This year will be the third Midsomer Norton Pride, and organisers say that this year the Festival aims to be bigger, better and gayer than ever before!

The events will span over three days, starting off with a panel discussion on Thursday, 14th June, focusing on what life is like for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people today in our local area. The event, entitled ‘LGBT Life in Bath and North East Somerset 2018’, will be held at the Town Hall, starting at 7.30 p.m. Speakers will be comprised of activists talking about some of the challenges still faced in the fight for equal rights in this region of the UK.

Then, on Friday, 15th June at 7.30 p.m., there will be a screening of the critically acclaimed film, Call Me By Your Name at the Community Cinema in the Town Hall Assembly Room.

On Saturday, during the day, the annual Bake-Off Competition will take place in the Town Hall from 12 noon – with an open invitation to the whole community to come along. Keen bakers who would also like to enter the competition are encouraged to bring their cakes or bakes to be judged by the expert panel of cake-enthusiast Drag Queens and the Town Mayor for a chance to win £100 and the highly coveted Midsomer Norton Pride Bake-Off trophy. This year’s theme is unicorns – so the judges are expecting something truly magical! There will be live music from the incredible Ramshackle Orchestra, as well as a special guest judge in the form of a senior member from Stonewall, the country’s leading LGBTQA+ charity.

Then, as usual, the big finale on Saturday night will be the much anticipated Pride drag and live music extravaganza, open to everyone to come along and enjoy the celebration. As the event coincides with the World Cup, this year’s big event has a Russian theme and is called ‘Putin on the Ritz’. There will be performances from London’s own mistress of the bizarre and surreal, Meth – who performed in the event’s first year, and Donna Trump from Manchester will be returning. There will also be a debut performance from a new local Queen called Ermintrude.

Live music this year will come from support band, Turpentine, and to add some Eastern European flair, the fast and furious Gypsy punk duo, Ninotchka. Donations from the event will go to the Russian LGBT network, who do vital work helping some of the world’s most vulnerable and oppressed LGBTQA+ individuals. Doors for the music and drag event open at 7.30 p.m. and the party will go on till 1.30 a.m. – entry is free.

Nik Jovcic-Sas, Head Organiser, says: “When Midsomer Norton Pride ran for the first time in 2016, I could never have imagined the positive response it received – so I am overjoyed to see how it’s grown over the last few years.

“I’m particularly excited this year to be running an event that aims to raise awareness about the issues of LGBTQ+ people in Russia. While we wish all the best to our lads who’ll be playing in the World Cup this year, I thought it was important to take a stand to say that the terrible human rights abuse seen under Putin’s regime isn’t something we should allow to go unchallenged – especially in the light of threats reportedly made against gay and trans people coming to attend the World Cup.”

Hoping the event can be part of a vehicle for social change in our area too, Nik has been working alongside local schools. “This year we’ve held assemblies about how important it is to not take human rights for granted, and shown how unfortunately sometimes things can actually get worse. We have encouraged young people to write their messages of support to people their own age in Russia who might be struggling. We’re hoping to compile these messages into a video that will be debuted at the panel discussion.

“I’ll also be holding a workshop in July at Norton Hill School, training kids from Year 8 on how to be LGBTQ+ activists. This will be the second year we have done this project with the school as part of their ‘diversity day’.”

Seventeen-year-old Rebecca Bullamore has spoken to The Journal about what it is like to be involved with Pride. She says: “Attending Midsomer Norton Pride for the first time last year with a group of friends was one of the best experiences of my life; as it is an event that combines the ecstatic energy of the bigger Prides like London or Bristol, with a strong sense of community and safety.

“As young people in the local area, there isn’t always an abundance of occasions to celebrate our identities and dance to some drag queens and live music, especially with friends in their early teenage years, who deserve to experience the excitement and freedom that comes with a Pride celebration, but to whom the larger parades cannot always cater towards.

“Engaging with the local community and feeling represented has massively improved the relationship between LGBTQ young people and the community, something with which I personally struggle at my Sixth Form in Bath, that fails to have any sort of representation.

“Nik’s work with both Midsomer Norton Pride and Bath Pride has transformed the LGBTQ community in Bath and the surrounding areas; and we are so lucky for everything that he has done and how much he has helped young people like myself.

“I certainly hope that both will be able to expand in the future, and that there can be more permanent LGBTQ representation and celebration in the local area – not just during Pride month. While I’m aware that this has been improving recently, there is certainly a huge amount more that schools and local businesses could do to show their support and inclusion and I hope to see more of this in the future.”

Midsomer Norton Pride is organised under the banner of the Midsomer Norton Community Trust, with funding support from Midsomer Norton Town Council.