma
As a straigght person attending my first pride I have to say how much I was welcomed by the gay community and how much I enjoyed myself. However being a regular on Hurst Street for the past 3 and a half years I was disappointed to see how much the clubs hiked their prices. Good to see Angels back!! Overall tho what a *fab* weekend!!

Sam
Yes, but only if we see an added improvement to marketing the event and, expanding the revenue. We need more to do, and we willpay for it. By the by,..please make an effort in beautifying Hurst St.

Steph
I’ve been to Pride a few times & have been really impressed with the general atmosphere & the amazing effort many people have put in. But I have been less than impressed with having to wade through a foot of rubbish in the streets & with the serious overcrowding. £10 isn’t much for 3 days but I think that there should be cheaper options like a family & single day tickets. And a good portion of the money raised should be put into making Pride cleaner & less of a squeeze! Also better transport arrangements!

Carl N Mart
4th year for moi (Carl) at Brum Pride and looking at the reviews below - a bit of a mixed bag. I really enjoyed this year and must admit was rather cheap for 3 days - really didn't mind handing over my tenner! True - bads were not checked when going in and a rather improtant member in my party lost their band on the Saturday when at the park and only had to buy another one, No reciept was given as proof of purchase so he was unable to state that it was the 2nd band he had brought!! Not a smart move for the prode organizers. A bit of atmosphere lacking at the park but Sunday night made up for it - like old days partying on the street and the village was jammed! Was an amazing atmosphere! The parade was cracking as well - some real effort put it. Overall - ups and downs for the weekend - hasn't put me off at all so I will defo be there next year and many weekend before it! Brum - dont you ever change! xxxxx

Jade
i loved it, i have never had so much fun in my life. the clubs were banging and the dance tent was rammed,. i met so many lovely people,i cant wait till next years pride. i am so nackered. WKD!!

Lilsi
I had a great time this was my third year at pride and the first time i stayed over for the clubs! I think the £10 charge for the 3 days was oki, i was a bit upset when i found out about it, seeing as the last two years i had great fun in just hurt street without the charge. But the park was alright although it was a big area it seemed quite empty but i don't think the weather helped on that part. The stalls were great as usual with alot of helpful people giving out usefull information! i loved the dance tents a nice way to get out of the rain for a while! I had fun and enjoyed myself alot but i must say i prefered the last two years in just hurst street! because it seemed more croweded and just seemed more lively becuase of that! the park seemed empty to me, but it did give us more security so it was an alright idea.

Stephen
How good was pride!!?this was my first and i have to say i'll be back year after year!from the moment we where walking up to the park you could hear the cheers, music and an electric atmosphere. £10 for the 3 days...yeah it was £10 for a 3 day pass, but to be honest, you'd spend £10 on 2 drinks in a club which you never batter an eyelid to, so i thought it was value for money and considering its been free all the other years...!Great acts like Lil McClarnon performed, Cheeky Girls etc...not the greatest music, but was fun and entertaining to watch...they got most people dancing!The fair was great, the lively atmosphere, and the fabulous parade!I loved it!!Cab't wait for 2007's!!

Claire
What a sham this year was. i was annoyed and disappointed that we'd all been made to pay £10 to attend this years pride. Especially when the point of this was to add security for ourselves and stop any riff raff and trouble makers in. But i still saw randoms walking round without wristbands and even witnessed the people who were supposed to be checking wrist bands not doing there job. i myself wasn't checked on my way into the village on all three days to see if i had a wristband or not. So please tell me what was the purpose???? Leave it to the gay community to decide what they was to happen at pride, not the so called pride committee who truthfully only have there own interests and bank accounts in mind !!!

Ian & Andy
The bottom line is that we have FREE events for 9 years, so £10 for three days seems pretty reasonable to me. Too many people want something for nothing. If this minimal fee helps to improve & preserve the event by making it self financing, then thats a good thing. Only thing i would say is that it maybe an idea to introduce a family ticket & lower cost tickets for "single day" entry. Other than that, I know nobody who has a problem with paying.

Rita Jones
I was disgusted this year to have to pay £10 for a day in an area which is public space. I have to pay enough Community charge to walk the streets, yet we are to pay yet again. I needed to go to the Tesco store urgently but was not allowed to do so unless I paid my £10 for a wrist band. A lot of people we spoke we disgusted and what we all wanted to know was, where were all those £10's going to. Some people do not want ot have other commitments to go to the 3 day event so wouldn't it be a better idea to charge just for days a reasonable amount. The drinks are more expensive on the 3 days anyway. So good old Birmingham City ripping us off again.

TommyP
Omg! that was soo fun!! I was marching in the parade for the first time ever! and i loved it! Having just moved to the midlands from Hertfordshire and using this as an excuse to come out meant that this festival was amazing for me! Thanks to everyone for making my first pride a very special one ^_^

Dave Richards
Time the council recognised that Hurst Street is the Gay Village and spent some cash doing it up. Then we could welcome the world with pride rather than being embarrassed. Keep pride in the village not some park!

Pillow
at first i was a bit put off my the ticket fee too but looking back its a small price to pay for the 3 day event. having the saturday in a park was an ingenious idea and they evn had a free shuttle bus to and from the park from hurst street. hooefully the profits will go towards fixing up hurst street a little bit, lets face it - its a dump. its getting better though and maybe we'll see some changes by next year.

Kat
What a waste of time and money. It was disgusting there was a charge for the event at all - after going I'm even more disgusted. What were we being charged for exactly? If the organisers wanted to kill the event and spirit of Pride, then they've succeeded...one things for sure, I won't be the only one not bothering at all next year if this is the vein it's going to continue in. I don't think I've heard anyone with anything good to say about it. How different from this time last year :(

Abbie Kent
I was more than happy to pay the entry fee, £10 for three days is perfectly reasonable - afterall it is about time we started paying for ourselves. Those people making floats for the parade did not have to pay for the resources - the pride organiser's provided them - and the money for these resources has to come from somewhere!

Kate
I have loved pride this year - Best year yet! Well done Birmingham!

Dan H
This year was a big let down. I thought that holding pride in the park would be a good idea but with the high entrance prices and the rediculous prices for drinks was disgusting. The Nightingale raised its prices and made a mockery of the gay community.

Anon
If the Birmingham gay community want to be accepted we need to stop using gay pride as a platform for propagating a stereotype

MiKi n CaT
This year is outragous we've never had to pay before so why this year as helen said we are there to support eachother and that should come free!!! ...although i shall see you all there!

Bowdlers and Welshy
WOOP WOOP! BOOM BOOM! WKD

Helen Shaw
I Have supported Birmingham Pride since its first year, and am absolutely disgusted that this year we are being charged to attend it, the whole idea of a pride meet was to show unity, not to discriminate between the haves and the have nots, and because of this reason i and my partner will not be spending our pink pound there this year.