We want your group and everyone watching to have a fabulous time. To do this safely each group must commit to the following guidance and specifications.

This guide has been designed based on feedback received, experience of running Pride in London, and in consultation with the Greater London Authority and other agencies. In addition to this document all groups and those with whom they attend are expected to adhere to the Code of Conduct and Pride Pledge.

Pride in London is committed to creating a safe, inclusive and enjoyable experience for everyone, and we ask that all participants do the same.Failure to adhere to the code of conduct or the guidance and specification documents may result in your group being refused entry in future years.

Download Float Safety Guidance

Download Float Sign-off Form

Your parade group

Parade wristbands

For the safety and comfort of all people taking part in the parade we issue wristbands. Each person in the parade must wear an accredited Pride in London parade wristband to gain access.

The wristbands will need to be collected from our central London location. Further details will be provided closer to the date, and should be available in the two weeks leading up to the parade. The wristbands will need to be distributed and worn before arriving at the entry point. Follow us on social media to keep up to date with the latest guidance.

Children are required to wear wristbands and are considered as part of your group allocation.

Age limitations

For safeguarding reasons we have an age restriction for parade participants.

Children under 16 years old must be accompanied at all times by an adult who is responsible for their safety and welfare for the duration of their time at Pride in London.

If your group will have children in attendance, please ensure you have the appropriate safeguarding measures in place and plans of what to do if your group become separated. If you require assistance at any time, please speak with a Pride in London trained steward.

Animals & pets

Pets and animals are not allowed into the parade, except for registered assistance and support animals.The parade is a loud, busy area and there are no provisions for pet loos.Many animals who are fine in other busy situations may find this distressing.

If a member of your group is intending to bring an assistance animal, please let us know in advance of the parade and provide documentation in support of the request.

Arrival times

Pride in London is the biggest LGBT+ event in the United Kingdom, so help us to keep it moving during the day! The following guidance should be adhered to in order to help us avoid delays.

All members of your parade group must arrive together at the parade entry point during the allocated time window as advised by the organisers. This can vary from as early as 10.30am and as late as 4:00pm. Please consider this before booking a place to meet before or after the parade.

Vehicles will have an earlier arrival window than your walkers. This is to avoid vehicles moving in the form up area at the same time as walkers are arriving and preparing to start marching. This will take place from 8.30am to 11:00am.

The experience on the day is more than the march itself, it is having the chance to interact with other LGBT+ Londoners and Allies who are marching together with you. You should expect to wait between 60 and 90 minutes from your scheduled arrival time until the start down the parade route, so make the most of this time to say hello to each other

Vehicles

Parade briefing

Essential information for group leaders.

As a group with a float it is very important you are given as much detail as possible on what to expect on the day, and the important deadlines where documents are needed. To ensure you have the most up to date information, and are able to ask questions face to face, all vehicles group leaders must attend a parade briefing, and ensure they are signed in as attending.

The briefings last about 90 minutes and are held virtually. There will be multiple opportunities to attend.

Roadworthiness

All vehicles must be legally roadworthy to drive to the start of the parade, take part in the parade, and leave dispersal after the parade.

The vehicles must:

  • Have a current MOT certificate

  • Be insured

  • Have current road tax

  • Be prepared to pay any ULEZ or congestion charges

If your vehicle is not road legal you will need to apply for a Vehicle Special Order.Further information can be found at Vehicle Special Orders / Vehicle Certification Agency (vehicle-certification-agency.gov.uk) If you need to apply for this please also let us know at [email protected] so that we can refer this to the appropriate authority.

Parade design approval

The design of the float must be submitted for approval in advance.

Please submit float designs to [email protected]

Designs for all vehicles must be submitted to the parade team for approval by 5:00pm on June 16th, 2023. Failure to do so will result in the vehicle not being approved to take part in the parade, and no refund will be given. The walkers for your group will still be able to take part.

Designs may be asked to be reworked to meet specification or parade guidance. Please consider this before build or print begins for your vehicle.

Design elements

Your vehicle must arrive with only minimal final touches to be added in the form up area. We will not be issuing additional wristbands or granting access for technical team members to perform final touch ups on vehicles in the parade form up area.

Decorations must be firmly fixed to the float to ensure they will not move or fall off during the parade.

No objects should protrude which cause the potential to injure persons in or around the vehicle.

Vehicles must not have their lights and indicators obstructed by décor.

All electrical items added to the float must be portable appliance tested.

Petrol generators are not allowed and cannot be brought into the parade. Please use battery powered or if absolutely essential, diesel. Please consider the environmental impact of generators. Any generators must be secured away from reach of children, safely fastened to the float, earthed and RCD protected.

Any generators privately hired are required to produce a valid electrical safety certificate. Failure to do so could mean exclusion from the parade. These documents must be made available at the safety inspection.

No naked flames will be allowed on the vehicle.

Materials and fabrics should be fire-proofed and/or have the relevant fire certification.

CO2 or Powder fire extinguishers need to be located on each float.

If there will be people on your float, ensure there is a fixed solid handrail at waist height and a lower rail below this. The lower rail is to ensure people cannot slip under the handrail

The lower half of all wheels on vehicles must be exposed so people around the vehicle can see the hazard.

We will be judging the floats to find the best float in the parade so be creative with your float designs!

Vehicle size

All vehicles must be within the size limits provided or cannot take part in the parade.

Vehicles which are able to normally drive through London road may not be able to travel down the parade route. At points along the parade barriers are placed into the road which narrows the route and reduces the turning circle compared to the usual road width. As per your application the maximum length is either 6 meters long or 10 meters long. This is measured from the front bumper to the very back (imagine a virtual box it had to fit in, or if you had to post your float off to someone the box it must fit in). Vehicles longer than this will be refused a vehicle pass and unable to enter the parade entry point.

All vehicles must be no wider than 2.5 meters (i.e. no extra wide vehicles or non-standard vehicle widths) to ensure they can fit through the full route.

All vehicles must be less than 4.5 meters tall from the floor to the highest point to make it through the arches at the start and end of the parade. This includes any design or dressing elements added.

Driver, co-drivers & wheel stewards

Drivers

For security purposes we need to know who’s driving.

The parade is an event on a global scale, and this brings with it additional security requirements. To ensure the vehicles are being driven by authorised people, we are required to provide the Metropolitan Police Service with a list which contains the following information:

  • The full name as per photo ID of the driver

  • The drivers licence number

  • The current home address of the driver

  • The drivers mobile phone number (which will be used on the day)

  • Confirmation they have consented to this information being passed to the police for vetting.

This information must be provided on the parade portal before the 9th of June 2023. If we do not have this information by that time, your driver (which would also mean your float) could be refused entry into the parade, and no refund would be given.

Co-drivers

All vehicles (with a cabin or interior) are required to have a co-driver. This is to ensure that the vehicles have an approved occupant at all times inside. Before the parade starts, your driver may wish to stretch, or take a comfort break. At this time the co-driver must remain within the vehicle. This person must be over 18 years of age but does not need to be able to drive. They are only there to ensure no one else enters the vehicle while the driver is away from the vehicle. Please provide the following for the co-driver:

  • Full name as shown on photo ID

  • Current home address

  • Mobile phone number (that will be used on the day)

  • Confirmation they have consented to this information being passed on to the police for checking.

This information is also needed to be added to the parade portal before the 9th June 2023.

Wheel stewards

To ensure the safety of people around your vehicle.

All vehicles with a cabin or interior are required to bring people with them to act as safety stewards for the vehicle. When the vehicle arrives at the entry point to the parade form up area, also present must be your wheel stewards. You are required to bring 6 for a small float and 8 for a large float.

One steward will walk in front of your vehicle to alert the driver to anything on the floor which could be a hazard. Two (or three in the case of a large vehicle) down the sides to ensure people keep away from the wheels when the vehicle is moving. The final steward is behind the vehicle to stop people trying to walk too close behind the vehicle where the driver is unable to see them.

Wheel stewards must also ensure members of the parade do not pass down the sides of your vehicle when the parade is on route, even when the vehicle is static.

You can switch wheel stewards in and out of the role before the parade starts moving to give breaks, but once the floats start moving, they must remain in position until the vehicle reaches the end of the parade and re- joins traffic.

We will provide a high visibility t-shirt for each wheel steward which must be worn, so they stand out in the busy parade area.

General environmental consideration

The parade happens on one day a year, but the environmental impact can last much longer. Please ensure you ethically source materials and avoid any single use plastics.

Please also try to recycle and reuse as much of the float dressing after the event.

Thank you for joining us in the parade on 1 July and we look forward to seeing you at an upcoming parade briefing.