London has launched a bid to host the world’s largest international Pride festival in 2032 as the city looks to celebrate 60 years since its first Pride march.

WorldPride brings together communities from across the globe to celebrate diversity, identity, and protest in an event like no other. Held every other year, the event has been held in cities including Amsterdam, Rome, New York - and now London’s leaders are hoping it will return to the UK capital for the first time since 2012, with The Independent acting as one of its media partners.

The bid was announced last week at a special reception during WorldPride Amsterdam at the British Council, with the launch of a design competition and global photography campaign.

Members of the LGBTQ+ community from across the globe have been invited to submit photographs celebrating identity, allyship and belonging. These photos will be used to create a living mosaic made up of thousands of community photographs that will tell the story of Pride in all its forms.

London’s bid also invites creatives across the UK to submit an original logo design. If London is successful in its bid, the winning design will become London’s official WorldPride 2032 bid logo.

The voices behind London’s bid have now shared why they believe the city should host the world’s largest Pride festival.

Lady Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, co-founder and chief executive of UK Black Pride and co-chair of London’s WorldPride 2032 bid described the city’s diversity as a “superpower”.

“WorldPride 2032 must be more than a celebration, it must be a movement, bringing communities together across borders and generations, rooted in protest and powered by solidarity,” she said. “The legacy we want to leave is stronger communities, deeper connections and a movement ready for what comes next."

Pride in London chief executive Rebecca Paisis pointed towards the 60th anniversary of London’s first Pride march, which took place in 1972.

“We will be able to honour the courage of those who came before us, while recognising that the fight for equality is far from over,” she explained. “London is one of the most diverse cities in world.

“We would offer a WorldPride that brings together every generation, identity and background not only in celebration, but in solidarity and action.

“At a time when we all know LGBTQ+ rights are being challenged globally, London 2032 would send a powerful message: that progress is possible."

Philip O’Ferrall, the CEO of Outernet who is the co-chair of London’s 2032 bid, said he believes London’s offering will be “very hard to beat”.

“London has the infrastructure, culture and global reach to make a compelling case,” he said. “But what makes this campaign different is that we’re building it with Londoners and communities from the outset.”

The Independent and The Standard are official news media partners of the bid, and will contribute photography from decades of Pride coverage to help tell the story of London's LGBTQ+ journey as part of the final artwork and create a tangible bridge between Pride's past and its future.

To mark Pride Month in June, The Independent published its Pride List, continuing a decades-long tradition of championing LGBTQ+ figures in Britain across entertainment, sport, business, law, fashion, politics, campaigning and the arts.