Bristol to hold first Pride festival
Bristol will hold its first full Pride festival this summer.
The city has held gay events before, such as the annual Bear Fiesta, but a Pride festival in 2007 had to be cancelled due to a lack of funds.
It is estimated that the city has a large lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans population of around 40,000.
The Bristol Evening News reports that the event will kick off on August 14th and attractions will include a film festival, club nights, talks, shows and community events.
The biggest event of the festival will be Pride Day on Saturday August 21st in Castle Park.
Pride director Dr Anna Rutherford told the newspaper: “Bristol is a vibrant and wonderful city, with a real appreciation of diversity.
“However, despite its large LGBT population, Bristol has to date been one of the few large cities to lack a Pride festival.
“This year, a professional and passionate team have become the beating heart of Pride Bristol. Together we are working around the clock to develop a Pride to be proud of, for 2010 and years to come. Pride is for everyone and benefits cities both socially and financially.”
The event has the support of Bristol city council and organisers are appealing for volunteers and businesses to get involved.
This summer, Liverpool will be hosting its first Pride festival in more than a decade.
In the last two years, the city has been plagued by a string of homophobic attacks.
