Cape Town PRIDE 2007 event launches in February this year with the theme Carnival of Love. The mother city will be filled with colour and flamboyance as the entire lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-gendered and intersexed (LGBTI) community descends upon the city for 11 days of entertainment, education and enjoyment.

The festival runs from the 15 th February until the 25 th February 2007 with over 35 events planned for this year’s festival calendar.

“Cape Town PRIDE has grown rapidly since its first inception in 2001. In 2006 an estimated 10, 000 people participated in a variety of events and Cape Town PRIDE 2007 promises to be better than ever with many new events on the cards all aimed at empowering and inspiring but always entertaining,” enthuses Ian Mc Mahon, Cape Town PRIDE Chairman.

Cape Town PRIDE has indeed become the premier event on the Mother City’s Pink social calendar. The festival serves as an opportunity to celebrate the country’s great constitution with characteristic flair and flamboyance and to make a unique contribution to promoting diversity and tolerance in Cape Town.

“We plan to grow Cape Town PRIDE until it reaches the same magnitude of the Sydney Lesbian and Gay Mardi Gras, one of the biggest in the world, and we plan to do this by 2011. We have a dedicated team that works all year round to bring the LGBTI and straight community 11 days of absolute fun. Our objective of course, is too raise funds for our beneficiary, the Pride Shelter Trust, but also to communicate peace, respect, love and understanding through our culture that is: FABULOUSLY GAY,” says Ian.

On the schedule for 2007

The 2007 theme ‘Carnival of Love’ consists of over 35 events from the long standing and ever popular PRIDE Red Party to the fabulous Street Parade and Party which promise to be larger than life as Cape Town PRIDE has partnered with International UK promoters, Global Underground and MTV Base.

Also on the calendar next year are two grandee balls, the PRIDE Candy Glam Ball (it’s a Pink Tie affair) to be held on Friday 16 February and the PRIDE Allsorts Benefit Ball on Sunday 25 February.

On Broadway will be hosting PRIDE’s diva event ‘Celebrate with the Goddesses of Love’ on the 21 February. For the arty and intellectual types, the PRIDE book affair will be hosted by Justice Edwin Cameron and will take place on the 18 February as well as the PRIDE art exhibition ‘Celebration of Love’ from February 19 – 23.

The PRIDE Seminar series is being held over four evenings with separate panel discussions on relevant LGBTI issues such as gay marriages, relationship issues, gay families and positive imagery. Speakers such as Justice Edwin Cameron and Zackie Achmat have confirmed attendance.

For the more adventurous and rugged types, there’s the PRIDE Sports Day on the 25 February and the PRIDE Golf Day on the 19 February as well as the popular PRIDE Race Day, this year titled ‘Mink and Manure’ and sponsored by Investec Private Bank.

What differentiates Cape Town PRIDE 2007 from prior years is that the PRIDE Carnival of Love Parade will take place at the beginning of the festival on Saturday, 17 February, rather than ending off the festival. The parade guarantees to inspire, thrill and bring out the hedonist in participants as they parade through the streets of Cape Town. This rounds of in the street faire with top SA talent in an all-afternoon concert.

Written by : Fehraad De Nicker

About Cape Town PRIDE festival!

Cape Town PRIDE is a volunteer-run, non-profit Section 21 (a) Company that organises the 11-day annual Cape Town Pride Festival. The Cape Town PRIDE Festival was launched in 2001and capitalises on the PRIDE brand that is well known world-wide.

As part of the implementation of long term strategy, the festival was reorganised in February 2004 in an effort to attract the local LGBTI community as well as tourists to the festival and the city. The months of February and March are traditionally the period during which Cape Town sees the greatest income from tourism, and this move proved successful with particularly well-supported Festivals and Parades in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

In addition to growing community and support, this year’s aim is to significantly grow the financial success of Cape Town PRIDE and to support its beneficiary, the PRIDE Shelter trust, which was established in 2005. The aim of the PRIDE Shelter Trust is to provide a safe space through assistance and shelter to members of the LGBTI community in times of crisis. Visit www.pridesheltertrust.co.za for further details.

For more information about PRIDE 2007 please visit
Cape Town Pride Festival
http://www.capetownpride.co.za