The co-founder of UK Black Pride said she was “blown away” with the community solidarity shown after more than 15,000 people joined the annual event.

Europe’s largest pride celebration for LGBTQI+ people of African, Asian, Caribbean, Latin American and Middle Eastern descent took place at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on Sunday.

Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, who is known as Lady Phyll, is one of the event’s co-founders and is executive director of UK Black Pride.

“Our communities need to occupy places they haven’t historically occupied," she said.

“They have to take pride of place and understand that pride is political. It’s a protest, it’s a movement and seeing this, I’m just blown away and overwhelmed.”

Newham Recorder: Some participants had their faces painted with rainbows.Some participants had their faces painted with rainbows. (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

The nine hour event saw around 50 performers on the main stage including Emeli Sande who revealed earlier this year that she felt like a “huge weight has been lifted” after she said on social media that she was in love with a woman.

The singer said it had taken her many years “to find the strength to be myself”.

Newham Recorder: Revellers enjoy the festivities.Revellers enjoy the festivities. (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

It was 21-year-old Vinay Jobanputra’s first time at UK Black Pride and he was performing as part of Nazar, a group which incorporates different cultural dances.

Vinay said: "I’ve come because I feel like it’s important to find people who look like you, who have lived through similar experiences to you."

Vinay identifies as queer and gender non-conforming and believes it is important to be represented as someone from the South Asian community.

Newham Recorder: UK Black Pride took place in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for the first time.UK Black Pride took place in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for the first time. (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

“We’re showing other South Asian kids, other people like me that queer South Asians exist, queer brown people exist, we’re here to party, we’re here to celebrate ourselves.

"It’s such a great experience and we are so lucky that there are things like this that exist now and you have to think about the people who live in those countries where you don’t get festivals and think of them today. Think about why we’re here, we are here to be visible.”

The last UK Black Pride in-person event saw more than 10,000 people convene in Haggerston Park in Hackney, after rising numbers meant it could not longer meet at Vauxhall Park in Lambeth.