National Student Pride to Close After 21 Years Amid Sponsorship Decline

National Student Pride, the UK’s largest LGBTQ+ student event, is set to end after 21 years in London following a sharp drop in corporate sponsorship. Organisers said income has fallen by around two thirds over the past two years, largely due to widespread reductions in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion budgets among sponsoring companies.

Founded in 2005, National Student Pride was created to provide LGBTQ+ students with networking opportunities, career guidance and a platform for discussion. Over two decades, the annual event grew into a major fixture in the capital’s calendar, combining a large careers fair with talks from prominent speakers and evening celebrations at well known venues.

In 2024, the festival had 24 sponsors supporting its activities. This year, that number has dropped to eight. Organisers said the fall in funding made it impossible to sustain the scale and ambition of the event in future years. They also introduced an ethical sponsorship policy last year, which led to the removal of certain backers following protests from LGBTQ+ groups over links to Israel and the fossil fuel industry.

Tom Guy, one of the original founders and a current trustee, said the organisation began as a constructive response to a divisive talk held at Oxford Brookes University. He explained that the first event deliberately featured an inclusive panel that included both a vicar and a rabbi, aiming to demonstrate that faith and LGBTQ+ identity need not be in conflict. That principle of meeting prejudice with dialogue shaped the event’s direction for more than two decades.

Beyond the headline speakers, which have included figures such as Sir Ian McKellen in past years, the careers fair became a central pillar of the weekend festival. It offered students the chance to connect directly with employers committed to inclusive workplaces. However, organisers reported that fewer companies are now willing to participate. In 2024, 53 employers took part in the careers event. This year, only 20 signed up.

Guy suggested that international political pressures and economic uncertainty have contributed to the shift. Reports last year indicated that some US government policies led to scrutiny of corporate DEI programmes overseas, prompting companies to reassess public commitments and sponsorship arrangements. Organisers said that corporate LGBTQ+ initiatives now appear to be increasingly deprioritised amid a changing geopolitical landscape.

Despite the announcement that the event will conclude after this year, organisers confirmed that the 2026 edition will go ahead as planned at the University of Westminster. The weekend programme includes the usual mix of panel discussions, networking sessions and social events, culminating in a Dragstravaganza finale featuring guests Amanda and Jessie from The Traitors.

The closure of National Student Pride marks the end of a significant chapter for LGBTQ+ students in the UK, reflecting broader shifts in corporate engagement and funding priorities.