Margate Pride is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a packed programme planned for this year.
The festivities begin at 10am on Saturday 8th August at the Walpole Bay Lawns with Family Pride. Storytime with Lennie, Family Rave & Silly Olympics with Chris, stalls, community choirs and the first of the rally speakers.
At 1pm, there will be a march from Walpole By Lawns, along the seafront making its way to Dreamland. From 2pm, the festivities continue at the Scenic Stage with the annual Mx Margate pageant, more rally speakers, DJs and performances.
Community stalls will be set up throughout the park, Margate Pride Merch will be available and there will be the third year of the Margate Youth Pride.
For precise timings and further event details, visit the website at margatepride.org.uk The event is free but people are asked to register attendance.
All are welcome at Margate Pride day to join the LGBTQIA+ community, their allies and families.
The parade does not feature floats or vehicles, except for those necessary for safety or accessibility with the aim being to create an inclusive and level playing field for all participants and a commitment to the environment by not encouraging unnecessary use of vehicles.
The march includes community groups, local organisations, charities and individuals, each with their own messages of protest and solidarity.
Margate Pride is an arts-led celebration, and the Margate Pride Festival officially begins on Friday 31st July. Throughout the following month, Margate will host a programme, including performances, gigs, screenings, workshops, talks and exhibitions.
The Margate Pride Art Map will involve dozens of LGBTQIA+ artists exhibiting in spaces across the town, including artist Valerie Potter who will be exhibiting at Projects Kavel Rafferty, where community art and craft workshops will also be scheduled.
The Open Call Gallery commission will run again this year, with the call being for an LGBTQIA+ artist over 55.
British singer-songwriter and musician Patrick Wolf will be playing a night of Queer Folk at ARK cultural space. Poet in Residence Kit Griffiths will work towards a short film celebrating 10 years of Margate Pride that will premiere on Pride Day.
The annual Pride Eve performance at the Turner Contemporary this year will be ‘Queer Me & the Sea’, bringing members of the community together to share their connections with our coastline.
The Queer Ecologies project will continue to run throughout with workshops and volunteer opportunities in a new community garden space.
There will also be a screening of the Out Laws documentary at ARK, celebrating resistance and queer rights activism against Namibia’s criminalisation of same sex love.
Throughout the festival and beyond, an intergenerational project will celebrate and invest in the LGBTQ+ community through training, archiving, and research while a public programme will engage the wider community, raising awareness of the region’s rich queer heritage.
Partnering with Margate Radio, Bishopsgate Institute, Queer Heritage South and Margate Queer Library and Archive, legacy outcomes will include a radio series/podcast as well as a zine and archive.
Every year, Margate Pride commissions a queer artist to design its poster. This year’s poster has been designed by longtime supporter of Margate Pride, Rachael House.
A Pride spokesperson said: “ As we celebrate our 10th year, we want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the local businesses that continually support Margate Pride’s year-round efforts.
“Come August, you can hardly find a shop without a Pride Progress flag proudly on show, displaying the town’s wholehearted embrace and care for its queer community and visitors.
“Margate Pride’s town-wide festival ensures an inclusive and welcoming experience for all visitors, showcasing the very best of Margate’s artistic, queer, and celebratory spirit.
“We encourage anyone to get in touch and get involved at [email protected] ”
Businesses can offer support from donating to Margate Pride, running a promo on an item it sells in the run-up, or during Pride weekend to support the work, to volunteering staff for the many volunteer roles needed to make Pride the safe and celebratory festival it is.
A ‘Friend of Margate Pride’ scheme is being launched. To get involved, email: [email protected]
Shame the guy from Sundowners won’t be able to attend this year.
Most unfortunate!
Drat! I’m busy that day.
We’ve been to some brilliant Pride events with really good entertainment, especially Canterbury pride,but looking at the programme of events at Margate it just looks dull !
with all that we read and see in he media , this sort of behaviour should not be encouraged . i will make sure i am a long way from margate whilst this malarkey is going on . and i would encourage other straight people with children to do the same
What malarkey? People enjoying themselves? My god that’s terrible imagine people in Thanet enjoying themselves bringing money to local traders such an awful thing!
typo in my above comment , before the english teachers start whining
Brainwashing event for the children is all it is, maybe the old owner of sundowners is watching it from his cell that he has got for the next 28 years the dirty pedophile Duncan bayles
And what brainwashing do you think goes on?
thanet lad , i feel your excellent comment sums this charade up perfectly – well reported
Celebrating prurience.