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Peterborough Pride 2018

The end of June sees a new introduction to the city’s festival calendar with Peterborough Pride – a week-long party of 30 events, performances, film screenings, talks, club nights and picnic that celebrate the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexuals + (LGBTQIA+) community in Peterborough. The programme runs in venues across the city from Friday 29 June to Friday 6 July and is open to everyone. Moment Magazine is delighted to give you a sneak preview of some of the highlights...

Kick starting the week of events on Friday 29 June will be Scottee and Friends – a garden party with a difference at Metal (Chauffeurs Cottage). Metal’s artist in residence Scottee brings us a night of high camp, alternative comedy, performance, drag, cake, punch and slightly weird stuff!

For those who like a good dance, Mixology welcome back DJ legend Sidney Charles to the Red Room on Friday 29 too for a special late-night Pride event of techno and house stompers until dawn. You can continue the party throughout the week with the best dancefloor sounds. The Light Box Café bring us Icons of Gay Disco on Saturday 30 – a celebration of the iconic DJ’s/producers from the 1970’s New York scene. On Tuesday 3 join all the regulars at the fabulous Tuesgays at Solstice for a night of special Pride events and Ritzy Crackers returns to Embrace at the Met Lounge on the Thursday 5.

On Sunday 1 July, Metal and the Key Theatre invite you to a fabulous double bill starting with ‘For Only An Hour’, the new theatre work by Sardoville exploring childhood dreams, pop culture and growing up queer, danced to a hilarious soundtrack of Angela Lansbury, Delia Smith and Bette Midler. This is followed by Drag Bingo with award winning Drag King Louis Cyfer. Eyes down for an evening of glamour, songs, wonderful prizes and general madness. The rules are the same but be warned the game could get dirty!

For the film-buffs you can get your fill almost every night. The Key Theatre start the week with Call Me By Your Name on Monday 2, a sensual and transcendent tale of first love, based on the acclaimed novel by André Acimanare. On Tuesday 3 see the screening of Desert Hearts – an intimate lesbian romance set in 1950s Nevada, and Friday 6 invites us to navigate the intimate and fragile moments between Princess Cyd and Katie during a summer of love in Chicago. Cine Sister, the international alternative short film night also returns to Chauffeurs Cottage on Wednesday 4 July with an evening of the best of radical shorts made by female-identifying filmmakers. The Key Theatre is also delighted to bring a special live screening from London’s Apollo Theatre of the Olivier award winning Everybody’s Talking About Jamie to Peterborough Pride on Thursday 6 July. Based on a true story this is the best new musical for today.

For the family, join Inclusive Peterborough for Rainbow Storytime at Central Library on Saturday 30 or for those interested in fostering or adoption TACT Peterborough are hosting a special Pride conference to give the LGBTQIA+ community the opportunity to find out more at The Fleet on Saturday 30 too. There is a free Pink Picnic for all at The Green Backyard on Sunday 1 July and Soul Happy Wellbeing Centre are inviting us all to work on our inner self with a series of Pride workshops throughout Wednesday 4th from Rainbow Yoga to Meditation and Laughter workshops at their centre on Cowgate.

Metal invites you to drop in to Chauffeurs Cottage for a cuppa and a browse in the Pride Reading Room. Set up like a reference library, the Reading Room offers a host of books and films for, about or by LGBTQIA+ writers, film makers, artists and photographers. It’s open all week. Inclusive Peterborough and Aces, Aros and Enbies of Peterborough have joined up to launch the ‘Pride Pit Stop’, taking over the Vivacity shop in Queensgate to promote better public awareness and understanding of various queer identities, and the issues affecting members of the community. The shop is open throughout the week so drop in to find out more.

St John’s Church’s Tuesdays til 2 asks ‘Can you be Christian and Gay?’. Of course! But for many years, guest speaker Jayne Ozanne believed the two were incompatible and tried desperately to change her sexuality. Now she is out and proud, and thanks God for making her the woman she is! Come and hear her story on Tuesday 3. Peterborough Inclusive Church also have a special Pride service at St Mary’s Church on Sunday 1st with special guest non-binary pastor Rev Peta Evans and Peterborough born Rev. Jak Davis.

Peterborough Feminist Book Club welcome guest speaker Chardine Taylor-Stone to review Sista – a ground-breaking UK-based anthology of writings by and about same gender loving women of African/Caribbean descent on Monday 2 at Chauffeurs Cottage.

The week is rounded off with Freak Speak and The Broadway joining forces to bring you a night to remember on Friday 6. Freak Speak is a triple threat of radical poetry, heavenly drag and total party vibes for a night of outlandish spoken word entertainment. Headliner Velma Celli celebrates the most iconic drag moments of film, stage and popular culture direct from sell-out performances in Australia and across the UK.

It’s a packed week of activities supported by the whole community. So, block out your diary from 29 June to 6 July and get some sleep because this festival is going to be BIG! You can find out more details, including how to book, by picking up a brochure from any of the city centre participating venues, cafes or Tourist Information. Details can also be found on Peterborough Pride UK Facebook page and Metalculture.com website.

Finally, a huge thank you has to go to the LGBTQIA+ community and all the Pride partners for making this such a great festival!

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