Pride 2026 Round Up
Published on 21 July 2026 03:49 PM
Many of us recognise the great feeling of being able to get together with 'our tribe' and that could mean anything from going to a festival or attending a weekly catch up with friends.As we age, various barriers can get in the way of those beautiful opportunities - lack of transport, lack of money, reduced mobility over long distances or inability to stand for long periods come to mind quickly. But also declining confidence, not having someone to go along with and maybe a feeling that you don't belong in some of those spaces, can be an invisible obstacle many people experience.
These are all barriers that we heard from older people when we talked about meeting up with them at our stall at Bristol Pride this year. Encouraged by the LGBTQ+ FAB Café members, we got to action and mobilised community resources to enable change and practical allyship. Bristol Noice kindly lent us their gazebos, staff and volunteers brought in their garden chairs and our Friends Ageing Better team were there to welcome older people.
Three simple things - friendship, shade and a seat - enabled older LGBTQ+ people and allies to attend Bristol Pride, some for the first time in years and to feel that sense of belonging again:
"First time I've felt I could relax and enjoy myself and even BE myself, such good conversations."
"Thanks so much to your friendly team for the shade and chairs. It made staying and enjoying a few hours of Pride possible. As someone older with long covid, I'm used to having to miss out on events, so it was a real boost to be able to enjoy Pride again."
"Brilliant. It so helped having a lovely cool shaded place with friendly team and a comfortable place to rest and meet other seniors. Thank you so much."
A huge thank to everyone who got involved, particularly to our Friends Ageing Better team for organising our stall in the Community Tent and our welcome gazebos, and to all who donated chairs and made bunting for Bristol Pride.
We’ve been overwhelmed by all the amazing feedback we’ve received from festival goers. It’s so lovely to hear how we made such a difference helping everyone enjoy their day even more. The countdown is on to Pride 2027!
