If you think it's time to put your rainbows, paints and glitter away then think again. Ely Pride will be barrelling into town this Saturday 10th August for its second ever celebration. 

As always, Pride will celebrate the LGBTQ+ lives, loves, and rights that have been hard fought for since Pride’s founding riot, 50 years ago this year.

Ely is celebrating this year with music, Cambridgeshire’s staple drag queen Felicity Flappes and (hopefully) some glorious sunshine to match the smiles that will fill The Maltings Green on Ely Riverside, Ship Lane, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB7 4BB.

The free celebrations will start at 10am and go on until 4.30pm, with a grand opening by the Mayor of Ely at 12.20pm. There will then be a free after-party at the Riverside Bar and Kitchen from 7-2am so you can get your groove on!

Felicity Flappes will be helping to celebrate the Pride in Ely for the entire day!

The turn around has been tight on Ely Pride this year, who only decided to go ahead with the event around nine weeks ago. The volunteer-run event team had been depleted from last year, so the fear was that they wouldn’t be able to manage a 2019 event. 

Fritha Love, one of the organisers said “we’ve made it happen really from the goodwill and support from other people. The venue was really keen to not let Ely Pride fizzle out and the two Ely Council’s have given us a lot of support. The response has been amazing from people who didn’t want to see it fail.”

The fun is family-friendly and will feature children's entertainment alongside the other events and stalls. There will be local band For the Hornets making their return and a Freddie Mercury tribute band ‘A Kind of Freddie’ to close the day.

The main stage programme features ‘Queer Voices’- an educational piece by Nigel Murfitt telling stories from different communities and era’s of LGBTQ+ history.

‘Stars of Pride’ will also return, where the emergency services will battle it out on stage (there are even rumours of a lip sync battle). However there will also be an acoustic stage set up for some alternative entertainment. 

The Official 2019 Ely Pride Line-Up

10.00 Stage opened by host Felicity Flappe

10.10 4th Dimension perform a special Pride in Ely dance

10.40 Miss BB Voix

11.30 community sing along

12.20 event officially opened by Mayor of Ely Mike Rouse and Deputy Mayor Sue Austin

12.30 Vocals by Michael Burke

13.00 Stars of Pride: ambulance service

13.10 Queer Voice [A Queer 'Herstory' by Nigel Murfitt]

13.20 Mamma Dee

13.50 Stars of Pride: Kite Trust

14.00 Queer Voice

14.10 Elvis: the Burger Years

14.40 Stars of Pride: Terrence Higgins Trust

14.50 Queer Voice

15.00 For the Hornets

15.30 Stars of Pride

15.40 Queer Voice

15.50 Finale: It’s a kind of magic

On top of that, there will be a diversity themed performance from the youth dance troupe 4th Dimension who have performers aged 11-19.

Libby, a mum of one of the performers said she was “very proud” they were teaching about “the ethics they promote with their dancing”.

Last year Ely Pride organisers estimated up to 2000 people attednded. This year the event is inevitably smaller due to the short set-up time, but they’re expecting it to be busy.

The stalls will include Ely Pride merchandise, food including paella and Jack’s gelato, and a stall from Ely shop Positively Treated - a hugely LGBTQ+ friendly holistic therapy business.

There will also be the usual suspects of Amnesty Ely, Stonewall, as well as local charities such as the Kite Trust and the emergency services in the name of awareness-raising and education. 

The after-party will include DJ’s, and Felicity Flappes will strip her post-watershed censoring. She came out of retirement a few years ago to support the Ely Pride movement and has been rampant across the Pride's in Cambridgeshire ever since. 

Even the church is pitching in

Not only are the main celebrations happening this Saturday, but Ely Cathedral are doing their bit too. 

From 8th-10th a prayer station will be set up in St Dustan’s Chapel for those wanting to pray for diversity and tolerance. 

Friday 9th July will host prayers at the morning communion at 8 am and an Evensong at 5.30pm for tolerance and acceptance. Expect the Octagon Tower to be rainbow lit to support the Pride weekend. 

Reverend Mark Bonney, dean to the cathedral said on their participation “everybody is made in the image of God. We don't discriminate through age, colour, creed, sexual identity or anything else.”

Be sure to head down so you don’t miss out!

The organisers request you book your free tickets so they can gauge numbers here .