Q&A with Hay Pride
What made you want to start up a Pride Festival here in Hay? We used to run a shop called The Pink Pop Up a few years ago just by the clock tower, it was a gin and coffee bar and was really popular particularly with our local LGBTQ+ community and visitors to the town. After it closed down my good friend Helen Campbell asked me to work with her to bring The Pink Pop Up back to celebrate how queer friendly the town of Hay is and to celebrate this in some way. To cut a long story short... we decided to consult with the local community to see if we should run this event as Hay’s first Pride and we received a resounding yes!
What can we expect at the upcoming festival? All the best bits from last year, without the queues for food, drink and the toilet (we were only expecting about 200 people max and 1700 turned up!) Think about it as a village fair but very queer.There will be drag queen keep fit, a best in show dog show (last years stand out success), and lots of family friendly fun at the castle. In the evening at The Globe it’s queer cabaret and disco with an over 18s only entry.
How has the community responded to last year’s event? We were absolutely blown away by the local support, so many kind donations of time and money from shops, businesses and local individuals.The feedback was incredible and people said it felt like the spirit of ‘old Hay’.
How does Hay Pride support and involve local LGBTQ+ businesses? We actively try and support all local LGBTQ+ businesses and want to showcase queer local talent. Giving a platform for local LGBTQ+ artists is a really important ethic for us.
Are there any special guests or appearances at the festival? The list this year is incredible. Of course we will be having local drag legend Boo LaCroux at the castle in the day but we also have local bands and an incredible drag king called Dairy King and Boogaloo Stu will be our evening compere.
What other events are coming up to support the festival? The best way to see what’s going on with us is by checking: www.haypride.com. We are running an event with Hay Festival called ‘Books for Queers’ and for any Drag Race fans out there, we’re interviewing the incredible Cheddar Gorgeous (who is also performing that night).
Are there regular LGBTQ+ Groups in Hay? At the moment we are working on trying to run a monthly programme of events as it feels that the community would like something more than just an annual Pride. Again, the best place to find out more is through our website, signing up to our mailing list and following us on Instagram (hay.pride) or email us on hello@haypride with any questions or just to say hi.We would love to hear from you.