Bucharest Pride is coming soon! The annual festival dedicated to the LGBTQIA+ community in Romania is set to start on July 1, ending on July 9. This year, the LGBTQIA+ activism NGO ACCEPT has prepared a colorful array of activities and events that explore various aspects of queer identity and culture.

The week begins on Friday, July 1 with a classic Queer Night which will be hosted by the Platforma Wolff nightclub from 10 pm to 6 am the following morning.

On Saturday, July 2, an extravagant party is happening at Apollo 111, organized time by well-known local Drag Queens. At 10 pm, DJ Princess Octavia and YCS will start the party. An hour later partygoers will be invited to watch five glittering performances put on by the participating Drag Queens, after which the party continues all night long. The entrance ticket is 35 RON and can be purchased from Apollo111, on the day of the event.

On Sunday, July 3, Paula Dunker (performer, actress, choreographer, playwright) and Alex Bălă (musician) will be performing their queer act #FLUID - CONCRETE Series at Expirat from 6 pm to 12 am.

On Tuesday, July 5, Girl Up Romania is hosting the “HangOUT: Queer Game Night” – an evening of fun dedicated to the younger members of the LGBTQIA+ community. The event will take place at Verv Kitchen (Strada Italiană nr. 26) starting at 5 pm, and will feature tabletop games such as Activity, Dixit, Cards Against Humanity, Monopoly, and others. Snacks are available and entry is free.

For four days (6-9 July), ACCEPT is turning Izvor Park into Pride Park, welcoming members of the community, as well as allies, into a space where all can come together to celebrate queerness. Entry to all events in Pride Park is free.

Among the highlights of this edition of Pride Park is the "Trans Island" - a place dedicated to the transgender community, which will host the exhibition titled "inVISIBLE" – a continuation of the photo project launched on the occasion of Bucharest Pride 2021, which presented the different facets of life as a trans and/or non-binary person in Romania.

On Wednesday, July 6, from 7 pm, yoga teacher Ral Bratu will be hosting a yoga and meditation session open to everyone, regardless of their level of experience.  According to the event’s description, only a mat or a blanket and good vibes are needed to be able to participate.

Several Romanian publishing houses known for their queer books as well as representatives of the LGBTQIA+ NGOs from other major cities in Romania will also be present at Pride Park. And on Thursday, July 7, starting at 6 pm is an event featuring two book launches of queer poetry and a reading from the novel "Uprooting" by Sașa Zare, published this year by Fractalia.

That same evening features the Art200 Retrospective Queer Movie Night, starting at 9:30 pm. Art200 is an international queer film festival in Bucharest, that aims to encourage local queer artistic creation and LGBTQIA+ representation through art. In 2022, Art200 will take place at Cinemateca Eforie, on September 19-25. Within Pride Park, Art200 is screening a selection of films from last year’s edition of the film festival.

Finally, Saturday, July 9 is the day of the Pride March, happening on Calea Victoriei.

The march’s schedule is:

17:00 - 18:00 – Meet up on Calea Victoriei in the area between Sevastopol Street and General Gheorghe Manu Street

18:00 - 19:00 - The Bucharest Pride March takes place on the following route: Calea Victoriei - Bd. Regina Elisabeta - Bd. Schitu Măgureanu - Izvor Bridge - Izvor Park.

19:00 - 22:00 - End of the Bucharest Pride March & festivities in Izvor Park

maia@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Cateyeperspective | Dreamstime.com)