Pride may be over, but there are still a whole host of LGBT+ events to enjoy!
We’ve had a blast as an official media partner of the Pride in London campaign this year, culminating in a grand day out at Saturday’s Pride parade. And whilst the rainbow flags may be disappearing for the time being, there are plenty of ways to keep the spirit of Pride going year-round, with any of these excellent LGBT+ events.
1. Check out South Bank Centre’s summer season
It’s been running for almost a month already, but there’s still loads to catch at South Bank’s Summer festival. Celebrating the very best LGBTQI+ artists, performers, and musicians, the programme features the likes of gender identity art exhibition Kiss My Genders, madcap, delusional cabaret in Ginger Johnson’s Happy Place, an unforgettable gig from the irrepressible Peaches, and wildly extravagant style in Jean Paul Gaultier’s Fashion Freak Show. And that’s barely scratching the surface: see the full programme here.
2. Get your skates on at the official Pride Cool Down
Rainbows may have been the prevailing weather condition last weekend, but the forecast for this Saturday is a little bit icier. That’s because Pride in London are hosting an official cool down event with QUEENS, which sees drag queens on ice, performances by the Pride’s Got Talent finalists, and food and booze from the MEATliquor team – all hosted by Crayola the Queen and her Drag Team. Peachy!
3. Visit London’s very best LGBT+ venues.
We’ve been highlighting some of the important LGBT+ places in London as part of our Pride Profiles series, so it’s high time you paid them a visit! Get lost in literature at Gay’s The Word, the iconic bookshop with a cracking backstory, head to Dalston Superstore for a drag brunch that quickly turns into a wild night out, and make a pilgrimage to Freddie Mercury’s old haunt, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern.
4. Head to Europe for more Pride celebrations
Whilst early July is high time for Pride season in the UK, many other countries hold their Pride events a little later in the summer. Known as Christopher Street Day in Germany (Christopher Street being the location of The Stonewall Inn), Berlin’s huge celebration welcomes the likes of Felix Jaehn, MIA, Mel C, and London’s very own Sink The Pink on July 27th. Alternatively, join Amsterdam’s week-long Pride festival (July 27th-August 4th), which include the famous Canal Parade, or head to Stockholm Pride (July 29th-August 3rd), where they’ll be celebrating 75 years since homosexuality was decriminalised.
PS: Handily, all three spots are in our cheap summer flights guide!
5. Pencil in a visit to London’s Queer Art & Film Festival
Running from November 12-17th, Fringe! Queer Art & Film Fest is the highlight of the queer film scene. Founded in 2011 in defiance of government cuts to the arts, they’ve made it their mission to showcase an eclectic range of LGBT+ films and stories. Though November is the prime date for your diaries, they’re very active throughout the year, with events like Jodie Foster: A Butch/Femme Appreciation and a Judy Garland double bill on tap for July.
Or if you’re still not over Saturday, check out our Pride parade picture roundup here.
Also published on Medium.