Pride From The Side

Last Saturday, we had the privilege of working on Dublin Pride alongside some fantastic individuals and groups, most notably Dublin Pride themselves and our friends at Nord Events.

This year marked the 30th anniversary of Dublin Pride (and Safe Events Global’s 11th year supporting it). That alone made it special, but in the current political climate, it felt even more important to show up and show support.

In the week leading up to the event, the Hungarian government threatened to arrest anyone marching in Budapest Pride. That parade took place the same day. Yet later that afternoon, social media filled with images of crowds stretching as far as the eye could see. A (somewhat) quiet threat met with a loud, powerful response.

Back in Dublin, there were company floats as well as groups marching along beside them, and the energy on O’Connell Street was electric. Inside the barriers, the parade buzzed with colour and music. Along the sidelines, crowds cheered and danced alongside us.

Pride always feels special, but this year carried extra weight, and extra spark.

Personally, I love seeing our team in action. I’m one of the lucky ones who, at times, straddles both the office and event sides of our work. Getting out on-site always feels like a treat.

I joined the team at 8:30am and left just after 9pm. Our operations crew had already been hard at work long before I arrived, and they kept going well after I left. And yet, they were all smiles. Legends.

It was also a chance to see some of our brilliant freelancers in full flow. When your unofficial company motto is “Don’t be a dick,” you know you’re surrounded by great people. And they made a long, full-on day genuinely fun.

I spent the day bouncing between Event Control, the parade route, and the post-parade festivities in Merrion Square. It gave me a real sense of the scale and complexity of the event.

At one point, I turned to someone in Event Control and asked, “No drama today, then?” They just laughed and said, “Oh, there were a few slip-ups… but nothing anyone outside would have noticed.”

That’s the thing about events.

Something unexpected always crops up. But the key is how the team handles it. Our on-the-ground crew rolled with the punches and kept everything running smoothly.

It’s especially interesting to see how an event like this is run from a safety perspective. The parade moves through some of the city’s busiest streets. Yet the team timed pauses so precisely that buses could cross through the route without issue.

That’s the kind of invisible choreography that makes a huge difference.

I’d also been there for Pride ’24, when we spent the entire day in a torrential downpour. Spirits stayed high, but this year’s sunshine brought something extra.

You could feel it in the crowd. Merrion Square filled quickly after the parade, and people were still arriving right up to the last entry at 6pm.

The search and queuing system that was set up meant there was always a steady trickle of people coming in, so the grounds never got too crowded.

People gathered comfortably at the main stage, cheered on the speakers, and danced along to the headline acts.

A day like this doesn’t happen without key support. An Garda Síochána, Dublin Fire Brigade, Pulse Security, and other emergency services played a huge part in keeping things safe and smooth.

And for that support, I know our team were incredibly grateful.

We’re proud to have played our part behind the scenes, and we’re already looking forward to doing it all again next year.