Pride Glasgow organisers issue an apology over festival tickets chaos

0 Some of the people taking part in Pride Glasgow, Scotland’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) pride event, in Kelvingrove Park at the weekend Organisers of Pride Glasgow have apologised “unreservedly” after hundreds of people who had bought tickets to the event were unable to get into the festival at Kelvingrove Park.

Hundreds of people were left queuing outside the park with some people reporting they saw people in the queue fainting and requiring medical attention due to the hot weather.

Others were said to have tried to scale the perimeter fence to get in after being told the event was using a “one-inone out” policy.

In a Facebook post organisers said more than 12,000 people had taken part in the march, the largest number in its history.

The statement read: “Glasgow Pride apologises unreservedly to those people who purchased tickets and were unable to enter the site.

Referring to the reports of people attempting to climb the fence, the statement continued: “We are working with our security team to stop any further breaches and ensure everyone who wants to has a safe Pride.”

A major factor in the chaos was that e-tickets bought online had to be converted into wristbands at the event’s box office, which was closed. The same applied to VIP tickets which were more expensive.

Some people tweeted that they were not being allowed into the park because, despite having bought advance tickets, too many tickets were being sold “on the door” with these customers prioritised.

Earlier in the week Pride Glasgow had tweeted: “Lots of questions coming into us, we are a very small team so are doing everything we can to help. Some common questions: doing everything we can to help. Some common questions: – Saturday-only tickets can now only be bought onsite at Kelvingrove Park on Saturday.”

Angus Millar, SNP Glasgow city councillor for Anderston, City and Yorkhill, tweeted “As a local councillor for Kelvingrove, I will be raising serious questions about today’s @ prideglasgow festival. I have serious concerns about the organisers’ treatment of ticketbuyers and the chaos at Kelvingrove can only have impacted negatively on local residents.”

Mr Millar also tweeted about the lack of stewarding and signposting at the event.

One of those in the queue, Soph, tweeted: “Everyone was standing in the boiling sun for hours and they weren’t providing water or anything!! Nothing has been mentioned about refunding tickets either.”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had earlier led the event, becoming the only serving prime minister or first minister in the UK to have led a Pride event.

Ms Sturgeon had earlier led the parade, becoming the first prime minister or first minister in the United Kingdom to be at the forefront of such a march.

The organisers of Pride Glasgow were contacted for comment but did not respond.

Pride, which fights LGBT discrimination, began in 1970 in New York one year after the famous Stonewall Riots in Greenwich Village.