The PRIDE season is upon us and this year we are listing all the Pride Events in the UK and few more noteworthy ones around the world. Just click on the associated links to visit your selected PRIDE's homepage to get more information. Some of you may even question is there really a need to take it to the street? After all, you have civil partnerships, laws in place to protect you from hate crime and work policies that promote equal opportunity. However, until the day comes where you can kiss a man in the street, get sexy with your boy-friend in a straight club or walk hand in hand with your same-sex-friends in a park without abuse, harassment or physical violence...then there is a need for Pride. We march for Pride so those that are Prejudice will see that there is nothing wrong with being gay...in fact, we celebrate it. Yes, our gay rights are built on the back of giants, but let us be the future generations inspiration so they may live truly equally. All we need to do is look at places like Moscow where Gay marches are banned and the Christian Orthodox church rather stand with fascist/Nazis then accept that there are gay people (see the latest post in our BLOG). We also march for them...because gay crosses political borders, religious beliefs and all other social divisions... Check back frequently for updates to the PRIDE listings. Stand Up For Your Love Rights! UK PRIDE DATES 2009MAY23rd-24th May- Birmingham Pride: Around 70 000 people will descend on Britain's second largest city for Birmingham Pride. There will be a main stage with acts such as S Club, Norma Lewis, Kelly Wilde, Nicki French and hot all-male dance troupe. Also there is a comedy marquee and 15 of the UKs top bars and clubs joining in the celebration. www.birminghampride.com 30th May- Bradford Pride www.bradfordpride.com JUNE6th June- OXFORD PRIDE In honour of the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in NYC, this years Oxford Pride theme is ""1969 - Flower Power and the year of he Stonewall Rebellion." www/oxfordpride.org.uk 20th June- SHEFFIELD PRIDE www.sheffieldpride.org.uk
27th June- PRIDE SCOTIA- EDINBURGH: This only happens once every two years so grab your chance to come out and march! www.pride-scotia.org JULY
10th-12thJuly- BOURNE FREE- BOURNEMOUTH PRIDE: The Big Top comes to Bournemouth this year with a circus theme. Expect some impressive clowns, jugglers, fire-eaters and more, all kept in line by a saucy ringmaster! www.bournefree.co.uk 16th-19th July-TORBAY PRIDE- This is the first Pride for the 'English Riviera'. www.torbaypride.org 18th July-NORTHERN PRIDE- NEWCASTLE www.northernpride.org.uk 18th July-THANET PRIDE, MARGATE: Bucks Fizz will perform at this seaside Pride event. www.thanetpride.co.uk
25th July-HULL PRIDE www.hullpride.com 25th July-NORWICH PRIDE: A first for this area. www.norwichpride2009.co.uk AUGUST
1st August BELFAST PRIDE: Northern Irelands largest Pride Festival. www.belfastpride.com 2nd Aug-LEEDS PRIDE www.leedspride.com 8th Aug-CORNWALL PRIDE, TRURO: Headliners for the evening’s marquee event have already been confirmed as Hazell Dean and Rozalla, with many more to be announced..is that a reason to go or avoid? www.cornwallpride.co.uk 8th Aug-GLOUCESTSHIRE PRIDE, CHELTENHAM www.gloucestershirepride.org.uk 8th Aug-STOKE PRIDE www.gaystoke.co.uk/pride 15th Aug-SWINDON PRIDE www.swindonpride.com
16th Aug-DONCASTER PRIDE www.doncasterpride.co.uk 22nd Aug-PLYMOUTH PRIDE www.plymouthprideevent.co.uk 22nd Aug- LINCOLN PRIDE www.lincolnpride.co.uk 28th-29th Aug- CARDIFF MARDI GRAS: Come and celebrate Pride the Welsh way! The tenth Cardiff Mardi Gras is set to be the biggest and longest celebration ever...the event now attracting more people from all around the country. www.cardiffmardigras.co.uk 30th Aug- MANCHESTER PRIDE: One of the biggest Pride Festival's in the country that attract thousands of people. The actual festival runs from 21st-31st with the Parade being on the 30th. Manchester is the only place to be over the August Bank Holiday weekend. 80s sensation Bananarama have been confirmed as the opening act of the Big Weekend on Friday 28th Augus, and they'll be joined by The Whip, The Blow Wave and Booty Luv. All the clubs will open their doors and the gay epicentre of Manchester, Canal St, will be awash with gay revellers. Early bird tickets for the festival's four-day Big Weekend from 28th - 31st August cost just £12.50 plus a booking fee and are available at that price until 30th June. From 1st July tickets will cost £17.50 plus a booking fee. www.manchesterpride.com
SEPTEMBER5th Sept- READING PRIDE: Nearly 11 000 people turned out last year and all profits are poured back into the community (other Pride's could take note of this charitable action) www.readingpride.co.uk
SOURCE: www.pridelife.co.uk |
GAY PRIDE is celebrated around the globe in various ways. One of the biggest, most entertaining and colorful is the Sydney Mardi Gras (see image below) that was celebrated in early March. With a global reputation, there are also many other global Pride events well worth your attention. We gather a list of some of the better Prides around the world. Check back for regular updates or subscribe to our RSS feed.
GLOBAL PRIDESJUNE
12th-14th June LA PRIDE, USA: All are invited to come out and show their Pride at one of the most exciting PRIDE Celebrations in the country as Christopher Street West launches their latest three-year vision – “PRIDE 365: Power. Passion. Purpose.” Thousands of festival attendees are expected in the heart of West Hollywood to revel amongst world-class headlining entertainment. www.lapride.org 27th June BERLIN PRIDE, GERMANY www.csd-berlin.de 28th June NEW YORK PRIDE, USA: Festival runs from 20th to 28th with it all culminating on Sunday 28th with the Parade & March. www.nycpride.org JULY1st-5th July MADRID PRIDE, SPAIN: One of the biggest Europeamn Pride events attracting gay party goers from all around the world and defientely one of the hottest and sexisest Prides! With the Parade being on the Sat 4th July, there is also large arena styled parties plus all the clubs do events from the Friday to the Sunday. www.gaypridemadrid.com
AUGUST
16th AUG- MONTREAL, CANADA: Festival from 13th to 16th with Parade and T'Dance in the streets on the 16th. www.fiertemontrealpride.com |
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| FEATURE: PRIDE (& PREJUDICE)- UK & GLOBAL PRIDE LISTING | |
27th June- SWANSEA PRIDE: The first ever Swansea Pride will celebrate the diversity of Swansea’s community in a free one-day celebratory event. 10 000 people are expected. 
4th July-LONDON PRIDE: Last year Pride London saw 825,000 people – yes, that’s right, 825,000 descend upon London...with the countries biggest parade winding down Oxford Street and thousands celebrating in the streets of Soho and around Trafalgar Square and Leicester Square. 
25th July-NOTTINGHAM PRIDE: Officially the 7th gayest city in the UK (how do 'they' know this?), last year attracted a crowd of 14 000. Expect more this year! 
1st August BRIGHTON & HOVE PRIDE: London comes to Brighton and thousands of locals turn out for one of the funnest Pride's in the Calendar. A plethora of clubbing events surround this day out in the park at this seaside town. Highlight of the event is the colourful Pride Parade on the Saturday from Madeira Drive to Preston Park. 
15th Aug-BLACK PRIDE: UK Black Pride, (UKBP) is organization created to promote unity among Black people of African, Asian, Middle Eastern, and Latin American descent who identify as Lesbian Gay Bi-Sexual & Transgender. 
Date TBC SOHO PRIDE- London's own intimate Pride around the streets of Soho with all the venues pulling out all the stops to make this a celebration remember. Dance in Soho Square, cruise the streets and celebrate! 
6th JUNE- EUROPRIDE: ZURICH, SWITZERLAND. The European Pride Organisers Association (EPOA) has selected Switzerland, and more specificaly the city of Zürich to host the 2009 EuroPride. the first events of the EuroPride will begin on May 2nd with the opening ceremony, followed by a big party. The traditional Parade will take place in the streets of Zurich on June 6th, and between these two dates, the organisers are preparing several cultural, political and scientific events. 
5th July COLOGNE CSD (PRIDE): Together on the 5th July this year, we will demonstrate so that lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals will be finally legally equal and socially accepted. The street festival in the Cologne Old Town, the Gala Evening organised by the AIDS-Hilfe Cologne and the COLOUR party in the Lanxess Arena as well as the parade, are like each year, integral parts of the CSD weekend. And Cologne Pride, the supporting program of CSD, held over several weeks offers multi-faceted events from all areas. 
26th July COPENHAGEN PRIDE: Copenhagen Pride team up with the World Out Games as they welcome thousands of people to celebrate both. They say "Copenhagen Pride 2009 is part of World Outgames 2009, the largest LGBT event ever in Copenhagen. In their own words World Outgames is an international event for the body, the mind and the spirit. They celebrate homosexuals, bisexuals and transgender people from all over the world - and everybody is invited to take part. World Outgames 2009 takes place from 25 July to 2 August 2009. 
31st July-2nd- AUG- AMSTERDAM PRIDE, NETHERLANDS: The gay pride in Amsterdam is one of the best in the world. It has the unique floating Canal Parade through the famous Amsterdam canals. From the afternoon large outdoor streetparties and large gay dance parties later at night in the clubs.