Belfast Pride Festival is one of the biggest festivals in Belfast with over 150 events across 10 days. The festival runs from Friday 21st July to Sunday 30th July with Pride Day and the centrepiece Pride Parade on Saturday 29th July.
At the Lyric, we continue to work towards being a ‘Playhouse for All’. This Belfast Pride we have planned internal and external activities and initiatives that help us work towards this mission whilst supporting and including those from the LGBTQIA+ community. To help us achieve this, we have set up an internal Pride Committee at the Lyric who have been responsible for the planning and delivery of events this Pride Week and decorating the building.
Sunday 23rd July we hosted 3 family story-time events, hosted by Cherrie Ontop. Dragtales was a free event that celebrated diversity, acceptance, and self-expression, creating a safe space where all children can feel seen, valued, and loved. Cherrie read well known children stories such as The Very First You, My Shadow is Pink, Twas the Night Before Pride, I am not a Prince and Odd One Out.
On Sunday evening we were delighted to have Cherrie again for Playhaus - a night of Cabaret, Carry-on and Craic! Cherrie hosted the evening which featured a mix of performances, bingo, ‘ask Cherrie’ and of course – karaoke.
Both Dragtales and Playhaus were sold out events and we would like to thank all those who attended and supported. Of course, a special thank you must go to Cherrie Ontop for sharing her time and wonderful talents with us!
On Wednesday 26th July our very own Production Manager, Siobhán Barbour, is running a Banner Making Session for all staff on the Lyric ahead of Belfast Pride Parade Saturday 29th July. Lyric Staff will be taking time out of their busy days to come together to design and create the banners for the Parade.
Alongside these activities, we are collecting for Belfast Trans Resource Centre through ticket sales and donations. The Belfast Trans Resource Centre is a community hub for trans, non-binary and questioning people and their families and friends in the Belfast area. They have been open since November 2016 and run regular events, support groups and community activities. Having collected for the organisation during Pride 2022, we are delighted to support them again this year. To read more about Belfast Trans Resource Centre, Click Here.
On Saturday 29th we are excited to be walking in Belfast Pride Parade 2023, alongside artists and organisations who have helped us work on productions that centre around LGBTQIA+ themes and experiences. This will be the first time the Lyric Theatre has walked in the parade, however will not be the last.
We are still welcoming donations for Belfast Trans Resource Centre which can be made by Clicking Here.