Pride Scotia

Pride Scotia

Pride Scotia is Scotland's national LGBT pride festival. Since 1995, volunteers have organised a Pride March and a community-based festival in June, alternating between the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Between 1995 and 2002, the pride marches were organised by Pride Scotland, until it went bankrupt in December 2002 with debts of around £60,000. A new organisation, Pride Scotia, was founded in 2003 to continue the tradition of the annual march and festival. This organisation changed its name to Pride Scotia (Edinburgh) in 2004 and a separate organisation Pride Scotia (Glasgow) was created with the two organisations organising Pride Scotia in their respective cities in alternate years thereafter. Pride Scotia Edinburgh is a company limited by guarantee whilst Pride Glasgow is now a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation. In 2008, the Glasgow arm of the organisation announced it was splitting completely, and has since used the name Pride Glasgow.

In 1994, Laura Norris and Doogie Hothersall, both members of the University of Edinburgh LGBT society "BLOGS", decided to organise a Pride Parade to take place in the city of Edinburgh.

The first Pride march in Scotland gathered on Barony Street in Edinburgh on 17 June. Police estimated that around 3000 people attended. The route followed was Broughton Street, Leith Street, Princes Street, the Mound, George IV Bridge, and down Middle Meadow Walk into the Meadows. The first Pride Festival on the Meadows began as the procession arrived, and had a stage and surrounding stalls. It continued regardless of the rain, finishing as scheduled at 9pm. The cleanup took almost the entire Sunday and around 20 volunteers.

The second Pride march in Scotland was held in Glasgow on 22 June, finishing with a festival on Glasgow Green. Guests included Quentin Crisp.

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