Thouands took to the streets of Croydon with rainbow flags for the borough’s first gay pride celebration in 20 years.

Musicians, cabaret performers and DJs entertained an estimated 3,000 people taking part in the “Croydon Pridefest” parade from North End on Sunday.

The event, which was the only ‘pride’ parade in the capital outside central London this year, also featured food stalls and outside bars on nearby Surrey Street.

Councillor Wayne Trakas-Lawlor, who is Croydon’s first openly gay Mayor, heralded the “fantastic” atmosphere of Sunday’s celebrations, which had gone on “well into the night”.

He said: “There was a fantastic family feel. So many people came over to thank us for putting the event on.”

Recalling standing on a platform overlooking “a sea of smiling faces and people who were overjoyed to be there”, Cllr Trakas-Lawlor added: “What struck me was that there was a really rich cross-cultural mix of people, of different faiths, people from as far away as America and Australia.”

The Mayor also paid tribute to his fellow Labour councillor, Mark Watson, for doing a “tremendous job” in bringing Pride celebrations back to Croydon after a 20-year gap.

He said: “If it wasn’t for Mark’s drive and determination and vision, I think it would have been very, very different.”

Thoughts were already turning to next year’s event, Mr Trakas-Lawlor said.

He added: “Hopefully Croydon Pride 2017 will be even bigger and better.”

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