Pride week

Pride Week is the biggest and brightest week on the Bristol LGBT calendar and is carefully curated to include events suitable and appealing for everyone with the focus on reflecting the passions and enthusiasms of Bristol’s LGBT community.  The week is a significant showcase of LGBT culture and creativity with a smidgeon of irreverence and fun on the side for good measure. 

The Pride Hub has been open since June and will remain open until Pride Day. Anyone looking for information about or tickets for Pride Week events and shows and Pride Day can just pop into the Hub, which will be open daily until 6 and the volunteers there will be able to assist. 

Pride Week begins on July 2 with a preview of artist Patrick Staff’s new work Tom of Finland at Spike Island. Staff is known for creating monumental, ambitious work, which examines how counterculture exists and thrives within and in relation to the mainstream. This show is the result of Staff working closely with the Tom of Finland Foundation in Los Angeles. The Foundation maintains an archive of the work and influence of the legendary homo-erotic artist. 

Sticking with the visual arts Friday July 3 sees the Pride LGBT Film week Queer Vision open at the Watershed with a special launch event. Queer Vision is a year round festival of LGBT feature, short and animated films and Bristol Pride week is their flagship season. Bristol Roller Derby join Pride on the 3rd for the stunning documentary In The Turn which focuses on 10-year-old Canadian transgender girl Crystal finding a place where she is accepted as herself and empowered within international roller derby collective the Vagine Regime. 

After the launch event if you’re still in the mood for a party pop down to the Shilling for regular Pride Fundraiser The Power Hour which will also feature a Pink tribute act. 

The official Pride Launch Party will be held at the Square Club on Saturday July 4 and have a 1930s Berlin cabaret theme. Dressing the part is strongly encouraged at this night of Weimar indulgence. 

After a thoroughly decadent Saturday night Sunday July 4 sees the return of the hugely popular and fun filled Pride Dog Show at Make Sunday Special. There will be categories for the friendliest dog, the dog with the waggiest tail, the best coat and many more, the top-three pooches and their owners will receive prizes and rosettes 

Sunday July 4 is also the launch day for the LGBT computer gamers social at the Pride GAYming event at Kongs of King Street. The Pride team was asked if they could create and LGBT gaming group and, unsurprisingly, they have done just that. The event is supported by the Bristol Video Games Social and is open to all gamers. 

Pride in Bristol has always commissioned theatre and this year is no different. They have teamed up again with the Bierkeller Theatre to produce and present six original pieces covering a diverse selection of LGBT issues and experiences on Wednesday July 8.  

This year’s Bristol Pride Comedy Night is produced by long standing LGBT networking groups Indigo and Members. The show is at a brand new comedy venue Laughs in Millennium Square on Thursday July 9 and features an incredible line-up. Headliner the award winning Zoe Lyons will be familiar to viewers of Mock The Week, Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow and listeners to BBC Radio 4, Radio 2, Five Live and 6Music. Her acerbic observational comedy is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Also on the bill is newcomer Joe Sutherland whose catty quips and one-liners are making waves on the comedy circuit. And finally Bristol’s very own Jayde Adams, a comedic force of nature who won the Funny Women award last year. Jayde’s shows include rap, body popping, raucous jokes, sharp observation and much more. 

Friday July 10 is the date for the second thespian event of Pride Week namely A Midsummer Night’s Rocky Horror. This very special collaboration with the Bristol Shakespeare Festival will include open-air performances in Castle Park from A Midsummer Night’s Dream and interactive and acrobatic performances from Circomedia graduates. These performances will be based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream characters who get caught up in some Rocky Horror shenanigans. The evening also includes a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the gender bending cult classic and will feature a screening of the film in the Park. 

And after Pride Week comes Pride Day.

www.pridebristol.co.uk