Bristol Drag Queen and cabaret host Aled Osborne has been to many Pride Festivals, but he says there is nothing quite like Bristol Pride. This year’s event looks to be even bigger and better and the countdown has begun, with events starting later this month on June 24 and will run until July 9.
The main event takes place on Pride Day, Saturday, July 8, which will kick off with the Pride March. There will be four stages this year - the main stage which will have headliner Jake Shears, Scissor Sisters, with the Cabaret Stage, the Get Qweird Stage and dance performance stage all lining up some great acts.
Aled is the Cabaret Stage co-ordinator and is well-known as Miss Beaver who has stunning drag queen outfits. He has been co-ordinating the cabaret acts with Bristol Pride for 10 years and said he started booking acts for this year’s event in November last year.
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He said: “I book the headliners or they get booked up, I want my first choice. This year we’ve got the most diverse line-up ever so there’s something for everyone, there are some big acts coming.”
He said the line-up is jam-packed and starting at 1pm with approximately 26 performers on the day. He said: “It’s one of the most stressful days of the year, but one of the best days of the year. When you see it coming together, it’s all worth it.”
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Aled added that the Pride March and Festival is “first and foremost” a protest to stand up for equal rights for everyone, saying: “we’re in space age times but with stone age minds”. He said: “It’s that time of year where we can call on society, and that change needs to happen. We can’t go backwards”.
He said he has seen many changes over the last decade with some more positive than others for the LGBTQ+ community. “We’re in an era now, which at times can be scarier than a couple of years ago," he added.
“In Bristol particularly, we have a full spectrum of people and the mix of the crowd has changed. We have to protect our trans individuals."
While it is a protest, Aled said Bristol Pride is an opportunity where “you can get lost in the crowd, take it all in and be your authentic selves". "It’s a celebration of what we’ve done and where we’ve come from.”
Hosting the Cabaret Stage means Aled goes all out for his outfits on the day. For this year’s event his lips were sealed, with the only tiniest sneak-peak being that he has two outfits currently being custom designed for the day and both of which will be “particularly special”.
Aled wowed the crowd last year with his pink jumpsuit. He said it has become known as ‘Beaver Pink’ in the LGBTQ+ community.
He added: “For someone who’s been to many Pride Festivals, Bristol Pride still holds the community at heart. Pride is an amazing experience, when all that magic comes together that’s where you see love, Bristol Pride is that place.”
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