Warwickshire Pride returning to Leamington this weekend with stalls, activities and entertainment

The annual festival, which celebrates lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT+) life and culture, will take place in the Pump Room Gardens in Leamington on Saturday August 17.

Warwickshire Pride is a free festival and will take place from 11am to 6pm and the organisers said it will be “the biggest and best festival to date”.

This year’s the Warwickshire Pride team has chosen ‘Pride is a Protest’ as the theme. Organisers said this is because of rising hate towards LGBT+ people, and especially trans communities.

As Pride was founded as a protest, the organisers said they feel it still needs to be a protest.

The festival will once again have a Pride march that will start off the event by parading through Leamington town centre.

The march is free for members of the public to take part in and will start at 11am.

The route is; Beauchamp Road, Clarendon Avenue, the Parade, Dormer Place and the Pump Room Gardens.

Anyone taking part can gather between 9am and 11am on the day in Beauchamp Road.

On the day, there will be more than 100 stalls, fairground rides for children and adults, food stalls, a bar, a trans tent, bi tent, youth tent, education tent, and a stage featuring live entertainment.

There will also be a dog show, silent disco, talks and workshops, and National Grid’s Power Discovery Zone, where festival goers can learn about saving money on electricity bills.

Headlining Warwickshire Pride this year is Drag Syndrome, the world famous drag collective of performers with Down’s Syndrome.

Other acts include house music diva Amrick Channa, Muslim drag queen Asifa Lahore, Leamington’s artist Sassi Afrika, and local performers such as Mikaela Moody and Bambi Bang Bang.

Warwickshire Pride’s Chair of Trustees, Daniel Browne, said: "After an incredible festival last year, we’re excited to be bringing Pride to Leamington once again.

"While this is of course a celebration of LGBT+ life and culture, Pride is also a protest.

"LGBT+ people are still discriminated against and even in Leamington there has recently been some really horrific things happening to LGBT+ people, and especially trans people.

"It shows why Pride is still needed and why support for the LGBT+ community needs to be year round.

"Yes, we have this one day event, but actually we’re here all year providing support to the community.

"As for the festival, we have the Pride March returning and lots happening at the Pump Room Gardens.

"All people are welcome to get involved and join in, whether you are LGBT+ or not. Pride is for everyone and allies are important.

"There is lots happening for people of all ages to enjoy, with inclusion and accessibility being at the heart of it all.”

This year’s festival has been sponsored by National Grid, Mister V, Coventry Building Society, Third Kind Games, The Cycle Recycler, Telent, Ridleys Coaches, Bravissimo, Net Visibility, The Keys, Glitzy Vintage Jewellery, and Nixon Acupuncture.

For more information about the festival and the Warwickshire Pride organisation go to: www.warwickshirepride.co.uk