Southend celebrations of Pride Event in pictures

Southend Pride descended upon the city, bringing with it a day of vibrant celebrations.

The festival, which aimed to embrace and support the LGBTQ+ community, took place at Warrior Square Gardens from 12pm until 8pm on Saturday, July 15.

The event transformed the city of Southend into a colourful spectacle, filled with rainbows, glitter, entertainment, and a wide array of food, drinks, and stalls.

Princesses - Elsa and Rapunzel attended the festivities (Image: Newsquest)

Celebrating - Essex Cosplayers dressed as characters from a popular franchise, Star Wars (Image: Newsquest)

Steve Barbrooke, the funeral director at co-op which hosted a stand during the Pride festival, said: "We are proud to be re-invited for the second year to attend this fantastic event. 

"It's been great seeing the community come together.

"We are happy to support the Pride Southend, especially since it's at our doorstep.

"It's an amazing time for us as we can give out some freebies and show what we can offer."Stalls - multiple community and charity stalls present at the Pride festivities (Image: Newsquest)

Performers - The festivities kicked off with live performances on the main stage, hosted by Ruby Violet, Ashley Edwards, and Char Cooterie (Image: Newsquest)

The festivities kicked off with live performances on the main stage, hosted by Ruby Violet, Ashley Edwards, and Char Cooterie.

In addition to the spectacular performances, attendees had the opportunity to explore community stalls, browse through various traders, and enjoy the children's entertainment tent.

Community - thousands arrived to celebrate Pride in Southend (Image: Newsquest)

Pride - Southend community flocked to Pride event on Saturday, July 15 (Image: Newsquest)

A resident who attended with her family, Sarah said: "This is our second time attending the event after it was cancelled during the pandemic. 

"We attended the parade and it was fantastic.

"My family and I loved the atmosphere - everything we had done was absolutely amazing. 

"I loved seeing tons of people parade on High Street - I think I have enjoyed that the most. Fun - people of all ages attended the event (Image: Newsquest)

Contributing - Steve and Co-op workers representing services at the festival (Image: Newsquest)

A lot of companies have also given out freebies and pride flags. 

Southend Pride made a triumphant return to the city last year after two years of cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Club members from the Essex Cosplayers charity have also attended the event. 

They said: "This is the second time we have attended Pride in Southend. 

"We really enjoyed the atmosphere of the people that came together to celebrate Pride! Variety - A lot of communities came together to celebrate LGBTQ members (Image: Newsquest)

Families - Sarah and her family celebrating the event (Image: Newsquest)

"Although the whole festivities were amazing, we have mostly enjoyed the screaming crowds during the parade - it was a cool thing to experience."

After the parade, the festivities continued at the Warrior Square Gardens.