This year Bristol Pride sees the festival expand to a full two weeks of events across the city celebrating Pride.
Running from July 2-15, the main Pride Day festival will take place on Saturday, July 14 on the Bristol Harbourside, with the festival taking place across the Amphitheatre, Waterfront Square, and We The Curious’ Millennium Square.
First wave acts include Indie Britpop punk band Republica fronted by the iconic and fiery Saffron, electro-pop duo Avec Sans, dance sensation and N-Trance front singer Kelly Llorenna, Lloyd Daniels, Laurent John along with tributes to Pink and Madonna all performing on the main stage which is sponsored by headline sponsor Unite Students.
Other stages at the festival include a jam-packed cabaret stage with some of the UK’s top performers flocking to Bristol to perform and the Dance Performance stage featuring local and national dancers and workshops with styles ranging from hip hop, salsa to street dance.
Pride Day starts with the Parade departing from Castle Park at 11am, snaking its way around the city with a giant 50 metre rainbow flag. Last year over 7000 people took part in the parade with even more lining the streets to cheer everyone on.
New events for 2018 include poetry, a talk on the science of gender and sexuality in the natural world, and a 24-hour LGBT+ game jam ahead of the popular gaming event at Kongs Bar.
The award-winning Pride Film Festival, Queer Vision, returns with screenings taking place in the Watershed including a special evening partnered with IRIS Prize, where Bristol Pride (and the audience) make selections for the Best of British competition and the winner on the night will have the chance to win £20,000 in post-production support from Elstree Studios. Submissions for shorts are still open.
One of the highlights is sure to be a specially curated circus evening in partnership with Circomedia where LGBT+ circus and acrobatic performers will dazzle with amazing skills while exploring themes that affect and celebrate the community.
Pride night will again see Pride takeover the O2 academy and feature LGBT+ clubnights and DJs come together for one night only with rooms curated by Don’t Tell Your Mother, LGBT+ PoC night KIKI and London club behemoths Savage Disco, a creation of party makers Sink the Pink, headlining the main arena.
Now adopted into the Bristol Cultural Investment Programme as a Key Arts Provider for the city Pride will be expanding their investment in accessibility at the festival and will have British Sign Language interpreters across all stages at the festival this year, with support from UWE Bristol.
The team will also be developing wider channels to celebrate the intersectionality and diversity of the LGBT+ Communities in partnership with KIKI Bristol, St Paul’s Carnival and local disability charities.
Named in the top 3 reason people visited Bristol in 2016, nominated for a 2018 National Diversity Award and shortlisted for Best Pride in 2017 by the Boyz Award, Bristol Pride remains free entry and one of the UK’s largest Pride events and one of the largest festivals in Bristol.
Without core funding to put Pride on the event relies purely on sponsorship and donations to the event happen.
Entry to Pride Day is by a suggested donation of £3 and Pride offers a £5 supporter wristband to keep the festival going and offer great rewards, including all day free travel with First Bus, money off the onsite bars, and £1 journeys with Bristol Ferrys as well as other fantastic offers.
For up to date information on artists appearing, events and supporter wristbands including a very limited number of VIP tickets, click here:
