Time to party: first Pride for city confirmed
After years of planning plus postponement in 2020, the first Chichester Pride is finally happening.
Co-chairman Dawn Gracie is promising an exciting celebration of Chichester’s LGBTQ+ community on May 28, setting a marker for years to come.
“After many obstacles, including a global pandemic, the team of volunteers behind Chichester Pride are forging ahead, bringing a hugely entertaining and celebratory Pride festival to life.
“This will be the first largescale Pride event to ever happen in the city, and the hope is that it puts Chichester Pride firmly on the map alongside similar events that happen across the south coast. Chichester College has shown enormous support for the project and donated the use of its premises and many facilities for the big day. A feelgood and inclusive afternoon is being planned from Drag Queen story time for children, to a full stage show involving some of the region’s top drag acts along with a colourful array of performers.
“Acts have been carefully chosen to reflect the diversity of the LGBTQ+ scene as well as showcasing some local performance groups who wholeheartedly support the need forLGBT+visibilityinChichester.”
Dawn added: “Pride historically was originally a protest that started about equal rights but over the years for many people it has become a celebration. Chichester Pride hasbeenalongtimecoming.We are the only city in West Sussex.
“We were going to do this in August 2020 and everything got put on hold. It was going to be quite a small thing at that time but now we really want to get the whole community behind us.
“We’ve had some lottery funding and we’ve got some great sponsors on board and Chichester College have gifted us the venue and it is going to be a great event.
“Chichesterisnotwellknown for the visibility of its LGBTQ+ community, but through my cabaret shows the community has started to become more visible and has started to find a space to be themselves.”
“We really want this to be a day to remember and have gone to huge lengths to get it right in our debut year so that we have a solid foundation to build on for years to come. I urge everyone from our LGBTQ+ community and allies to come along and show the world what we can do in our beautiful city with the right support and involvement from those who really care.
“Chichester, it’s time to party!”
For more details, visit chichesterpride.co.uk