Scarborough Spa was awash with colour as people from the LGBTQ+ community gathered with friends, family and allies to celebrate the second Scarborough Pride.
Chair of Scarborough Pride, George Wakely, said: “It was an amazing day to welcome so many people to our second Scarborough Pride.
“Across the day we had 3,000 attendees, a third of which were families and young people.
“A big thank you to the amazing Pride committee for working so hard and to McCain's for their help and support.”
The day began with a colourful rainbow parade started by Ru Paul’s Drag Race queen Tia Kofi.
The parade danced and whistled its way from the Brunswick Centre down Westborough and Newborough before turning onto Foreshore Road towards the Spa.
On arrival at the spa a host of acts entertained the crowd with singing, dancing and theatrical performances.
The day was brought to a close with a fantastic main stage performance by Tia Kofi who took time from her busy schedule to chat with The Scarborough News.
Tia gave her first impressions of Scarborough, she said: “It’s my first time here, the beach in South Bay is adorable and you have some gorgeous architecture.”
The Drag Race star, who was crowned Queen of the Mothertucking World in Drag Race UK versus the World earlier this year, spoke about the responsibility she feels to the LGBTQ+ community.
She said: “I think all drag queens do. We’re probably the most obvious and most visible members of the community.”
Asked for advice to anyone who was thinking about expressing their own sexuality publicly, she said: “Your own safety is most important.
"If people are out, or they aspire to be so, that’s great, but if you’re not in a safe position to do so, at home or at school, there are people you can talk to.
"There are lots of organisations who can help, like the wonderful service offered by Switchboard LGBT.
"Things are a lot better than they used to be, young people and their friends and family are a lot more accepting.”
As for those thinking about becoming a drag queen, Tia was keen to encourage people to follow their dreams, but, she said with a smile: “Do your homework, and make sure you have another career option to fall back on!”
