York Pride Parade Business Update 2026

Dear Business Owner/Manager,

York LGBT+ Pride returns to York on Saturday 30th May 2026, bringing thousands of people into the city centre for the annual Pride Parade and Festival. With a vibrant, pre-parade atmosphere building across the footstreets from late morning, this is a brilliant opportunity to welcome extra passing trade, showcase your business, and help make the city feel celebratory and inclusive by decorating your
premises (windows, bunting, flags, chalkboards, rainbow displays, staff lanyards, whatever works for you).

Because your premises sit on or close to the Parade route, we also wanted to give you advance notice that the following streets will be busier than usual until early afternoon.

St Sampson’s Square, Church Street, Swinegate, Parliament Street, Feasegate, Market Street, Coney Street, Spurriergate, High Ousegate, Davygate, Blake Street, St Helen’s Square and Lendal.

City centre “footstreets” access restrictions
Following the success of 2025, the Parade will again assemble in St Sampson’s Square, Church Street, Parliament Street and Feasegate. From 10:30am to 1:00pm (approx), there will be no access to or movement of traffic (except emergency services responding to a 999 call) within any of the streets listed above.

The Parade will move off at 12:00 noon from St Sampson’s Square, travelling along Davygate, into St Helen’s Square, then along Coney Street and Spurriergate.
The Parade is expected to clear all footstreets by around 12:45pm, after which they will return to normal footstreet operation and control.

Rolling road closures (approximate timings)
Low Ousegate, Ouse Bridge and Skeldergate: 12:15pm – 1:00pm
Bishopgate Street, Bishopthorpe Road, Campleshon Road, Knavesmire Road: 12:45pm – 1:45pm

Help decorate York for Pride
York Pride is once again encouraging businesses to help create a city-wide Pride welcome. If you’d like to get involved, consider dressing your shopfront, windows or entrance with Pride colours, every display makes a difference and helps set the tone for visitors and passing customers.

You can buy official York Pride flags from the Visit York shop on Parliament Street or via our online shop (www.yorkpride.org.uk/shop). Other rainbow decorations are widely available from local retailers and online – for larger/bulk orders please email me for delivery (email below).

Thank you for helping make York Pride a warm, visible celebration for everyone, and for your patience with the temporary disruption on Saturday 30 May. If you have any questions, please contact us at parade@yorkpride.org.uk.

Kind regards,
Tim Bradbury
York Pride Parade Director