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Ciaran Connolly
Ciaran Connolly
We love summertime. The weather gets nicer, the days are longer, people are happier, and there’s so much to enjoy. One event we can’t wait for is Belfast Pride, one of the biggest cross-community festivals in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Belfast Pride has been ranked as one of the best Pride events in the UK, where everyone is celebrated, and the city comes alive like never before.
This year, the festival will take place between Friday, 26 July, and Sunday, 4 August. That’s ten days of packed fun to celebrate the LGBT+ community in Belfast and worldwide.
Keep reading to discover what’s happening at Belfast Pride, its history, and more.
See our highlights video of Belfast Pride 2018 as we open parade applications for 2019! This year we want to see the biggest parade and festival ever to make a stand for Equality and we’re partnering with @gaystarnews to help spread the word. #bproud2019 https://t.co/703whcGeaI
— Belfast Pride (@belfastpride) May 14, 2019
The History of Belfast Pride
The first Belfast Pride event took place in 1991, when 100 brave people marched for equality to show their undying support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in Belfast. This was a trend taking place all around the world at the time, as people decided to take a stand in hopes of inspiring a growing gay activist movement.
Since then, the festival has come a long way. In 2017, over 50,000 people took to the streets of Belfast to show their support and love for the community. The festival is a protest and celebration of equality, diversity, and inclusion in Belfast and Northern Ireland.
With the overwhelming love and support for the annual event, Belfast Pride has been inspired to continue its work on creating a world without discrimination, where everyone, regardless of gender, sex, or orientation, has equal rights.
The annual festival has been running for over 25 years, and it has grown in popularity, with bigger events and acts and more people taking part. For 10 straight days, Belfast is turned into an explosion of colour, representing the rainbow flag adopted by the LGBT community in 1925.
Belfast Pride will host over 100 events to showcase the LGBTQ community through the arts, creativity, history, culture, and more. It’s an exciting time to have fun, soak up all the brilliant events and lively atmosphere, and learn about the everyday lives of the LGBTQ community in Belfast City.
As an independent charity, Belfast Pride relies heavily on donations to continue bringing one of the biggest pride events to Belfast. We would be grateful if you would support the charity with donations or free up your time to help organise the events so that everyone is well represented at the festival.
To find out how you can help visit their website.
Take a look at the video below, which highlights the success of the 2018 Pride event in Belfast and what you can expect from 2019’s event.
Belfast Pride Parade 2019
Although there are 10 days of events taking place in the city, the Belfast Pride parade is the one event people look forward to the most. This year is expected to be the biggest year, helping to make a clear statement that the people of Belfast are in favour of Equality for all.
The Pride parade is the biggest parade in Belfast, even beating out the popular St. Patrick day parade.
It’s the main event in the LGBT+ calendar, where you’ll get to experience incredible floats filled with colour, creativity, cool art and exciting performances. The parade is all about celebrating all that’s amazing about the LGBQ+ community in Belfast. It’s one of the most colourful days in the city, were positivity and love is all around you.
Although it offers a fun time for all, Belfast Pride is one of the most important events and just being there helps to show the world that Belfast wants to see better Equality rights for the people living here.
Pride Village
Once you’ve seen the parade, you’ll want to head to the Pride Village at Donegal Quay for more fun. There will be a pride-themed market in place, for people to enjoy delicious food, find out information about events as well as a variety of family-friendly activities.
This will include children’s entertainment, face painting, bouncy castles, music and a more relaxed atmosphere. This is where you can also connect with people from the LGBT+ community.
There will also be a party in the square at Custom Square House; this to be sure one of the highlights of the event.
There are many exciting events happening and once Belfast Pride release their 2019 guide, we’ll be sure to share with you all.
Are you planning to take part in Belfast Pride and show you support? Let us know in the comments below 🙂
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