Thousands expected at Foyle Pride 2024 parade with host of events under way

The parade departs from outside the North West Transport Hub at 2pm on Saturday, August 24, with people being asked to assemble from 1pm.

The route this year will again be along Duke Street, Craigavon Bridge, Carlisle Road, Ferryquay Street, and then down Shipquay St into Guildhall Square, where the celebrations continue from 3pm with live music from Susie BluE, BOa CHITTA followed by a DJ set. Host for the event will be Phil T Georgeous. There will be a quiet space in the Guildhall.

A Family Fun Afternoon will take place simultaenously at the embankment behind the Guildhall on Saturday from 3pm to 5pm.

The event is being staged in partnership with HERe NI, with face painters and arts and crafts, while the Makey Uppers will be delivering an interactive storytelling performance of ‘Mystery Bag’.

The final day of the festival on Sunday will see the Mark Ashton Memorial Picnic taking place at St Columb’s Park from 4pm, followed at 8pm by the closing event at Bennigans. This Intimate Evening with Miss Mary Jane will feature special guests and live music and entry is free.

But before all that there is a packed programme of events under way with numerous workshops, exhibitions and creative events taking place.

An Chroi Community Hub on Trench Road meanwhile is currently hosting the The Queering the North exhibition, which was largely inspired by the donation of Tarlach MacNiallais’ LGBT+ archive to the Museum of Free Derry.

A spokesperson for Pride said: “Without the archive, and his enthusiasm for the exhibition, it may never have happened.

"Sadly, Tarlach passed away on April 1, 2020 after contracting Covid 19. A tireless campaigner for human rights, he fought on many fronts, including LGBT+ rights. May everything he fought for be achieved in his memory.”

The Queering the North exhibition is dedicated to Tarlach.

Tonight, Tuesday will see the doors open on Chloe’s Boudoir from 7pm to 11pm at The Light Space, Unit 1 Robinson Business Park, Pennyburn, offering ‘a safe, confidential, and relaxing space where you can spend time feeling as feminine and beautiful as possible’.

Queercal Comhrá at The Derby Bar on Great James Street on Tuesday from 8.30pm is offering the chance to practise Irish for both beginners and fluent speakers.

Other highlights include Pride Monologues on Wednesday, August 21 at 8pm at Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin, admission is £10 / £8.

The ‘Creative Queers: Art Market’ takes place on Thursday at the Millennium Forum from 12pm to 4pm and there will be a Queer Clothes Swap on Thursday also at CCA on Artillery Street from 6pm to 8pm. A stitch and social Queer Craft Club will run at the same time in the same place and is open to people with all levels of experience and none.

Following this on Thursday night, Dublin comedy star Sinéad Walsh will be performing at the Chicken Box Comedy at Bennnigans at 8:30pm.

Speaking ahead of the festival launch, Foyle Pride chair Mel Bradley said: “Foyle Pride is one of, if not, the longest standing non-corporate grassroots pride organisations and I am incredibly proud to hold the position of chairperson this year.

"Our theme this year is Community: Local & Global, and we’ve been focusing on what community means. I have been reflecting a lot on how

the LGBTQIA+ community is so unique in how it encompasses so many identities all mixed into one. We are often minority identities who face

additional barriers in accessibility and often feel on the outside. This year, we wanted to address those issues and make our festival as accessible as possible by removing as many barriers as we can, because this is a Pride for all.

"We, Foyle Pride, stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine in this humanitarian crisis and call for an end to the genocide immediately.

“We also want to recognise the very real crisis that our trans community is facing. I want all of our trans siblings to know, we see you, we hear you and we stand with you. And this year we will once again be hoisting the trans flag above Free Derry Wall to show our support. ‘Nobody’s free until everybody’s free’.”

Mayor of Derry & Strabane Lilian Seenoi Barr meanwhile said: “As a proud supporter of Pride and having attended a number of events in the past I am very much looking forward to this year’s Foyle Pride Festival.

“This year’s parade will take place on August 24, and I know it will be an incredible day – one full of music, colour, fun and most importantly full of love.

“Foyle Pride has grown and grown over the years to become one of the key dates in the city’s calendar. It’s a real celebration of diversity and individuality, the parade embodies inclusion and the atmosphere on the day is electric. Happy Pride everyone!”

“Finally, I would like to pay tribute to the organisers, and everyone involved in Foyle Pride. They do excellent work throughout the year representing the local LGBT+ community and campaigning in solidarity with the global LGBT+ community. An incredible amount of hard work and dedication goes in to making the Foyle Pride Festival happen each year, and the organisers should be very proud of everything they have achieved. I wish them every success for this year’s event."

Check out the full programme here: https://www.foylepride.com/docs/foyle-pride-programme-24.pdf