Liverpool Pride Fringe Festival Announced!

Liverpool Pride has announced its exciting 2012 Fringe Festival. The month long mix of sporting, arts, cultural and spiritual events and will take place from Fri 27th July – Sun 26th August. The Fringe Festival offers a perfect way to connect, engage with and take part in LGBT happenings across the city, occurring in addition to main festival day on Saturday 4th August and the LGBT Film Festival, which was announced last month.

Queertet 2012: Theatre with Pride

The festival opens with Queertet 2012: Theatre with Pride at The Lantern Theatre on Fri 27 & Sat 28 July. Grin Productions presents four LGBT theme plays packaged up into one evening and produced especially for Liverpool Pride, with hosts Drew and Lewis from Channel 4’s My Transsexual Summer.

Set in a gaysauna, Sweats, written and directed by Wes Williams, is the first production of the evening. The play explores friendship, lust and sticky floors in no apparent order. Madam Reprobate (right), a warm hearted comedy written by Patrick Maguire Directed by Natasia Hodge proves that It’s always a fraught time introducing the new man in your life to your mother, especially when you have good reason to feel the way that you do.

Linda and Sue; a brand new play written by Chris Christou and directed by Michelle Taylor was specially commissioned for Queertet 2012 and explores what it takes to love a woman. The final play is Half A Bottle Gone written by Ian Walker directed by Rachael White. Three friends, one night, bottle(s) of wine and a few shared secrets, except one of the guys has a big secret (and he may need more wine after tonight!

Simon James of Grin Productions said: "We are delighted to be staging Queertet 2012, the first ever live theatre event associated with Liverpool Pride, as part of their fringe festival. Queertet highlights the wealth of writing, directing and acting talent in Liverpool in celebration of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Communities. Humorous, heart warming and evocative, Queertet is the perfect precursor to the main Pride event the following weekend. Everybody involved in the production couldn't be more excited and tickets are selling very fast and already far exceed our expectations. Pride promises to be even bigger and bolder this year and we can't wait to join in with the celebrations!"

Tickets: £7.50/£6.00 - Book at the Lantern Theatre, 57 Blundell St, Liverpool L1 0AJ or by calling 0151 703 0000.

The performances include frequent nudity, strong language and scenes of an adult nature. Not suitable for under 18’s.

Stanley Street Quarter Sports Day

Sat 28th July sees the inaugural Stanley Street Quarter Sports Day burst into life. Tying in with the first official day of competition at the 2012 Games, the Stanley Street Quarter Sports Day is part of the Inspired Programme for London 2012. For one day only Stanley Street will be transformed into a proverbial sporting arena with events such as Tug of War, Zumba, Football and Basket Ball for the LGBT Community, their friends and family to get active and take part in some fun sports and games.

The undoubted highlight of the day will be the first ever Liverpool Drag Race, which will set off at 12pm. The drag race is a race like no other, hundreds of local gay, bi and straight men are expected to turn out for the ultimate high heeled road race around the Stanley St Quarter, complete with their best dresses and beautiful tresses. The Drag Race is £15 to take part In aid of Claire House Children’s Hospital.

There is still time to sign up for the Drag Race! To get involved email Dan Thomas at: dant@claire-house.org.uk or call (0151) 343 0883. To get involved in any of the other sports or to enter your team into the football competition, please email paul.amann@liverpool.gov.uk.

The Stanley Street Sports day will raise money for Claire House Children’s Hospital, Sefton’s Guide Dogs Association and Liverpool Pride.

Jayne Dixon from Claire House said: “It’s such a great cause, so come on boys ditch the suits and get out the glitter and sequins.”

Question Time

The LGBT Community takes its first steps into open debate with the It’s LGBT Liverpool with Hope LGBT Question Time event at FACT on Tue 31st July, from 5.30pm. Representatives from each political party, Liverpool Pride and the Stanley St Quarter will take part in a panel style event answering yourquestions. All are welcome to discuss plans, give their opinions and learn about the future of the LGBT community in Liverpool, LGBT Human Rights to nightlife and ideas for Liverpool Pride.

Liverpool Pride Interfaith Service

Friday 3rd August sees the annual Liverpool Pride Interfaith Service take place at the Friends Meeting House in Liverpool City Centre. The service will include a meal, a chance to make new friends before the big day and an exhibition featuring Tremaine Cornish and 20 Women Artists, with performances from the LGBT Choir.

Gay Gardens

The Gay Gardens event returns for a second annual outing at the Bluecoat on Sun 5th August. The perfect chill out experience after the main festival day, everyone is invited to join in an afternoon of art activities, delicious food and games including a chance to contribute to Biennial artist Jemina Wyman'swork Collective Coverings, Communal Skin. This is preceded by the third annual Big Gay Brunch, also taking place at the Bluecoat in addition to Tate Liverpool, the perfect way to rejuvenate yourself after the festival the day before and connect with new and old friends alike.

Love Music Hate Homophobia

The Pride Weekend will be brought to a fitting close with the Love Music Hate Homophobia event at Leaf on Liverpool’s Bold St. This chilled out evening of music and entertainment will comprise of purely homegrown talent and will raise funds for the Michael Causer Foundation.

Liverpool Pride: All On Board Exhibition

Costumes and photos from this year’s Liverpool Pride will be on display as part of the Liverpool Pride: All On Board exhibition, which will be displayed at FACT throughout the month of August (Wed 8 - Mon 27). This colourful exhibit will be made up from photos, costumes and other memorabilia from this year’s festival. If you’d like to donate or loan your outfit or photos then contact us at liverpoolpride.co.uk/contact. All On Board has been created in association with Orb Events, AND Festival and FACT

Liverpool Pride at the Movies –The Line Up

9th August: 8.30pm: Romeos (15)
No ordinary boy-meets-boy story, Sabine Bernardi's film looks at the turbulent world offemale to male gender reassignment,exploding preconceptions of gender identity and its correlations to sexuality. Subtitled.

16th August: 8.30pm: North Sea Texas (15)
North Sea Texas is the feature film debut from cult director Bavo Defurne, whose short films, loveletters to the male form and soaked with lush visuals, have garnered fans from across the globe – drawing comparisons to Pierre et Gilles, Herbert List, Dreyer and Eisenstein. Subtitled.

23rd August: 8.30pm: Circumstance (15)
Winner of the 2011 Sundance Audience Award, Circumstance is a thrilling exposé of an Iranian culture rarely seen. Maryam Keshavarz`s directorial debut has blazed a promising trail at film festivals the world over, challenging audience’s pre-conceived perspectives of a society and how women can defy the rules imposed upon them, despite the dangers they face. Subtitled

30th August: 8pm: Bashment (18)
Rikki Beadle-Blair (FIT, Kick Off) is back with a bang with this hard-hitting urban drama adapted from his stage play exploring the intersection of race, sexuality and music. Starring stand-up comedian and MTV presenter Joel Dommett in his first lead role performance as JJ and a host of Team Angelica regulars, Bashment is like nothing you have seen before.

6th Sept: 8.30pm: Leave It On The Floor (18)
High flying and low down, 'Leave it on the Floor' is a one of a kind celebration - a gay African-American musical about finding your true family. A glorious musical set in the Los Angeles VogueBall scene. Stylish, fierce and fabulous, introduced by Liverpool’s sensational House of Suarez, who will give a flavour of the Twisted Fairytales Vogue Ball, to take place in the city this October.

Liverpool Pride Festival

The Liverpool Pride festival itself will take place at Liverpool Pier Head and in the city’s Gay Quarter on Saturday 4th August.

Liverpool Pride is the UK’s biggest FREE Gay Pride festival outside of London. In just two years, Liverpool Pride has established itself as one of the major highlights in the city and the wider LGB&T community’s summer calendar. Bursting onto the scene in 2010, the inaugural Liverpool Pride festival attracted over 20,000 people, which was doubled to over 44,000 in 2011.

For 2012 Festival organisers are promising the best event yet, a festival which Liverpool’s LGB&T community is proud of, attracting people from across the country to experience the diverse culture of one of Europe’s most exciting cities.

Make sure you check out liverpoolpride.co.uk, @LiverpoolPride on Twitter and search Liverpool Pride on Facebook to have your say and for all of the latest pride news.

The Liverpool Pride Fringe Festival is kindly supported by Liverpool 2020 Decade of Health and Wellbeing.

A little about Liverpool Pride…

Liverpool Pride is the official pride festival by and for the Liverpool lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LBGT) communities. In 2010 it was a two day event with one day festival held on 7th August 2010 and a ‘Chill Out Sunday’ on 8th August with a range of cultural and sporting events across the city.

The date was chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the death of Michael Causer. Before confirming the date organisers took into account the date ofother events in the city, festival organisers are also happy to confirm that the festival does not clash with any major pride festival including Brighton and Hove Pride which this year will take place on August 13th.