Thousands of people joined the event, held 10 years after Guernsey staged its first Pride march.
‘It has been amazing,’ said Liberate chief executive and Channel Islands Pride director Ellie Jones.
‘Everyone has really pulled together. It’s bigger, better and just more than it ever has been.
‘I think with the weather the way that it is today, it might end up rivalling our Covid year, when we had about 8,000 people throughout the day.’
Ferry cancellations had prevented some supporters travelling from Jersey, but all the scheduled performers and guests managed to arrive without issues, and a new route for the march had been established in good time.
‘It was eight weeks ago that we decided to change the plan.
‘The market has got a lot of new businesses in there, especially with alfresco stuff, and it just removed a few of the spaces that are key to inclusion for us. So we lost things like our quiet space and our silent disco.
‘It’s bigger, better and just more than it ever has been’
‘We had a back-up at the bathing pools that we’d thought about. So we wandered down, had a look and thought it would be brilliant down there.
‘Then we spoke with the guys at the bathing pools and they were super on board, and it just snowballed from there.’
The new route saw the march leave from Market Square at 2pm before travelling down the rainbow steps, behind the Town Church, across to Fountain Street and along the seafront until finally ending at La Vallette bathing pools, where the Pride Village had been set up.
Upon arriving at the bathing pools at the end of the parade, attendees were treated to a fun-fuelled afternoon and evening of drag events, live music performances and a silent disco, alongside an array of stalls which stretched along the road selling food, drinks, and arts and craft items.
While the main stage at the village eventually closed at 9pm, further plans had been made to stretch the festivities on throughout the night and into Sunday as well.
‘We’ve got two after parties tonight, one in Town and one at the Pride Hotel at the Peninsula, and then we’ve got a pool party tomorrow.
‘I don’t know what the weather is supposed to be like, but if we get the same weather as today then that’ll be awesome as well.’
Visitor from Norway celebrates Pride again
Simon Lewis travelled all the way from Oslo to join Guernsey’s Pride march this year.
‘I am from Norway and I travelled in for a couple of weeks specifically to come to Pride,’ he said ‘It’s very fun that you have Pride in another month than Norway. I get to experience Pride twice.
‘It’s one of my favourite events.’
Although attending the march was the main event of the trip for Mr Lewis, he has made the most of his time in Guernsey by exploring the island far beyond the Pride celebrations.
‘I’m really happy to come here,’ he said.
‘I have friends here who invited me. We’ve been exploring the nature, going to the beaches and various places, and I absolutely love it because it’s very different from Norway, and it’s just really beautiful.
‘The air is really fresh. It’s absolutely lovely.’
Family are happy to show their support
Clare Morris-McCarthy marched in Guernsey’s Pride celebrations this year with her wife and two children, eight-year-old Este and four-year old Fraser.
The family have attended Pride several times in Guernsey, where they currently live, as well as multiple times around the UK when they were based over there.
‘Wherever we live, we’ve been to the celebrations,’ said Mrs Morris-McCarthy.
The family were joined at the Pride march this year for the second time by their neighbour Laura McKerrell.
‘For me, it’s the importance of showing up as an ally, and for other people it’s the importance of demonstrating their pride in who they are and who they love,’ she said.
She also brought along her two children for the march, Verity and Felix, who, aged eight and six, attend school with Este and Fraser.
After completing the march, the group planned to continue their day down at the Pride Village.
‘We’ll head on down to the bathing pools and see the celebrations they’ve got on. It looks like it’ll be pretty good down there,’ said Mrs Morris-McCarthy.
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