Birmingham Pride 2024 road closures, bus diversions and free buses

Thousands of people will come to Birmingham Pride to celebrate the city’s vibrant LGBTQ+ scene. With live music stages, street parties, bars, food vendors and more, the city center will be very busy.

This means that some roads will be closed on Saturday 25 May and Sunday 26 May to allow people to party in the streets. It can also make getting to and from the event a bit more difficult.

Whether you’re heading to Birmingham Pride or just needing to get in and out of the city, we’ve put together this guide to transport, parking and road closures to help your weekend run smoothly.

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Birmingham Pride road closures

Road closures will be in place in Birmingham city center on Saturday 25 May from 12.15pm until around 2.30pm to allow the Birmingham Pride Parade to take place. Some closures may last longer around festival locations. As the map below shows, the following roads will be closed:

Hurst Street from the back houses to Sherlock Street

Kent Street

Lower Essex Street

Part of Skinner Lane

Part of Sherlock Street

Part of Pershore Street

See the road closure map here to see how your journey in and out of the city could be affected:

Access will be restricted on the following roads:

Bromsgrove Street

Ken Street

Essex Street

Pershore Street

Henstead Street

Gooch Street North

Lower Essex Street

How to get to Birmingham Pride

It’s probably easier to use public transport to get around the city on weekends. Trains to Birmingham New Street, Moor Street and Snow Hill are all within walking distance of the parade starting point in Centenary Square and Gay Village.

When it comes to buses, you can reach Centenary Square by the following bus services: 9, 23, 24, 61, 63, 126, 822, 829, x10. Or you can reach The Pride Sites via the following bus services: 16 and 16A, 17, 25, 34, 35, 45, 47, 50, 61, 63, 80A, 144, 150, X1 and X2.

City Hall and Grand Central are the closest tram stops to Centenary Square for the start of the parade. Grand Central is just a 10-minute walk from the Pride Site. Find out more on the Birmingham Pride website.

Various bus routes are available for Birmingham Pride

National Express West Midlands has confirmed there will be bus diversions. This will be between 12.15pm and 2.30pm on Saturday 25th May.

During this time, the following services will be diverted: 2, 3, 4/4A, 5, 6, 9, 12/12A, 13/13A, 16, 17, 23/24, 35, 45/47, 50, 60, 61/63, 80, 82/87, 97, 126, X1, X2, X8, X10 and X21/X22

Check with TfWM to see how your service is affected.

Free bus ride to Pride

Transport for the West Midlands is offering free bus travel to Pride for Pride ticket holders. TfWM tweeted on X: “You’ve got your ticket to Pride, now you just need to figure out how to get there… Well look no further! If you’ve already bought your Birmingham Pride ticket, we’re delighted to be able to offer you free bus travel to Pride thanks to our friends at @transportforwm”

The offer includes a free one-week regional nBus ticket, which allows you seven days of travel on any bus on the West Midlands bus network. They are advising festival goers to look out for an email from ticket sellers with details of how to claim your voucher code for free bus travel.

Where to park for Birmingham Pride

All the action centers around Hurst Street, so the best place to park is The Arcadian car park. Sometimes you can get deals as a Pride ticket holder. On the ground floor there are 11 places for disabled people.

Alternative parking suggestions include The Mailbox car park and the Town Hall car park, which are positioned between the parade start point and the final location of the Gay Village.

On Saturday 25 May, those attending the Birmingham Pride parade will be able to park at Utilita Arena Birmingham for £5 between 9am and 7pm. Spaces will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Park in either the north or south car parks, then obtain a discount parking code from the Pride Parade registration offices in Centenary Square and follow the on-screen instructions at the payment kiosks to pay before exiting.