(photo credit: Tekaani Photography)
The BID supports and celebrates the fourth edition of Pride Canterbury this weekend
Last weekend welcomed over 21,000 people to the streets of Canterbury as residents, and visitors, celebrated the fourth year of Pride Canterbury within the city. Visitor numbers were a 30% increase on last year’s event and a wide selection of businesses noticed a positive uplift in sales due to the presence of this inspiring festival within the city.
The BID supports Pride Canterbury as part of its funding for events and festivals that support local businesses. These events have brought over 285,000 people to the city over the last five years and include Canterbury Festival, Medieval Pageant, Canterbury Vegan Market, Wise Words, City Sound Project, bOing! In the City and Canterbury’s Shakespeare Festival as well as Pride Canterbury.
Top acts from the weekend included Nadine Coyle from Girls Aloud, Big Brovaz and Gok Wan with Strutt & Parker, part of the BNP Paribas group, as the headline sponsors and Canterbury Christ Church University, Southeastern and the BID as top line sponsors. Plus an extensive range of local sponsors from within the BID area including Dodgems & Floss, Girlings, Kreston Reeves, Lilford Gallery, Refectory Kitchen The Hugo and Westgate Hall.
Lisa Carlson, Canterbury BID Chief Executive said, “Pride Canterbury is a fantastic event for Canterbury as it unites our residents together in a festival of fun and attracts a huge range of people who want to celebrate and get to know our city. We also know that it is hugely beneficial for local businesses who report back to us about positive trading which is why it is very important that we support this event and encourage more people to visit Canterbury. We are proud to be a part of Pride Canterbury and delighted that this year’s event was such a success with an increase of 30% visitors to our city.”
Edd Withers, Chair of Pride Canterbury said “Without BID, Pride Canterbury would simply not exist in its amazing format which draws in over 21,000 people from across the country to Canterbury. 68% of people value brands that support the LGBTQ community and Canterbury, as a brand, is well known and established for its inclusivity, energy and fun! We want to thank the BID for helping to bring Pride to Canterbury time and time again. We love seeing how much the residents and local businesses embrace the event within the city.”
Jo Cooper from Bill’s, said “Pride Canterbury is always a great moment in our calendar year as there is a party spirit in the city and we love looking after customers who are looking for some good food in between the festivities. This year, we saw a 10% uplift in customers during the weekend which we can only attribute to the presence of Pride Canterbury within the city.”
Michel Piquet from Café St Pierre, said “We love seeing new faces at Café St Pierre during Pride Canterbury as well as many of our loyal and existing customers who are out and about enjoying the event. We put up Pride bunting in the café well ahead of the event so that everybody knows that they are welcome.”
Jonathan Wilson-James from Wrapped said, “Pride brings in a completely different demographic, who would not visit the city for any reason other than to attend Pride. People make a 2 or 3 day trip from it and we see a higher spend from these visitors.”
Denis Grozdanov from Warren’s Bakery, said “We are a recent addition to Canterbury and it is interesting to see how local events can impact the bottom line of your business. We loved the buzz that Pride Canterbury brought to the city. It was also a great way to showcase our brand to new customers who were looking for a pasty or snack in between the fun as well as recognize many of our usual customers amidst the festivities.”
