Historic Aylesbury Pride in the Park event to kick start Parklife Weekend
The Pride event begins later today
An inaugural Pride event in Aylesbury is taking place today, kick starting the Parklife Weekend line up.
Aylesbury Community Pride have organised the historic event, taking centre stage later today at Vale Park.
It's the first event of its kind to take place in the town, with a year of preparations leading up to the opening.
From 5pm acts will be taking to the stage to celebrate Pride and educate those on its continued importance, relevance and history.
Alistair Marston, founder of Aylesbury Community Pride, said: "So this is the first pride event in Aylesbury of this scale and that's being attached to the Parklife weekend. So it's super exciting to be part of that.
"And also I think that it is important to recognise the history of pride. Of course, our event is happening in August and typically Pride Month is June, but all pride celebrate originally the Stonewall uprising, sort of to bring a a historical recognition to that."
Educating and Celebrating
As part of the 2024 event, Aylesbury Community Pride and keen to enforce their values, including education, to inspire and educate those who attend the event today for the better.
Talks will be taking place in the Always Forward Marquee and Radley Stage, on Proud Story Time, for visitors to attend and learn.
Alistair told Greatest Hits Radio: "We've got traditional entertainment, you know, drag acts, tribute acts, other stuff happening on the main stage, but we've also got a talk show stage that we're running which I'm super excited for.
"We've got a couple of conversations. One focused around young LGBTQ people and the second focused around what I would say is true identity or true authenticity. So really hoping that people take away some inspiration from those talk shows. And also if even if you don't relate, perhaps you'll gain some empathy from hearing people talk about their experiences."
Drag acts and tributes make up further acts on the main stage, with performances from 5pm until the Pride event end at 9:30pm. An official after party will also be taking place for over 18s.
A year in the making
Alistair says it feels "surreal" for Pride in the Park to finally be here, after almost a year in the making.
Young people are volunteering throughout the day, with the team at Aylesbury Community Pride recognising the empowerment and bigger picture that Pride events across the country bring, not just what happens on stage.
"All the behind the scenes stuff is for me, where all the good stuff is at where the community is built and where those skills are built and how we're really supporting the community for future growth."
Spreading the message of inclusivity
Another key theme from the Aylesbury Community Pride team is acceptance, and inclusivity, with Alistair and his team keen to make it known Pride in the Park is open to everyone.
Alistair said: "I think that one message that I would like to pass on to people again building on some of the comments that we've had of like this is a pride event - it's obviously LGBTQ. Why does it need to be LGBTQ? Isn't that exclusive?
"And I think that unfortunately, some people confuse what we're labelling as a safe space with something that is exclusive. You know, unfortunately, the reality is that some LGBTQ people do not feel safe living their day-to-day life, even in England, and of course, outside the United Kingdom as well, it's a lot different in other countries.
"So please recognise this as a safe space and come and celebrate and learn with us and don't feel excluded by that label."
Pride in the Park begins at 5pm at Vale Park, with a pre-party at Zoomania, and a Pride after party for over 18s once the event in the park concludes at 9:30pm.