Gay Pride Summer

Can you hear the sound of drums & whistles?

 Has your local Dickies sold out of hi-vis jackets?

 Is your city centre shutting down for the weekend?

 Yes?

Pride season has arrived and it's been a pretty momentous year for same-sex couples. After all, there was the small thing about same-sex marriage becoming legal.

Not that we made a big deal out of it...

 Of course, pride isn't just about the LGBT community (although, this still dominates) it's inclusive for all. Pride is about tolerance and community and includes everyone, no matter sexual preference, gender, religion or skin colour.

And chances are there's a pride happening near you. We've selected a few that we think will offer the best experience and the biggest party. We can't list all of them (literally there's so much going on) but keep an eye on our social media as we'll keep you updated.

Unfortunately, there's already been a casualty of the season: Pinkfields Festival at Cuckold Carr Farm has been re-scheduled for the end of August. If you purchased tickets you can either get a free VIP ticket upgrade for the new date or get a full refund. For more information keep an eye on their website.

Birmingham Pride 24 - 25th May


Birmingham Pride takes place in Birmingham City Centre in the centre of the city's gay district: Hirst Street. There are some big names performing over the weekend including Katy B, Duke Dumont, Conor Maynard, Foxes, Gabrielle, Stooshe, Ms Dynamite & S Club.

Book in advance for a £10 day ticket or pay £15 on the gate. Weekend tickets are also available.

For more information click here

Bristol Pride 7th June 

Part of a ten day festival that's right in the heart of Bristol, Bristol Pride is a free-to-attend event with a parade at the heart of celebrations. Groups and individuals are free to march in the parade with prizes awarded for best costumes. On the main stage there will be DJs, speeches and live music.

Entry is free.

For more information click here

Blackpool Pride 14th - 15th June

Free-to-attend event which is running alongside the European Same-Sex Dance Championship. There's a parade too, which individuals and groups are welcome to join. You can fill in a parade application pack from their website. The Krankees and Fifth Story (from ITVs Big Reunion) will be in attendance as well.

Entry is free

For more information click here

London Pride in London Parade 28th June

Part of a week of events celebrating LGBT life. This parade shuts down half of the West End and is free-to-attend. Last year 15,000 joined the parade with 200,000 people packed into Soho. Check out the website for details of all the events happening around the capital (there's quite a few).

Entry is free

For more information click here

North Wales Pride 4 - 5th July


This is a small community run pride festival in North Wales and this year features music from Marcus Collins (X-factor) and Alys Williams (The Voice). Camping is available and families are welcome.

Entry is £10 (access all weekend) or £7 to include 2 nights camping. Under 18s are free provided they are accompanied by a responsible adult.

For more information click here

Glasgow Pride 19th July - 3rd August

This is Scotland's largest LGBT celebration and the lineup doesn't disappoint: Blue, Lucy Spraggan, Heather Peace and Angie Brown are just a few of the names performing on July 19th. There will be a cabaret stage, a funfair and a youth stage. The atmosphere should be electric as it coincides with the Commonwealth Games.

Entry is £5.50 (includes a 50p booking fee). Under 13s are free.

For more information click here

Belfast 2nd August 

The theme for this year's pride is Diverse. Equal. Proud. The website is currently down for development, but you can access their social media pages for more information. Lots of dancing and colour that starts at Belfast City Hall.

Entry is free

For more information click here






(Photo credit) By Till Krech from Berlin, Germany (we are international  Uploaded by perumalism) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

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