People enjoyed the first Pride in Ramsgate event yesterday (June 1) organised by Sugar Rush from their new premises in the old WHSmith in the High Street.
The celebration for pride day, with the Progress Pride flag raised on the seafront for Pride Month, embraced diversity, protest and joy, starting with a children’s storyteller in Ramsgate library, then a colourful walking parade, where people lined the route and local businesses showed their support by decorating windows and coming out to cheer.
There was participation from businesses large and small, local people, the mayor of Margate, councillors, Pride representatives from other towns, and lgbtq+ people from all over Kent and even further afield.
There was a picnic with free food supplied and prepared by SE Kitchen, a free family festival where children and adults learned circus skills, dancing, free face painting and glitter hair, and a fantastic and Drag Queen Story Time with TV’s Poppy Love.
There were community stages with live music in Macies bar, a stand up comedy stage in the Wooden Box Cafe and powerful poetry and art in the Wooden Box Gallery. The day ended with a riotous after party featuring drag acts, a top DJ, vocalists and more stand up comedy. Team Sugar Rush organised the entire event in three weeks and say they were thrilled with how it all went.
Heidi Moran, Director of Sugar Rush and SDA CIC, said: “We could not have pulled this off without the support of the people of Ramsgate and the wider area, from tiny tots to our older population. We were definitely feeling the love, and it’s been such an affirming and emotional day for our lgbtq+ community. We have laughed and cried and had so much fun! “Now we are going to carry on renovating our building and building Thanet’s first community theatre!”
Genevieve Pepper, co director added: “It was a wonderful, magical day and we are absolutely buzzing. However, there is so much still to do in order to make lgbtq+ people safer, equally treated and celebrated! Pride is so important and the people of Ramsgate showed us in their hundreds. Watch this space – there is so much more coming!”
