Pride events

my local pride has multiple stages - the main stage is very family friendly (mostly singers, bands etc), and the cabaret stage usually is also family friendly, and has drag queens singing and dancing, mostly to pop hits. It varies year to year, but generally there's a stage sponsored by a gay bar which is a bit less family friendly - more adult jokes etc (usually it's in a gazebo). There is a programme of events published of who's on what stage, so you can decide which acts to view. There's also usually lots of stalls (community groups, organisations, public services etc) giving free stuff away, which is near the family, teen and kids areas (which have space to play, some groups running activities), and you aren't allowed alcohol across the fence boundary. This area and the community stalls are usually closed by 7pm-ish, with the last acts being on the main stage at 10pm, and the other stages closing a bit before then.
There are some people in clothing that maybe some people wouldn't particular want their children seeing, but equally, there are also people in the local park or beach who're equally scandally-clad.

Overall, the people who're going for the family atmosphere tend to go earlier, (This year our parade was delayed, so those people were actually there over an hour before the parade), and the people who're going to drink lots, and behave in a manner I'd imagine you'd describe as inappropriate, tend to go later, especially in big cities where the bars and clubs run a whole weekend of events.
You don't say your kids ages, but most of the families with toddler aged kids tend to leave by the time the stalls and kids area close, as it does get busier and much louder later as the more popular acts take on the main stage, and the stalls close of everyone heads there.

It's obviously up to you, but if you're unsure, why not take your tickets, and go this year? and if you don't like it or feel it's inappropriate you're able to leave, no harm and no foul! Go early, take your kids, and just see how it goes, if you don't enjoy it, next year you can just say 'oh we went last year and it wasn't really for us, thanks though', if you do, you've found a lovely event you can attend as a family.

sounds like our local, too. stalls, musical performances, panto level drag during the day, rides, food, and generally seems to be a big, family friendly picnic in the park with attractions and lots of bright and fun colours.

Yeah. Drag?

Drag acts which parody and fetishise women I'm assuming

"Mocking us"? I've never read such utter bollocks.

PS. Loads of children, also in orange or pink

I went to one in Amsterdam once, everyone either in Orange or Pink, brilliant 2 of my favourite colours.

People use pride to hook up.

Would you take your dc to a nightclub?

I think it's really going to depend on which actual event you are going to.

Big city parades and large park events like London and Manchester are going to be completely different to the tiny event held on the Middle Wallop school playing fields, or the Bridgeton Woods Rec. 😏

I'd say if it's an actual event that you have a flyer for, your best bet is contacting someone local to find out what kinds of things will be happening.

Tbh if it's a small event from say 12-4pm and says it's family friendly, I don't know why you'd question it really.

I took my children to a local pride and we had a great time. Very family focused, celebrating love. I'd take them again to that one. We have been to a drag race con as well and again we all had a great time meeting our favourite queens.

Wrong post, sorry

I said same thing but posters don't want to hear that, hopefully OP gets good advice instead of being lashed as usual for daring to ask a question. People are so strange

Been to family friendly ones in smaller towns (such as a seaside town in North Somerset). Larger ones, I haven't been to.

Pretty much the same as our local one

I took DD 7 to a few local pride events last year. I'm not gay but I have a number of gay friends and I consider myself an ally. She loved it.. people loved her too.

Just booked up to go our nearest pride event. I'll take her to Brighton in a couple of years when she's older.

They can definitely be family friendly.

Surely that's for you to decide?
We live near a gay village do very normal around these parts. Loads of kids go.

Very family friendly

Pride is like anything else - if you don’t like it don’t go! If you don’t think it’s for you - don’t go! If you think an event or part of an event isn’t for children- don’t bring them.

We have local pubs that I’ll happily take my children to in the day, but rarely in the evening, and some that I would never take my kids to.

Our local Pride is a famous, enormous one. I has a whole kids area and entertainment etc aimed at them, but by early evening they’ll be tucked up at home while we hang out with the grown ups for the evening.

I think sadly they're getting worse and men are getting more confident to flaunt their fetishes in public then mock anyone who objects as being "pearl clutchers" etc.

It's a shame and gives the LGBT community a bad rep really. Attacking women for questioning the motivation of these men seems to be common nowadays. Perverts are sheltering safely under the umbrella 🌂

Pride used to be a march for LGB rights. It has been hijacked by big companies trying to be pc, and by male fetishists in drag gimp and leather, who are definitely not behaving in a family friendly way. And by straight people getting in on the act. Are you a same sex family? Why do you want to go otherwise?

No, it's not cognitive dissonance. As numerous posters on this thread have explained, it varies from town to town and from event to event. Some are family friendly, some are adults only.

There is an incongruous / disingenuous feel to your posts @Sparklybutold. You don't seem to want to listen to posters unless they agree with your preconceived notion and confirm your bias.

You asked if Pride would be a suitable occasion for your family. The answer is "no" because you are not going to enjoy it and that's OK. Other families will enjoy it and that's OK too.

I had the misfortune to have be in Manchester during last year's daytime events. Groups of men walking round in nothing but tiny thongs and bondage chains, extremely explicit drag wear, sexualised pups and furries, stuff like that - in public places like the Arndale in the middle of the day. So no, they're definitely not 'family friendly' and normal public decency doesn't apply even if you're well away from the event itself. It's awful.

I don’t think it’s cognitive dissonance so much as parental confidence. There are things at plenty of events which aren’t suitable for children and where family friendly aspects crossover with adult party aspects. I wouldn’t personally take children to the Nottingham Hill Carnival, nor to festivals like Wilderness or Shambala, all of which are touted as “family friendly”: I’ve seen overtly sexual behaviour in public and far more open drug use and alcohol-fueled potentially scary behaviour than I’m personally confident and comfortable having to try to avoid or explain to children. But plenty of parents (and other relatives) do take children to those events, and I presume that they are comfortable in their ability to either shepherd their children through the things they’d prefer them not to see and to calmly explain the bits they can’t ensure they don’t see.

Pride is just the same: as plenty of posters have said, gay and lesbian parents aren’t perverted freaks who want to expose their children to sex and drugs, they’re just normal parents who, like parents taking their children to other big events, apprise themselves of the bits they absolutely want to avoid, and manage the logistics of it

You seem to be missing the posts from people who have attended family friendly pride events and are describing them for you.

I absolutely agree that a lit of pride activities are not suitable for children, but some are, as posters here have described.