Fife Pride set to return next year

Fife Pride was hailed as a huge succcess.

Organisers say the second Fife Pride event will happen on Saturday, July 7, 2018.

The first event held in Kirkcaldy earlier this year was hailed as a huge success, with an estimated 3,500 flocking to the town centre in celebration of inclusion, and Fife’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

In a survey of 448 Pride attendees, over 90% rated the event as excellent or good and more than 1 in 10 people came from outside Fife, a potential tourism bonanza for Fife’s hotels and restaurants next year if the event grows further as expected.

An estimated £150,000 being spent in the local economy, benefitting Fife hotels, businesses and travel providers. The research also shows that nearly half of those attending had never been to a Pride event before.

The Pride board has added new blood following a period of consultation and recruitment from within the community, including meetings in Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes held in September. Around 30 people have already volunteered to get involved in organising the event for next year.

Speaking to The Fife Free Press, one of the organising team, Stuart Duffy, said: “We were delighted with the response from Fifers to our new Pride event this summer, especially with the local businesses who really got involved from the High Street.

“The special edition front page from the Press was fantastic and really got people talking.

“There’s a lot of work goes into planning an event of this size and we’re so pleased to have more people coming forward to get involved.

“The new team will be meeting later this month and then it’s full steam ahead!”

Although the date of Pride has been confirmed, organisers are tight-lipped about the venue for the 2018 festival, with a decision likely at the end of the year.

Fife Council, who gave £4,500 from the Kirkcaldy Area Committee to the first event, have now committed to multi-year funding to keep Pride going and organisers will meet with council officials in the coming months to work out exactly how the Council can help maintain and grow the event.

The Fife Pride team are encouraging everyone to add the date to their diary and to follow their Facebook and Twitter accounts for the latest news.