St Austell Pride Brings Colour, Community and Celebration to the Town

From Friday evening through to Sunday afternoon, Pride created opportunities for people to come together, have fun, meet others and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, with events taking place in the town centre and at Par Beach.

The main daytime celebration on Saturday was the biggest part of the weekend, with an estimated 400–500 people attending throughout the day.

The town centre was filled with colour, Pride flags and, most importantly, people. Live music provided the soundtrack to the celebrations, while local crafters and information stalls gave visitors the opportunity to browse, discover local organisations and find out more about the community around them.

A weekend, not just a day

While Saturday was the main daytime celebration, St Austell Pride was deliberately designed as a weekend of activities, with something happening across three days.

Friday evening saw a Pub Quiz led by Josie, giving people the chance to get together, test their general knowledge and start the Pride weekend with a bit of friendly competition.

There was then Drag Bingo at Room Five Cornwall, bringing plenty more fun and entertainment to the weekend. A huge thank you goes to Room Five for hosting and helping make the evening possible.

Sunday offered a rather different way to round things off, with a picnic and beach clean at Par Beach.

It was particularly fantastic to see so many families getting involved. Pride isn't only about one day or one particular event; it's about creating a community where everyone feels welcome, and seeing families come together to enjoy the day while doing something positive for the local environment was a brilliant way to finish the weekend.

Celebrating our community

A big part of St Austell Pride is about making sure that Pride belongs to the whole community.

The Saturday event brought together people from across St Austell and further afield, with music, stalls, crafts, conversations and plenty of opportunities simply to spend time together.

We would like to say a huge thank you to Transparent Presence for their support with the information stalls and helping to connect people with organisations and resources within the community.

It was also wonderful to have the support of local civic and political representatives throughout the day.

A particular thank you goes to Ethan, the Mayor of St Austell, and Noah, our local MP, for attending and showing their support for the event and the community.

Thank you, St Austell

Events like St Austell Pride don't happen without a huge amount of work behind the scenes, and the Town Team would like to thank everyone who helped make the weekend such a success.

Thank you to Josie for leading the Friday night quiz, Room Five Cornwall for hosting Drag Bingo, Transparent Presence for their support, all of the musicians, crafters, stallholders and volunteers who gave their time, and everyone else who helped organise and deliver the weekend.

We would also like to thank Chaos Radio for covering the event and taking some beautiful photos. 

Most of all, thank you to the 400–500 people who came along on Saturday, and everyone who joined us across the rest of the weekend.

Whether you came to listen to the music, browse the stalls, take part in the quiz, enjoy Drag Bingo, meet friends, bring the family to the beach clean or simply show your support, you helped create something really special.