A fantastic celebration as We Are: took over the Phoenix Bar for this one off special event to raise money for Bristol Pride 2013.

DJ Verity kick started the night with indie and alternative pop before Mike Pony (Horseplay Bristol) took the reigns with his usual nu-disco, indie dance and classic disco but mixed it up with his top 25 guilty pleasures including Carly Rae Jepsen and Taylor Swift!

We raised over £500 for Bristol Pride 2013 which is a great start to our 2013 fundraising.

Thousands Attend Bristol Pride 2012

After a packed week of events to celebrate Bristol Pride 2012, thousands of people joined the Pride Parade at Berkley Square and continued along Park Street onto College Green which played host to this year’s free pride festival. Led by the African Sambistas, festival organiser Daryn Carter and Bristol’s first openly gay Lord Mayor, Councillor Peter Main this was the brightest and biggest celebration in the city.

Despite being unfunded, pride organisers worked tirelessly throughout the year to put on an impressive programme of events. The pride festival itself was free this year and played host to over 40 acts over 5 performance areas including a second stage with a packed schedule of music and cabaret including members of S Club 7, X Factor’s Diva Fever and Kitty Brucknell and an impressive performance from The Lady Gaga Experience.

Main stage was a packed schedule of international and local performances with highlights included Heg Doughty and The Wolf Chorus, Meet Your Feet, Nikki Belle and Bright Light Bright Light.

Bristol Pride 2012 was Headlined by the legendary soul singer Martha Wash of The Weather Girls, C+C Music Factory and Black Box who had the audience on their feet and singing along.

Pride Night featured a further stage of great acts and live performances as well as outside DJs from Motion, Wonky, New City Sound and Another Night followed by a sell out O2 Academy takeover with Horseplay, Push The Button and Horse Meat Disco.

In a year that has seen so many other festivals cancelled Pride 2012 bucked trends and raised the roof.

Thank you to everyone that helped make Pride happen and supported this free and unfunded event.

Bristol Pride 2012 launched with events across this city with fantastic displays of colour and collaboration

Saturday morning started with an exciting Hula Hooping performance followed by a special performance by the Bristol Shakespeare Festival before Pride took over Cabot Circus as thousands of people watched a very special Flashmob.

The afternoon saw Pride bring a taste of carnival to the city with workshops and performances from Funk It Up Dance as children ranging from 8-11 performed street and hip hop dance, The Gypsy Sisters performed Rajistani Dance and a Pan African dance performance and workshop really got the crowd going and joining in.

Bristol Pride’s We Are: Proud festival is a weeklong celebration with fantastic events throughout the week to raise awareness as well as showcase the collaboration between many groups and organisations who are helping make this year’s Pride the largest Bristol has ever seen.

Local shops and businesses in the city showed their support with special events, discounts and offers and collecting donations with the special Pride rainbow ribbons.

Rt Honourable The Lord Mayor of Bristol pays tribute to Pride organisers and sponsors

The Lord Mayor of Bristol held a very special reception at the Mayoral Mansion House. Over a hundred volunteers and backers of the We Are Proud festival, which takes place on 14th July, attended the event on Tuesday evening, 3rd July. Councillor Peter Main is the city’s first openly gay Lord Mayor spoke of his delight to be hosting the first LGBT event in the Mayoral Mansion whilst thanking the Pride organisers and the volunteers and sponsors that have helped make 2012 the biggest and boldest Pride event yet.

Celebrities ranging from comedians, politicians and presenters have been pledging their support to Bristol Pride 2012 – We Are: Proud and sending a clear message of acceptance and equality.

Officially launched by the Lord Mayor of Bristol earlier this month, We Are: Proud is a weeklong celebration of the thriving LGBT community in the South West and runs from the 7th-14th July. Thousands of people are again expected to attend the colourful Pride Week with events ranging from Art, Theatre, Film, Music and Dance in venues across the city.

Messages of support for the event have come from stars such as Graham Norton, Matt Lucas, Russell T Davies and Stephen Fry who have all pledged their support and have written personal messages for Pride and for the LGBT Community in Bristol.

Stephen Fry
Sending all my love and support to Bristol Pride this year. Sorry I can’t be there but I’m sure it will be a fantastic event.
Sometimes it can seem that for every step forward the LGBT community makes in terms of acceptance and equality, we are sent two steps back by the forces of bigotry and intolerance. We only have to look around the world to see how the twin evils of nationalism and distorted religion have focused on LGBT people as the target for their hate, just as the Jews were singled out in the 20s and 30s. If that sounds hysterical and exaggerated – remember the words of Edward Burke, that “for evil to flourish all that is required is for good men to do nothing”.
Open pride, sane insistent debate and a refusal to accept a culture of bullying, taunting and hatred are as necessary now as they have ever been.

Suran Dickson
Each and every one of us have the potential to be role models; simply by being respectful and considerate members of society who happen to be LGBT. By quietly acknowledging you have a same sex partner to the dry cleaner, hair dresser or anyone else you may encounter, you are educating society and therefore making a difference for those who come after you. A role model doesn’t need to successful, good looking or rich – a role model is simply someone who communicates to LGBT young people that sexuality or gender identity are NOT a barrier to happiness and fulfilment.

Matt Lucas
As a former student who remembers going to Bristol Pride at the Watershed and watching Labi Siffre in 1995, I am delighted to know that the Pride event is still going strong, and I’m very happy to support it. I think I’ve still got that free condom somewhere, actually.

Catherine Johnson
There’s a significant line in ‘Mamma Mia!’ – “There are all kinds of families” – says Harry, a gay man to Donna, a single mother. He’s telling her to be true to herself, to celebrate her own worth and most importantly, not to feel judged by other people. That’s the message of Bristol Pride and I am 100% behind their campaign for LGBT youth. Be happy!

Graham Norton
I hope that everyone coming to Bristol Pride have a great day and an out and proud year.