East London Food & Culture

Waltham Forest Pride: biggest ever LGBTQ party this Saturday

It's being billed as the greatest LGBTQ celebration the borough has ever seen

So we’re right at the end of Pride Month. Rewind to the last weekend in June, and we had a ball at opener Forest Gayte Pride with DJs, performers and drag aplenty in the brilliant Forest Gate Tavern, its interior ablaze with rainbow flags.

The best thing though was the up-for-it crowd – not to mention how friendly everyone was in the garden. It was more like a houseparty, in fact: as well as dancing we actually made new mates and chatted to strangers all night.

Forest Gayte Pride at the Forest Gate Tavern. Photo: Stephen Emms

This Saturday sees the final local party of the season – and the area’s crowning glory: Waltham Forest Pride. Back after a two-year break, it’s being billed as “the greatest LGBTQ celebration the borough has ever seen.”

Beginning at noon and running until 8pm in Walthamstow’s revamped Fellowship Square (main pic and below), there’ll be community events, streetfood stalls, craft beer bars (look out for E11’s very own Mammoth beer), a picnic, speakers, top cabaret performers and more. It’s free to book your tickets on Eventbrite – although be quick as they’ve reached capacity for the 2000 and a final 300 have just been released.

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Topping the live acts is late 1980s pop legend Sonia, Britain’s “first out Muslim drag queen” Asifa Lahore, non-binary drag king Adam All, and dozens more performing.

Waltham Forest
It’ll be way busier than this: 2500 expected. Photo: SE

Finally: remember the hit LGBTQ movie Pride? A big celebration of the film takes place this Saturday 30th July at ace Leytonstone boozer The Northcote with talks by and Q&As with some of those involved in the making of the film. You’ll also be able to meet Kat Fry, the local Grove Green LGBTQ officer.

“Then the floor is all yours,” says owner Tuesday. “Talk about something going wrong. Talk about something likely going right. Read us a poem. Sing us a song. It’s up to you.”

Northcote
Drag Night on Sundays at The Northcote. Photo; SE
Oh and don’t forget to enjoy the last days of the pub’s Queer Beer Festival whilst you’re there. Confession: we’re totally addicted to Forest Road Brewery right now. Hic.

Waltham Forest Pride runs 12-8pm, Sat 30th July, Fellowship Square E17. Follow @walthamforestpride and @thenorthcotee11 for more on each story.

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