Cork Pride organisers call for funding to ensure the future of the 'festival of love'

THE organisers of Cork LGBT+ Pride festival 2023 have called on Cork City Council to grant them sustainable funding to maintain the event into the future.

Clive Davis, chair of Cork LGBT+ Pride, said the festival had grown to become the main attraction to the city over the August Bank Holiday weekend and needed to be properly funded.

“This festival doesn’t happen by itself. We need sustainable funding from local government, or from national government, to help us strategically build this festival of love every August bank holiday,” he said.

“We’re a charitable organisation, we rely on volunteers, and we need a little bit of support.” 

Kery Mullaly, Cork Pride business development manager, said numbers this year were way up on 2022, when the last day of Cork Pride brought approximately 8,000 people to the city.

“I think this year it’s probably a third more than that, at least, so we’re looking at well over 12,000 people, possibly more,” he said.

“There were people lining the streets, four and five deep. It was really just incredible to see such an outpouring of love and kindness and warmth.” 

Mr Davis said the atmosphere in the city during the parade had been very heartwarming, and he added the support of people blowing their car horns and waving meant the world to those attending.

“There were thousands of people lining the streets, looking for a community, and looking to stand by a community, and it’s not just once a year, and it’s not just Pride month. 

"We always get ‘Oh Pride is in June’, but actually, we live being LGBT every single day of the week. 

"We have to come out every single day. These events just showcase that," he explained. 

“We always need to put ourselves in other people’s shoes, and try to imagine what life is like for them.” 

Mr Mullaly said Pride wanted to acknowledge all of their sponsors and volunteers for helping to make the festival happen.

“Benny McCabe has come onboard as our main venue partner this year, across all of his bars, and he has supported local acts and really embraced Pride and it’s been wonderful to see,” he said.

Speaking to The Echo at Pride, Labour Party councillor John Maher said Pride was a showcase of all that was good in Cork, and deserved to be properly funded.

“I do think that Cork City Council now needs to put its money where its mouth is and fund Cork Pride appropriately,” he said.