Cambridge's first ever pride is finally happening this weekend

The organisers of Cambridge’s first Pride festival want to “challenge the stereotypes of what a Pride festival can be”, as they announce their full line-up for Saturday’s event.

Taking place on Saturday (June 8), the volunteer run event has been a long time coming, but promises an eclectic lineup designed to have something for everybody.

The event has had its fair share of trials and tribulations, as plans for the festival were first announced two years ago.

For the organisers, who have been balancing planning the event with their day jobs,their hard work is about to pay off - and one of the team spoke to Cambridgeshire Live about the behind the scenes action that led to one of Britain’s most diverse Pride events.

What one of the organisers has to say

Paul Hyde-Clarke, who is juggling his day job in design with a role organising press and sponsorship for the festival, told the Cambridgeshire Live about why it’s taken so long for Cambridge to get a Pride festival, as well as looking ahead to Pride 2020.

He said: “We’re a small team, so planning a festival alongside our day jobs was definitely a struggle.

"I helped to organise the Pink Festival between 2003 and 2010; it was the closest thing we’ve had to Pride, but as it took place in Cherry Hinton Hall, we’ve never officially used the term “Cambridge Pride” until now.

“The large gap between the end of the Pink Festival and Pride is due to the difficulty of finding people who were committed to putting the event on.

"This takes a lot of time and effort, especially when you have a full time job, and the festival doesn’t receive any financial support. We never had any preconceptions of how big it would be when we started planning last year - if only 100 people came, had a great time, met new people and found support within the community, then we would have considered that a success.

“It’s been a slow burn. We only officially announced it last month, but we have spent the last six months intensely planning, making sure that the first pride wasn’t just a picnic and one tent! I can’t remember who the first person was that came up with the idea of the “punt parade”, but it was one of those ideas that as soon as everybody in the room heard it, we knew it was a genius idea to capture what made Cambridge so special, and how we could make a unique event instead of trying to follow in the footsteps of other Pride festivals.

“We’ve just announced the full schedule. Our main stage headliners are Big Brovaz and Booty Luv, while through the day there’ll be a dance show from Bodyworks, punk band Lemondaze and a speech from the Mayor.

"We didn’t want to limit ourselves and follow stereotypes as to what a Pride festival can be, and I think the diverse lineup is one of our major strengths - we’re incredibly grateful that the artists agreed to perform for free to help us out in the first year.

“Outside of the main stage, we have a youth tent run by young people, a yoga/mindfulness tent, a dance tent, and a community lounge. There’s no gay scene in the city, so it’s important for a community space where LGBT people can meet and avoid isolation.

“There will also be interactive punt tours, with cabaret and karaoke performances as you sail down the River Cam, as well as an Active Zone where people can take part in a range of different sports.

"We wanted to find a range of different, fun ways people could connect to the wider community - and hopefully make it an inclusive space for the whole city to come and have fun”.

The Cambridge pride river parade kicks off at 11am on Saturday, June 8, between Quayside and Jesus Green. The stages and other areas in the main event arena start from 12 noon.

This year’s full pride lineup can be found by visiting  thepinkfestival.co.uk.