Pride in Surrey 2023: road closures, line up and parade route as …
Pride in Surrey is back, and in Reigate for the first time ever. This is the forth time the event has happened, and it is back bigger than ever following a record turnout last year. Pride 2023 will bring a parade, live acts, and lots of colour to Priory Park, this Saturday ( September 9th) as Surrey celebrates the LQBTQ+[1] community.
The event will kick off at 11am with the Parade in the high street, and will then move into Priory Park which will be open from midday. The procession is free to watch, but tickets are needed for the festival in the park and are being sold on a “pay what you can basis.” online.
This years event will be held across two stages, and also have a funfair, food and drink and a youth zone sponsored by Where Women Work. On top of the festivities there will be a focus on community outreach with stalls set up with information about relevant organisations .
The celebrations will continue until 9pm when the park will pack down for the day. Tickets can be brought online here[2].
Pride in Surrey Parade Route
The Parade starts at 11am from Reigate and Banstead[4] council offices. It will then march down Castlefield Road and onto Church Street and then High Street, where you will be able to line the street to watch the parade. At the end of the High Street it turns left onto Park Lane and into Priory Park.
Some roads in the area will be closed while the parade passes through.
The Pride celebration will go through Reigate high street
Party in the Park
You can get into the park via Bell Street car park, and then follow the signs and paths around the display gardens leading to the main entrance. This part of the event is ticketed, and if you haven’t booked in advance online, they will be selling them on the door for £4.
Stages will open from 9am alongside plenty of food and drink outlets, from bespoke gin’s to gourmet burgers to waffles. There will be plenty to entertain both adults and kids, but the funfair will be a highlight with its large adult rides along with something for children.
Bag searches will be taking place, and no food or drink can be brought in. However, their will be plenty of opportunity to fill up bottles inside the event. Dogs are welcome as long as they are kept on a leash and well behaved.
Pride in Surrey Line-Up
The main stage will be open from midday until 9pm and will be hosted by Hazel Dean, Patron of Pride in Surrey. Performers will include:
- Hunting Hearts
- Hariana Grande
- Kelly Wilde
- Alex Party
- Jack Trinder
- Stephanie Benson
- Mell Atkinson
- Carmel Fleur
- Pixie Polite
Pixie Polite from Ru Paul’s Drag Race has been announced for Surrey Pride 2023 (Image: Pixie Polite / Michelangelo)
The Truk Community Stage is hosted by Trans Radio UK and will showcase community talent. It will close slightly earlier than the main stage at 7pm. Some of the acts are:
- V?K
- John D Hastings
- Rhoda Kill
- Jess Queen
- Juliet And Her Regrets
- Daivdh Campbell
- Count To Ten With Nobody
How to get there
There will be no trains running to Reigate on the day of Pride due to engineering works[5]. Charlie Watts, chief executive of Pride in Surrey said: “Since being made aware of the engineering works we have been working with local businesses around Reigate[6] to make more public parking available on the day of Pride. We are also working with our parade traffic management to tweak our plans to keep the flow of traffic open throughout Reigate as we anticipate more road traffic.”
Other options include driving to the event, or getting a rail replacement bus service.
Road closures in Reigate for Pride in Surrey
Roads will not be closed in their entirety but the council has advised motorists to avoid the area if possible. The affected roads are Castlefield Road right lane to Church Street, right lane of Church Street, right lane of High Street to approximately where Starbucks is, then left lane of High Street, and finally left of Park Lane to the entrance of Priory Park.
A Reigate and Banstead Council spokesperson said “At the crossover point on the High Street there will be Stop/Go boards to allow the parade or traffic through in four or five waves.”
How to get tickets to Pride in Surrey
The Parade is free to watch, but you do need a ticket to enter the main event in Priory Park. Tickets before the event are available online on a ‘pay what you can basis’[7], with a suggested donation of at least £1. Some tickets will be available on the gate on the day, these will cost £4.
A Pride Plus VIP ticket[8] is available from £19.99. You will get access to the VIP area with great views of the main stage, access to an exclusive bar and posh loos.
For more details about Pride in Surrey click here[9].
Find out more about things to do and activities in Surrey with our free What’s On email HERE .[10][11]