ORGANISERS of Glasgow’s beleaguered Pride Festival have announced plans for a new event in the city, despite an ongoing police investigation into unspecified financial irregularities.
Last year’s event ended in chaos, with around 600 festival-goers being turned away from the annual celebration after too many tickets were sold.
The charity behind the event owes its main partner, the city council, tens of thousands of pounds.
It’s understood that the local authority has agreed a payment plan with Pride Glasgow to pay back this debt.
The National also understands that this year’s festival, due to be held on August 17 and 18 at the city’s Riverside Museum, will only go ahead if organisers both settle off the outstanding debt off in full, and pay for this year’s costs up front.
The festival had an annual loss of £52,233 in the financial year ending September 2018, according to the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator.
A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: “The council has made it clear to organisers that any use of a council-owned venue is contingent on payment being made in advance and the settlement of outstanding charges.”
Pride’s organisers said they have invested in a new team to “deliver, review governance, policies and finance”.
Announcing the dates for the new festival, Christopher Lang, chair of Pride Glasgow, said: “It’s fair to say we’ve had a rough ride since last year’s event.
“However, we’ve listened, taken professional advice and we’re confident that we have a really excellent event for the LGBTQI+ community in Glasgow and further afield.
“There is something for everyone as always and we’re using our creativity to ensure there are plenty of photo opportunities which will be fun, but we’re also planning the safety and flow of the event to ensure a smooth running of the weekend.”
Last year saw hundreds of people with valid tickets and wristbands denied entry to Kelvingrove Park. Hundreds of people were refused entrance, including people with pricey VIP entry.
After last year’s shambles, a group of activists announced plans for new LGBT event, dubbed Mardi Gla.
It is scheduled to run in July.
Announcing plans for the rival event, Euan McLeod, executive director of the LGBT Co-op, which is organising the event, said: “Given what’s happened in previous years, people were unhappy. We’re going to take the Pride movement back to its roots.”
He said the tone of the event would be markedly different to other offerings. “We’re not going to be just a big party. We will have performers, but there will be education about remembrance, too,” McLeod said.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York, out of which the Pride movement grew.
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