A striking and colourful glass installation has been officially unveiled at Victoria Leeds as part of the city’s Leeds Pride celebrations.
The ‘Reflections of Love’ installation was revealed at a star-studded event held in Victoria Quarter at The Ivy, to mark the launch of Leeds Pride 2024, which will take place on Sunday 21 July.
Jo Coburn, senior general manager at Victoria Leeds, said: “Leeds Pride is a hugely important social celebration for the city, and we are thrilled to be an official sponsor. We are very proud that the Parade route travels through the very centre of our destination, so we wanted to create a new art installation that was bright and colourful to show our support for the LGBTQIA+ community in Leeds.
“‘Reflections of Love’ is our own unique nod to the iconic rainbow flag, which harnesses the power of natural sunlight to cast beams of colour throughout our destination. It is a striking reminder to the Victoria Leeds community of the love and unity Prides represents, and it has certainly been stopping shoppers in their tracks!”
The launch event, hosted by Victoria Leeds, marked the start of the city’s Pride weekend celebrations. Celebrity guests included Emmerdale’s Natalie Jamieson and Ash Palmisciano; The Apprentice winner, Rachel Woolford; Interior Design Masters’ Siobhan Murphy, Rugby league star, Keegan Hirst and Married at First Sight’s Matt Jameson who is this year’s Pride host. Yorkshire Businesswoman was also there.
Plus, Yorkshire’s favourite drag queens, Harvey Rose and Gisele were on hand to give a big welcome and get everyone in the mood for what will be a fabulous proud party and parade on Sunday.
MAC Cosmetics brought the glam to the party with a dazzling pop-up of express make-up top-ups. From a vibrant splash of colour with bold, bright shades, or something a bit more subtle and shimmery, the team from John Lewis & Partners ensured everyone was made up to perfection.
Guests were also treated to a selection of mouthwatering dishes from The Ivy Victoria Quarter and The Ivy Asia including classic canapes from The Ivy brasserie's menu comprising truffle arancini, smoked haddock fishcakes and robata grilled chicken skewers.
Food was accompanied by chilled glasses of Veuve Clicquot and a delicious selection of cocktails including Yorkshire Sour, Aperol Spritz and the summery Lychee Martini from Ivy Asia alongside a Mango Passion Bellini, Midori sour and a violet gin lemonade.
This year’s Leeds Pride is expected to be the biggest and boldest yet with more businesses and locations in the city taking part than ever before. On the day, visitors can expect an amazing atmosphere throughout the city, with delicious food and drink, music performances, DJs and chart-topping artists.
A Leeds Pride spokesperson said: “We are incredibly grateful to Victoria Leeds for its support. It is thanks to them and our other sponsors across the city that we are able to put on such a fabulous Pride celebration. The ‘Reflections of Love’ project makes a real eye-grabbing statement, we think it looks fantastic and I’m sure it will be a talking point along the parade route.”
Sidney Street at Victoria Leeds offers the ideal location to watch the Parade pass through the city and show support, where everyone is welcome from 12pm.
To find out more about Leeds Pride, visit www.leedspride.com
