Rain, rainbows and 5,000 people: East Coast Pride 2026 lights up Skegness
A Drag Race Queen of the World, a stage packed with local talent and a crowd that wasn't going anywhere, whatever the weather. East Coast Pride 2026 was the best one yet, and the charity has marked it by naming its first ever Patron and confirming the date for 2027.
Around 5,000 people turned out at Tower Gardens on Saturday 12 September for East Coast Pride 2026, and for eight hours Skegness was the brightest, proudest place on the coast.
The rain came. Nobody left.
Two thirds of those who shared feedback stayed for five hours or more. When asked to sum up the day in one word, people kept coming back to the same three: amazing, fabulous and fun. One attendee put it simply: "Honestly, the whole event was the best it's ever been."
The main stage was rated the highlight of the day, and it's easy to see why. Headliner Michael Marouli, crowned Queen of the World on RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under vs The World, brought world-class drag to the Lincolnshire coast, and both the set and the meet and greet drew some of the warmest feedback of the event. Re-Take That turned Tower Gardens into one big singalong, and hosts Mamma Bear, Jenna and Sue De Crème kept the party going from the first act to the last.
Home-grown talent shone just as brightly. Just Marley, Liv Manville, Lincolnshire dance schools, community choir OutLoud and emerging performers from across the coast all had their moment on the main stage.
One of the day's standout performers now has a new title. East Coast Pride has appointed Jenna G as its first ever Patron. A crowd favourite, and one of the performers most often named in the feedback, she becomes a permanent public voice for the charity, championing its work along the Lincolnshire coast and backing the year-round outreach behind the event.
Away from the stage, the little ones had rides and inflatables to keep them busy, and the grown-ups had something new: licensed bars on site, added because last year's crowd asked for them.
And what a crowd it was. LGBTQIA+ people and allies came in almost equal numbers, every generation was represented, and plenty of families brought young children along. For nineteen of those who filled in the survey, it was their first ever Pride. Others travelled from right across the UK, and many made a weekend of it, with some staying three nights or more. That's money straight into local hotels, guest houses, pubs and shops.
Most important of all for a Pride,
95 per cent of those who responded said they felt safe or very safe on site. Another attendee summed the day up as "safe environment, great acts using locals, good family day."
"This is what three years of building looks like," said Bradley Johnson, Event Director. "Five thousand people, a Drag Race world champion sharing a stage with a Lincolnshire dance school, and everyone feeling safe to be exactly who they are. That's East Coast Pride. "Skegness should be hugely proud of what it put on. Our sponsors and funders backed a free event for this community, and every pound of that showed on the day."
None of it happens without the people who back it. Butlin's returned as Family Entertainment Sponsor, backing a family zone that parents scored consistently highly, and Cheeky Blinders sponsored the VIP area with their Cheeky B VIPs.
The event was also funded through the UK Government's Pride in Place Programme, with further support from East Lindsey District Council's Councillor Community Fund and Platform Housing Group.
Thanks also go to Skegness Town Council, whose land at Tower Gardens has been the event's home for two years, giving the coast's Pride a proper place to gather in the heart of the town.
And every minute of it was delivered by volunteers. Trustees, committee members, stewards, backstage crew, the safeguarding team and zone managers worked from site build at dawn to site clear after dark, and the charity thanks every one of them, along with everyone who came along and made the atmosphere what it was. A free Pride on this coast only exists because people give their time to it, and because thousands choose to show up.
The crowd has already put in its order for next year: more drag and cabaret, more live singers and bands, and more LGBTQIA+ performers and artists. Planning is under way and the date is set. East Coast Pride returns to Tower Gardens on Saturday 11 September 2027, free as always. See you there.
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