As well as established favourites such the Pride Dog Show (Saturday July 1), the LGBT+ Gaming Event at Kongs (Sunday, July 2), and Theatre and Comedy nights, this year also sees an expanded Film Festival take over the Watershed from June 30 – July 9.
With exciting features and a new shorts programme in partnership with the IRIS Prize, this year Bristol Pride (and the audience) will make selections for the Best of British selection where the winner has the chance to win £20,000 in post-production support from Elstree Studios.
Events kick off on Thursday, June 29 with an evening dedicated to exploring gender equality in the workplace with Irwin Mitchell Law Firm and LGBT+ Engineering network group InterEngineering.
Friday sees the Launch of Queer Vision, the Bristol Pride Film Festival, with an exclusive preview of Centre of My World, which is a stunning adaptation of Andreas Steinhoefel’s award-winning novel. Joyful, funny, and at times sad, this is for everyone who has ever looked for love, found it, or can’t figure out exactly what to do with it.
Other highlights in the film festival include a screening of the anarchic and inspirational Itty Bitty Titty Committee (Saturday, July 1) and Miles (Sunday, July 9) which stars Molly Shannon and Missi Pyle and tells the story of Miles who is desperate for the way to get to college and finds a volleyball scholarship exists, the only catch? His school only has a girl’s team.
The Pride Theatre Night on (Tuesday, July 4) at The Wardrobe will see two showings of a gender role reversed version of the incredibly popular Murder, She Didn’t Write by local troupe Degrees of Error. Murder He, Didn’t Write is a live improvised murder mystery which takes its lead from the audiences so expect two very different shows to get you guessing whodunnit.
Extra theatrics come from performance artist Tom Marshman who presents two outings at Pride this year with his Hot Dates with History at the Red Lodge on (Friday, June 30 and Saturday, July 1) and a special presentation of his Kings Cross (Remix) show which will be at Zion in Bedminster Down as part of Pride’s outreach programme across wider Bristol
Always a highlight to the Pride Week the Comedy event takes place on Thursday, July 6 at the Bierkeller Theatre. Artists performing this year include Bristol local and the award-winning Jayde Adams, London-based American actor and comedian David Mills who’s cocktail-lounge-lizard image belies an acerbic wit cut with fire-and-brimstone rants and Trans comedian Bethany Black who is a regular on the Edinburgh Fringe circuit and starred in Channel 4’s Banana, Tofu, Cucumber series.
Of course, the week of events is the precursor to the big weekend which this year sees Pride expanding with a new Friday night concert on the harbourside headlined Belinda Carlisle, as the iconic American pop singer celebrates 30 years since the release of her triple platinum album, Heaven On Earth. She’ll be joined on the night by Walking on Sunshine singer Katrina [Of The Waves] and electro pop duo Avec Sans.
Pop Rock band Busted will headline Pride Day on Saturday, July 8 on the Bristol Amphitheatre and At-Bristol’s Millennium Square. Amassing an incredible 8 UK top 3 hits and 4 number 1’s including What I Go To School For, Year 3000, Crashed The Wedding and Air Hostess the band have sold over 5 million albums worldwide, won 2 Brit Awards and in 2004 were awarded Record of The Year.
The team reckon this will be their biggest festival to date boasting their biggest line up for Pride Day which again includes an eclectic mix of international and local acts which sees other acts performing on Pride Day include ‘Crush’ singer Jennifer Paige, Xfactor’s Saara Aalto, 80s artist Sonia, boyband Union J, Voice finalist Jordan Gray and Charlie Hides who has been competing on the current Season 9 of international hit TV show Ru Paul’s Drag Race.
After rocking Glastonbury last year Welsh singer Charlotte Church will bring her Late Night Pop Dungeon to the Bristol Pride afterparty at the O2 Academy along with DJ’s Horse Meat Disco and local favourites Don’t Tell Your Mother.
Pride Day (July 1) will start with a parade through the city departing 11am from Castle Park. This longer parade route will pass through the city centre to give a voice to the community, combat prejudice and proudly celebrates the city’s LGBT+ communities.
Bristol Pride remains one of the UKs largest Pride events and will again be Bristol’s largest community celebration.
Pride Day is donation entry but Pride are offering £5 supporter wristbands for Pride Day which offer free travel with First Bus, money off the bars at Pride, £1 journeys with Bristol Ferrys as well as other fantastic rewards.
To purchase supporter wristbands for Pride Day and £15 early bird tickets for Bristol Pride Presents: Belinda Carlisle, click here:
For more information about Bristol Pride, click here: