Margate Pride is promising its biggest event ever as it goes into its seventh year.
Margate Pride has doubled in size each year, presenting an authentic, arts and culture based festival for the whole community to get involved in.
This year’s Pride will involve a two-week-long queer arts festival, culminating in the Pride procession where everyone is welcome to celebrate all of Thanet’s queerness and LGBTQIA+ life.
The Margate Pride Festival runs from August 5-20 and the parade along Margate seafront will be held on Saturday, August 13 at 4pm. This year it will not include floats.
Organisers are focusing on making space for the community, community groups and charities.
Amy Zing, from the Pride team, said: “We represent many intersections and want to give a platform to them by inviting community groups and charities to the parade.
“As part of our environmental commitment, we are organising a no-float parade. Vehicles are not needed to show our commitment to LGBTQIA+ rights and share the love!
“We also want to connect more to Pride’s roots as a protest march. While there are still inequalities in the world for LGBTQIA+ people, this is an opportunity to show solidarity.”
As only community groups will walk in the parade there will be no corporate or local business presence but donating to Margate Pride running a promo to support Pride, to volunteering staff for the many volunteer roles would be welcome.
We also ask businesses to sign up to our Code of Conduct and Values to demonstrate their Anyone interested in getting involved, please email: [email protected]
Oval Bandstand entertainment and rally before the parade
From 11am, the Oval Bandstand hosts performances and speeches from local queer artists and allies, including family storytime with drag queen Dame Jame, Boogie bounce dance class with Kanndiss Riley, The Neptunes Choir, Drag Energy workshops with JazBazMaz, Mx Margate performance with huge celebrity judges, then the Social Singing Choir perform. All before the not-to-miss rally with campaigner for LGBTQIA+ rights and founder of LGBT+ History month Sue Sanders, Ronnie from African Rainbow Family, Max from Not A Phase and Rob Yates deputy mayor of Margate.
The bandstand will have a BSL interpreter and also Mobiloo – an attended mobile toilet service with hoist.
Then the parade will leave at 4pm and move along the seafront towards town, ending at the clocktower, with many more events happening all over town to celebrate pride.
After parties
Sundowners will have the terrace open all day, full of wonderful drag and the best sea views in town. The Sundeck has queer disco DJs playing all day til 9pm. Dreamland has a day’s queer programming including Nimmo and Sugababes playing at sunset. Walk around the old town, most businesses have something pride related planned.
After the sunsets the party keeps on going, with locations across town hosting Pride events. Cockles and Muscles at Margate Arts Club is a pride fundraiser with DJs including GalPals, Tolu (Honey Revlon), Lanta, Dorris, Jonjo Jury, Oli Keens. And the after-after-party at the Lido Cliff Bar has KDA and Queer House Party playing til 4am.
Art events
Margate Pride’s PAM has grown to be a platform to celebrate queer artists. Turner Contemporary hosts ‘MOVED: Queer Film is a Portal’ Pride curation inhabits Quench Gallery for group show ‘Adult By Nature’. Pride Portrait Project by Elissa Cray grows the archive and is partnering with Sé Mali by delving further into queer spaces in Margate for’ The Pride factory’. Residencies, Open Calls, performance and workshops are an integral part of Margate Pride Festival. The Pride Art Map – PAM
Margate Pride partners with LGBTQIA+ Youth group ‘BeYou’ to present their exhibitions ‘I.D’ at The Margate School and this year has the third Red Flags III: Not A Phase- the Margate Pride exhibition that seeks to Represent, Educate and Disrupt, is back in collaboration with @notaphaseorg.
The ‘Brink’ Residency returns, with opportunities for emerging artists at Resort Studio featuring two exhibitions over its seven day duration..
Elissa Cray presents new portraits and landscapes building the archive of the ‘Pride portrait project in this years ‘PRIDE FACTORY’ installation. Collaborating with Sé Mali, PHD researcher of queer spaces and placemaking at UCL, the project expands to explore both the people and spaces of Margate through photography, audio, film and a series of community happenings.
Stephen Daly presents his photographic series ‘The Art of Drag’ in multiple empty shop windows on the High Street.
Hotel Michele gallery presents ‘Les Painters’, an exhibition by three queer female artists: Kavel Rafferty, Jane Dinmore and Mia Pollak.
Davy Pittors gallery presents ‘Proclaimer’ a new film and works by Lo Lo No.
Sister Joan salon presents new site specific work by Margate Pride poster artist Jenny Boat.
Tom Thumb Theatre hosts a night of queer cinema curated by Ruby Rare.
Margate Queer Writers present ‘Memory 2021’, a collection of photographs and text recorded each day throughout July 2021..
Private View: 1 July 2022, 6pm at The Margate Caves
The Pride Fundraiser Quiz is happening on July 14 at Cliftonville Community Hall, hosted by Pink Suits, with the now legendary ‘clay round’ judged by BBC 2’s Keith Brymer Jones, plus an auction of incredible local talent prizes.
This year’s programme is supported by Arts Council England, The National Lottery’s Awards for All, Social Enterprise Kent, Kent County Council, Spacehive Crowdfunder with the support of the Margate community, local businesses and individuals.
Find more at margatepride.org.uk