Islanders get together to party with Pride
ISLANDERS turned out in force on Saturday for Channel Islands Pride 2022.
In party atmosphere, they marched from Candie Gardens to Market Square in an event that also marked the 50th anniversary of the first Pride march in the UK which also celebrated the LGBTQ+ community and stood up for its rights.
Saturday’s 70s themed parade featured a 50m long rainbow flag and coincided with a similar event in Jersey.
Organiser Ellie Jones, chief executive of Liberate in Guernsey, said it was always amazing to see how many people attended the event.
‘You create something and hope people will turn up but you can never be sure until happens,’ she said.
C I Pride alternates annually between Guernsey and Jersey but after the Jersey event was cancelled in 2021 because of covid, and to mark the 50th anniversary of the first UK Pride March this year, it was decided to hold events in both islands.
New to the Pride celebration for this year were a number of drag kings who had appeared at The Princess Royal Centre for the Performing Arts the previous night.
Two people from Amsterdam – Naza ‘Lotus’ and Alex ‘Stranza’ – were in Guernsey for the first time.
Both said they had never even been to England before.
They were siblings with members of The House of Lostbois – a drag king act that performed in Market Square during the evening.
‘A producer for them who comes from Jersey and is a friend of ours invited us over,’ said Stranza.
Lotus said the landscape of Guernsey and its buildings were ‘so pretty – and the people lovely.’
People gathered in Candie Gardens from 2pm and the march proceeded down Smith Street and the High Street from 4pm.
Following welcome speeches in Market Square at 4.30pm there was a wealth of entertainment on offer, which concluded with the winner of Ru Paul’s Drag Race, Lawrence Chainey, and DJ duo The Freemasons as the headline acts.
