Prague Pride 2019
Prague Pride 2019 celebrates the Stonewall Riots anniversary and invites queer people not to be afraid to be seen
This year, Pride festivals around the world are commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, a milestone in the history of the LGBT+ movement. The events following the police raid in New York’s Stonewall Inn gay club in 1969 brought the fight for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people into the streets – queer people have gained a strong voice that begun to be heard. The Prague Pride Festival, which will happen between 5 and 11 August this year, will also dip into these important historical moments.
“Under the Iron Curtain, the Czech Republic moved at a different pace. Even though homosexuality has been decriminalized here in 1962, the Stonewall Riots still hold an important message for us: to publicly join the queer community that is very diverse and contrasted,” said Hana Kulhánková, Director of LGBT+ Festival Prague Pride.
Mutual support and collaboration across the community is the leitmotif of this year’s festival. Only the visibility of a close-knitted crowd has the power to attract the attention of both the public and political elites and bring change. “A number of transgender people and lesbians, alongside the gays, also played an important role during the events at the Stonewall Inn, but these people were soon forgotten. This must not happen again,” says Hana Kulhánková and reveals: “Therefore, during the festival week, individual queer sub-communities will be given more space – i.e. not only gays and lesbians, but also transgender and non-binary people, bisexual, asexual and for the first time, this year intersex people as well.” An Italian actress, politician and trans activist Vladimir Luxuria, a British model and asexual activist Yasmin Benoit will both appear at the festival. Czech audience can also expect a Skype discussion with intersex activist Pidgeon Pagonis.
Intergenerational encounters are an important link between past and present. Although LGBT+ activism has fully developed in our country only after the Velvet Revolution, there are several generations of queer people that are unfortunately living in relatively separate worlds. We believe that older LGBT+ people have so much to share with the younger generation and that their personal stories can be of benefit to the youngest queers, who’s experience is usually different – with earlier coming out and the possibility of finding any information online. That is the main reason behind launching Pride Life, a multi-day program, which will take place at the headquarters of Life 90 organization providing support to seniors and will be open to participants of all ages. Visitors can look forward to experiencing a recollection on the Stonewall protests with Robert Vano, who himself took a part in the riot, a retro disco, an intergenerational brunch, and a discussion of the current situation of older LGBT+ people.
The history, present and the expectations of the future are intertwined within the Prague Pride 2019 campaign. The hands of two women or two men are reaching out to touch each other, but there is still some distance kept between them. The headline Together Within Reach refers to the fact that even today, 57 years after the abolition of the homosexuality’s punishment in Czechoslovakia, many of the same-sex couples still prefer to refrain from public display of affection, like holding hands. This year’s festival’s call for action is to change that. This would require for the LGBT+ people to not only be present and visible in the public space, but also to be supported by their allies from the heterosexual majority. They too should grab their queer friend’s hand and publicly express their support.
The Prague Pride campaign was created by 2FRESH creative agency. “The chosen creative idea comes from an insight that reflects the ambivalent feelings of the community – a moment when something is so close, but at the same time, cannot be reached,” explains Lukáš Rýdl, Strategy Director at 2FRESH. “Thanks to the findings of the target group study, we know that even the most common situations, such as holding hands, are still causing contradictory reactions when in public. And that calls for support!” he concludes.
The whole length of the festival’s program will be published in July, offering more than 130 events. Once again, there will also be a release of the Prague Pride Mag with 48 pages about the program and LGBT+ issues. Most of the Prague Pride events are FREE.
The festival will be traditionally kicked off with an opening concert at Pride Village on Střelecký island on Monday, August 5th. The headliner will be Daniela Sea, known most memorably due to her role of trans person Max in the cult series The L Word, here performing as a part of a musical duo with Swedish DJ Gunn Lundemo. Among other featured artists will be Kapitán Demo and Leopold, a pioneer of genderless fashion who represents new generation of proud LGBTIQ* artists. Older generations will be represented by 80-year-old DJ Wika from Poland and Elpida choir accompanied by Never Sol in their joint project OLD’s COOL.
The Rainbow Parade will take place on Saturday, August 10th. The parade will return to its former route, which leads from Wenceslas Square to Na Příkopě Street and then through Náměstí Republiky, Revoluční, Dvořák Embankments and Čech’s Bridge to the stairs that lead to Letná park. All the fun will continue in Pride Park at Letná Plain until 22 pm. The queer program includes several music stages, a tent where a Pride Ball vogue dance competition will take place, a Ferris Wheel and the community zone with specially designated places for people to debate and get to know each other.
The festival is held under the auspices of the Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib, Deputy Mayor of the Prague 1 City District Pavel Nazarský, Deputy Mayor for Culture, Sport and Neighbourhood Relations of Prague 7 Hana Třeštíková and Councillor of Prague 1 Petr Kučera.
For more information, please contact Bohdana Rambousková, bohdana@praguepride.com,+420 606 191 154.
You can download the campaign visuals HERE.
Photos of Prague Pride 2018 are available HERE.