National Student Pride to end after 21 years amid DEI funding cuts

National Student Pride has announced that this weekend’s festival will be the final edition delivered in its current form, bringing an end to a 21-year chapter for the UK’s longest-running LGBTQ+ student event.

Founded in 2005, the non-profit organisation was created to give LGBTQ+ students visibility, community and access to inclusive employers. Over two decades, the festival has welcomed tens of thousands of attendees from across the UK and beyond, becoming a staple of the Pride calendar and a major platform for youth voices.

Organisers said the decision follows a significant and sustained drop in corporate funding, with income falling by around two-thirds compared with two years ago. The event is funded largely through its diversity careers fair, which allows the daytime festival to remain free to attend.

Despite the announcement, National Student Pride 2026 will go ahead as planned this weekend in London

However, reduced employer participation linked to wider cuts to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) budgets has made the current model increasingly difficult to sustain.

Despite the announcement, National Student Pride 2026 will go ahead as planned this weekend in London. The programme includes a free daytime festival at the University of Westminster, featuring main stage panels such as “Trans 2030”, chaired by author Juno Dawson, and a discussion on queer dating and relationships hosted by Natasha Devon. The event will also host the UK’s largest diversity careers fair for LGBTQ+ students, alongside a community marketplace, music stage, therapy puppies and a Dragstravaganza finale featuring Amanda and Jessie from The Traitors.

An additional upskilling and careers afternoon will take place at the London School of Economics, while evening celebrations at G-A-Y Heaven will continue the festival’s social element, which organisers say remains a vital part of creating safe and joyful spaces for students.

Throughout its history, the festival has hosted figures including Sir Ian McKellen, Joanna Lumley, Joe Lycett and Will Young

Founder and trustee Tom Guy said the project began in response to a homophobic and divisive talk at Oxford Brookes University, adding that the first event intentionally centred on open dialogue and inclusion. “Meeting prejudice with openness and conversation has shaped National Student Pride for the past 21 years,” he said.

Throughout its history, the festival has hosted figures including Sir Ian McKellen, Joanna Lumley, Joe Lycett and Will Young, while tackling topics such as mental health, homophobia in sport and LGBTQ+ youth homelessness.

Organisers say they hope the event may continue in a new form under future leadership, but for now the focus is on celebrating the impact it has had on generations of LGBTQ+ students.