As the main sponsor of Leeds Pride 2024, it was only right that Jet2holidays went big and bold! With a super stall split into two sections – one with a ball pit you could win prizes from, and the other kitted out with a pod for those all-important selfies – fun was on the cards. And naturally, as Jet2 was heading up the parade, we had a fantastic float with a DJ pumping the tunes, and a special guest in our own mini plane too. Oh, and did we mention we branded the main stage on Briggate? Yep, it was quite the day to remember.

From Cabin Crew to Marketing, lots of members of the Jet2 team volunteered to work the event, swapping their famously red smiles for rainbow-coloured ones. We all had slightly different roles as well, which ranged from sashaying through Leeds in the parade to photographing the whole event. Here’s a snapshot of what I got up to as a Senior Content Executive at Pride...

The look

Expressive and flamboyant, the fashion at Pride is always fabulous! So the day really begins with getting ready in the morning. With this summer weather being so hit and miss, I wasn’t sure the sun would stay shining consistently, so I went for a pair of jazzy floral trousers – paired, of course, with my ‘Jet2 Takes Pride’ t-shirt. We all wore these to make us nice and recognisable. I also took my sunglasses, donned a pair of comfy trainers and then asked the Glitter Girls on our stall to adorn one side of my face with green and gold sparkles. I was ready to go!

The parade

If you’re an avid spectator at Leeds Pride, you’ll know the parade route starts on The Headrow. It loops and continues all around the city, ending just past Call Lane, towards Briggate. You really get your steps in!

We had a DJ spinning the decks, even before we set off. So we danced and waved our flags for the whole procession, all while somebody famous you might’ve known took to the wheeled Jet2holidays plane float behind us. Who was it? Well, expertly on-brand in an eye-popping red suit, it was none other than Charity Shop Sue! She really rallied the crowd, creating lots of excitement throughout the day, as she appeared in the parade but also on stage and at the stall later for a Q&A with us. Naturally, we rounded off our stint in the parade with a Jess Glynne remix too.

The stall

You couldn’t miss us – not only was there a Jet2holidays plane banner on the back of our stall, but we were the ones with the ball pit (that everyone wanted to dive into!) and the selfie pod. The Glitter Girls were also on hand to paint faces, just like ours. So there was plenty of energy and elation as people queued for their go in the ball pit, in which they could win a goody bag of Jet2 merch (if a ball with a red sticker was found) or even a Jet2holidays voucher for £1,000 or £1,500! There was a 30-second countdown, so the race was on. A ball with a gold sticker secured lucky participants one of the vouchers we had – and all were won by the end of the day.

And as for the selfie pod, it was a great way to get everyone grinning! Strips of photos were printed out on the spot, so people had physical souvenirs to take home. Plus, if you tagged @jet2pics in a photo of your selfie, you were automatically entered into our prize draw to win a £500 voucher – even more incentive to come and join us at our stall.

The stage

Sonique, DJ Fat Tony, Louisa Johnson... The line-up for the main stage was chock-full of acts throughout the afternoon and evening. There were plenty of drag acts and celeb hosts too, so all people had to do was pitch up and enjoy the show! And we even got Charity Shop Sue up there at the beginning as well.

We could hear the party atmosphere right down by our stall – it was electric. We met so many happy people throughout the event, which made it even more special to work at and be part of Leeds Pride 2024!