June is international Pride Month and Cardiff is gearing up to celebrate Pride Weekend starting Friday 21st June. The BIG Pride Cymru events are once again taking place at Cardiff Castle with live performances, stalls and funfair rides. All the LGBTQ+ venues will also be celebrating with a variety of acts performing at each.
We asked some familiar faces on the Cardiff LGBTQ+ scene what PRIDE means to them and where they will be celebrating.
Opal Fruits
What does Pride mean to you?
Pride means inclusivity and the fight for us to survive and demmand our existance.
What is your favourite Pride memory?
My favouritute pride memory is being backstage with all my drag brothers and sisters, its the only time of year that we all get to see eachother all together, Its a laugh a minute
Where will you be performin/ celebrate pride this year?
I will be celbrating pride this year at Cardiff Castle, I’ll be hosting the main stage from 8pm.
What is it you love most about Cardiff?
I love Cardiff and how as a community we all come together at times of need, we all laugh, cry and celebrate together.
What is your PRIDE message to everyone?
My pride message is enjoy it, be safe, be seen, be loud, be proud and most importantly enjoy the weekend and as always stay fruity
Jay Page
What does PRIDE mean to you?
Being yourself if it’s only for a day, when you go out to the venues or friends or everyday. Just be proud you got to that stage
What is your favourite PRIDE memory?
Car surfing in a Pick Up Truck with a huge pride flag in my hand for the Cardiff parade
Where will you be celebrating/ performing this year at PRIDE?
At Mary’s for the weekend helping out my fave venue so everyone has the best time at pride
What is it you love about Cardiff?
How close everyone is to you being such a cute little city or how far away everyone can be for those quiet days hiding in one of the amazing big open spaces
What is your Pride Message to everyone?
Stay safe, stay fabulous and enjoy
Chae With A C
What does PRIDE mean to you?
pride to me means freedom and expression of being who you are. It is a chance to remind people that it is okay to be you even if you are working as a waitress in a cocktail. Or an amazing drag queen
Favourite Pride Memory?
last year pride and going to the community stage and watching local drag acts perform and it was my first time going to pride Cymru
Where will you be celebrating/ performing this year at PRIDE?
i will be celebrating and performing on the Sunday 3:05 community stage where I am going to be having a camp time
What is it you love about Cardiff?
I come from Pembrokeshire and be able to come to Cardiff be myself in a safe space and experience so much and meeting amazing people
What is your Pride Message to everyone?
Be who you are for your pride
Nicolle
What does PRIDE mean to you?
it means alot of fun alot of colour and the comunity coming together
Where will you be celebrating PRIDE?
I’ll be at The Kings and Pulse having a gorgeous time with my bombs making sure that everyone is lit and having the best time
What do you love about Cardiff the most?
What I love about Cardiff is how the LGBTQ+ comunity is strong and always sticks together
What is your PRIDE message to everyone?
My Pride message to everyone is , Be safe have fun and just be you ❤️💕🍾🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Nathan Rickolvaaa
What does Pride mean to you?
The meaning of pride to me is just being able to celebrate things hopefully becoming normal in a society that judges you for anything and everything.
Where will you be celebrating PRIDE this year?
I’ll be celebrating in the parade with work and might have a little party after.
What is it you love most about Cardiff?
What I love about Cardiff is that it has been rated one of the most friendliest cities in the uk. Which I can understand as I travel the uk a lot and the Welsh are definitely the most friendly!
What is your PRIDE message to everyone?
My message to everyone for pride would be:- enjoy yourself, be safe, be while and know the reason this is a protest and a celebration not just a Party. Most importantly be as you as you possibly can.
Lili Del Fflur
What does PRIDE mean to you?
Pride means freedom, equality, and shows the gorgeous and vibrant world we live in. Pride is still a protest and we need to remember that. Especially with everything going on in the world today Pride is very much still needed.
Favourite Pride Memory?
The first pride parade after lockdown, this was the pride that I was fully there as my bi self! And there was a specific moment while we were in line waiting for the parade to start. The group next to us had a huge speaker and the song, This Is Me, came on.
I have Flossie Smalls and Lana Del Red (aka Team Beauties in Bute) either side of me and my eye were glistening with tears (of joy) and they both just wrapped their arms around me!!! It was a magical moment! That song means the world to everyone at Beauties in Bute and Cardiff Cabaret Club because of a friend we lost too soon! Its also such a powerful song, reminding us to be unapologetically YOU! Perfect for a Pride event!
Where will you be celebrating/ performing this year at PRIDE?
Pride 2024 I’ll be celebrating at Pride CYMRU, Del Fflur Productions (DFP)and Beauties in Bute will be marching on June 22nd as we do every year. Then we’ll be heading to the Big Queer Picnic for a relax and catch up with friends before heading into the Castle for the Pride CYMRU party.
(Long day but we love it)
Then also this pride DFP will be part of Pride in Roath, on Sunday 1st September we’ll be have our big queer cabaret at Cardiff Theatre Cafe at St Andrews Church
What is it you love about Cardiff?
I just adore Cardiff! It’s such a fun filled city, with so much life and diversity. I lived here for 10years before heading back to the valleys, and I still come into the city on a weekly basis.
The people, the venues, the atmosphere is second to none.
What is your Pride Message to everyone?
Be you, always! You are enough!
Find your tribe and hold them tight
Joanna Bumme
What does PRIDE mean to you?
Pride to me means embracing and loving yourself for who you are, despite what others may think of you!
What’s your favourite PRIDE memory?
Seeing ALL the happy faces in the crowds whilst I’m up on stage running around like a fool doing what I do best, for free. (It ain’t about the money to me, it’s about coming together as a community and celebrating who we are)
Where will you be celebrating PRIDE this year?
I’m celebrating pride this year at my favourite Cardiff bars only. The golden cross and Mary’s, where I’ll be performing. And I’ll also be making the effort to pop in to main stage too.
What is it you love about Cardiff?
There’s just something about Cardiff that I can’t quite put my finger on. I’ve always just loved visiting Cardiff since I was younger. Swansea may be where I’m from, but Cardiff to me is home.
What is your PRIDE message to everyone?
Be strong. Be kind. Be yourself. And be careful! There’s still a lot of hate out there. So we need to come together as a community, look after each other, and be proud of who we are and what we have achieved so far. Never give up on hope, and always remember love wins! X
Venus Flytrap
What does PRIDE mean to you?
Pride to me is just about having the freedom to be unapologetically yourselves. It’s about expression and celebration of our “culture”. Pride is so important for so many people and it’ll always allow everybody to know they can be accepted for themselves.
What is your favourite PRIDE memory?
My favourite pride memory I would say is pride 2023 performing on the mainstage of pride cymru with my sister’s Polly, Esther and fruit and fibre wearing an outfit made by my partner performing for all of Cardiff!! It was so amazing and I felt so loved and happy!
Where will you be celebrating PRIDE this year?
I will be all around this year for pride including pride cymru, Barry pride, Teignmouth pride and much more!
What is it you love most about Cardiff?
Oh Cardiff!! What don’t I love! I think Cardiff is so amazing and so accepting of everybody!! Especially in the drag scene I felt so welcomed and all the drag queens made me feel seen and helped me build my act! I couldn’t think of a better place to call my home!
What is your PRIDE message to everyone?
My pride message to everybody is just be yourself!! Celebrate with everyone besides you and create long loving memories!!
Happy pride 🩵
Rhys
What does PRIDE mean to you?
Pride means a time of celebration but also remembering its at its core, a protest, and we still all have not got equal standing and theres still work to be done to support all aspects our community both here and internationally. It also gives me an opportunity to show that kink and fetish belongs at Pride and I proudly March in my leather gear with the rest of my club, Leathermen Cymru.
Favourite Pride Memory?
One of the first prides I had gone to after discovering my love of leather, I had dressed full regalia for Llanelli Pride and my parents had just happened to be shopping in the same area at the same time and saw me. They were very much supportive which I did not suspect to happen.
Where will you be celebrating/ performing this year at PRIDE?
I’ll be visiting the events in the castle and supporting the local lgbtq+ venues who give us our safe spaces all year around.
What is it you love about Cardiff?
Having grown up in Llanelli and the surroundings, there was very little for LGBTQ+ persons as I was growing up, so to find such a vast amount of safe spaces in the capital is wonderful. I’m able to walk into the city centre in my full leather regalia with no issue, whereas I have had issues doing this in other areas of the UK. Cardiff is an inclusive, supportive city.
What is your Pride Message to everyone?
Kink belongs at Pride, and support your safe spaces 😊
Shreshth
What does PRIDE mean to you?
To me, it just means celebrating together with friends the journey the community has made. There’s so many terrible things happening in the world at the moment so I think celebrating life in general is a big boost to everyone’s mood which is what I enjoy a lot. It also gives us an opportunity to show the homophobes that we’ve been here, we are here and we’re not going anywhere :))
Favourite Pride Memory?
Getting to sing at Pride Cymru at the community stage with Wyburn and Wayne 😌
Where will you be celebrating/ performing this year at PRIDE?
At the Eras Tour 🫡
What is it you love about Cardiff?
I think Cardiff is a very friendly and welcoming city. There’s a lot of LGBTQ+ friendly places which make the city feel like home!
What is your Pride Message to everyone?
Be there for your friends and family, and not just this month! This is an important movement which everyone needs to get behind and support. Also, go out and vote on July 4th. Your voice matters.
Stuart J Bolter- Shone
What does PRIDE mean to you?
As a diversified employer we are extremely proud of being out there Pride to support everyone from the entire Queer Spectrum, from our staff, our cabarets and aesthetics we are openly and proudly a space where everyone from any sexual orientation are welcome at our table.
What is your favourite PRIDE memory?
My personal favourite Pride memory goes back 20 years when Southampton was organising its first Pride and I tasked myself with making the then ultra homophobic conservative city council to raise the rainbow flag above the city hall, the lady mayoress was adamant that it wouldn’t happen so seeing it go up that flag pole was the happiest and proudest part of any pride event. Southampton now has a great Pride Event every year. Being a small part of its history li’s very special to me.
What is it you love about Cardiff?
I love Cardiff, not just because I was born here, but after travelling and living in many places in UK and Europe, Wales is Home and Cardiff has such a vibrant scene . It also has the friendliest of people, and a diversity of both cultural and sexual diversity. Cardiff ians are not faded by anything we take it all in our stride.
What is your PRIDE message to everyone?
My pride message to everyone, is be yourself., Only be yourself and don’t get hung up on the past you can’t change that but you can change the future. Be kind and help bring about World Peace
Stephanie Webber
What does PRIDE mean to you?
Pride means alot to me, as I am about to marry my partner Sarah of 11 years, we tie the knot this August!to us pride is about acceptance! Quality! And working hard to break any issues that we still have surrounding LGBTQ rights.
What is your favourite PRIDE memory?
My favourite memory of pride . I have lots of fabulous pride memories and some blurry ones from over the years !!! But it was have to be performing on the cabaret stage last year! Singing Julie Andrews ‘I could have danced all night’ and ‘ I am what I am’ to the most enthusiastic fabulous crowd there ever was !
Where will you be celebrating PRIDE this year?
For pride this year, I shall be working performing on a cruise ship! But I certainly will be dedicating a song to pride! And shall be mentioning my up coming marriage to be my beautiful partner Sarah. It’s so comforting to see so many cruise companies supporting Pride Month!
What do you love most about Cardiff?
Things I love about cardiff –
The people!!
The diversity!!
It’s charm!!
(The shopping 🛍️)
What is your PRIDE message to everyone?
My pride message to everyone would be !
I wrote this on one of my instagram pictures for last years pride and I stick by it: 💖🌈 Happy Pride Month !! 💖🌈 – I believe that, we can’t help who we love. You can’t change your chemistry of how you truly feel !!! You don’t have to understand it- or get on board with it. But please respect people and never judge anyone one on their sexuality LOVE is LOVE !! Keep flying the flag high! 🌈💖🫶🏻🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Ren Simons- Justin Drag
Justin drag
What does PRIDE mean to you?
As a trans person it means representation , and if I can give one person in the audience a reason to feel seen or loved then I’m doing my part for my community
What is your favourite PRIDE memory?
This was probably when I went to my first pride many years ago and experienced “from Paris to Berlin” live on stage and it awoke my queerness
Where will you be celebrating/ performing this year at PRIDE?
Can’t wait to see local acts and venga boys!
Also I’ll be performing at the Queer Emporium with Ginnie Lemon for an event I run call Transition (for trans, non binary and gender non conforming folk)
And I will be on the community stage with Hey Mary on Saturday night and Sunday night main stage at 17:45
What is it you love about Cardiff?
It’s home and always have been.
What is your PRIDE message to everyone?
Be kind to everyone you never know what someone else is going through.
Wyburn & Wayne 