LGBTQ+ - PRIDE

East Coast Pride 2026 Returns to Skegness After Record Year for the Lincolnshire Event

East Coast Pride returns to Skegness on 12 September 2026 after almost 7,000 people attended the previous event and visitors delivered a major local economic boost.

UK East Coast Pride returns to Skegness on Saturday 12 September following a record year for the Lincolnshire celebration.

Around 6,800 people attended the 2025 event, while East Coast Pride’s published impact report estimated that visitor spending contributed between £350,000 and £665,000 to the local economy during the day.

The free 2026 event opens at 11am in Tower Gardens and runs until 7pm, with RuPaul’s Drag Race UK finalist Michael Marouli joining the programme alongside headline tribute act Re Take That. A new Fun Zone for children and appearances from Butlin’s Redcoats are also included in this year’s plans.

For East Coast Pride, the growing attendance also reflects the demand for visible LGBT events outside Britain’s largest cities.

Thousands attended in 2025

The organisation’s 2025 impact report provides a detailed picture of how the event was received.

An estimated 7,000 people attended across the day, while 84 per cent of survey respondents rated the event eight out of ten or higher. More than 98 per cent said they felt safe while attending.

Visitors came from across Lincolnshire as well as neighbouring counties, regional cities and further afield.

The estimated economic contribution was calculated from visitor spending reported through the survey, with average spending of approximately £95 per person and a median of £50. East Coast Pride estimated this translated into between £350,000 and £665,000 being spent across Skegness during the event.

Those figures give the Pride celebration an importance that extends beyond the event itself, particularly for local hospitality, retail and other businesses.

East Coast Pride has grown from a grassroots initiative into a registered charity serving LGBT communities across rural and coastal Lincolnshire, while keeping its main annual Pride celebration free to attend.

With another major programme confirmed for 2026, thousands are expected back in Tower Gardens as the event continues to establish itself as the largest LGBT celebration on the Lincolnshire coast.