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Hull announces bid to host EuroPride 2023

The Yorkshire city, which was the UK City of Culture in 2017, is up against Belfast, Malta and Rotterdam.

By Tim Heap

Pride in Hull has launched a bid to host EuroPride in 2023, promising it can pull off a year of LGBTQ activities in the Yorkshire city if is successful.

EuroPride, which takes place in a different European host city every year, is the biggest LGBTQ celebration in Europe. The 2020 EuroPride, in Thessaloniki in Greece, was due to take place in late June but has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As well as the main parade day, EuroPride host cities also arrange opening and closing ceremonies, an HIV vigil and a human rights conference.

Hull’s bid comes after a successful year as the UK City of Culture in 2017 – which included Pride in Hull being named the first-ever UK Pride.

 
 
 
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We thought you might want some good news. So, we’re super excited to announce that Pride in Hull is bidding to bring EuroPride – the continent’s biggest LGBTI event – to the city in 2023! If we’re successful, we’ll help deliver a technicolour, 365-day celebration of all things LGBTI in East Yorkshire. It’ll be MASSIVE. We’ll find out if we’ve been successful in October. And we’ll be needing your help to back the bid! Read more on our website! #prideinhull #prideinhull2020 #🏳️‍🌈 #🌈 #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtqia #madeinhull #lgbtpride #hull #pride #loveislove #rainbow #yorkshire #yorkshirehaspride #eastyorkshirepride #visithey #europride2023 #europrideinhull #epoa #europride

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In a press release, Pride in Hull says “organisers are planning a year of activity to take place across the city in a rainbow-strewn echo” of 2017’s UK City of Culture programme.

Hull’s Pride celebrations, which started in 2001, have grown to attract more than 50,000 people last year. This year, the event – like many others – has been cancelled.

Pride in Hull’s chair, Matt Walton, has said he believes the city is “ready to shine as the hosts of EuroPride”.

“The volunteer team behind Pride in Hull have proven time and again that we know how to put on a safe, fun and spectacular celebration, and we’ve learned a huge amount over the past few years,” he says.

 
 
 
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“We’ve faced huge changes as a city and a nation – from Brexit to the current situation with the coronavirus lockdown – but the Pride in Hull committee absolutely believe in the city’s passion to build bridges and reconnect people.

“We’ve seen the power of the rainbow to bring hope in the past couple of weeks, and we know that EuroPride in Hull would be such a source of joy and hope for all.”

 
 
 
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Work is now taking place to build a full bid to be submitted in early summer, with a decision expected in October when the European Pride Organisers Association meet in Oslo.

Other cities that are bidding for to host EuroPride 2023 include Belfast, Malta and Rotterdam.