Fife Pride: when is the parade, what is the route, who is performing on stage

It has become a key date in Kirkcaldy town centre’s annual calendar and is one of the most colourful spectacles to hit the High Street. This year’s gathering features a parade, live entertainment and stalls, and an after party headlined by stage and TV star Claire Sweeney.

The big day gets underway on Saturday with everyone mustering at Fife College’s St Brycedale Campus at 12:30pm for the march to the High Street, along the pedestrianised zone and to the Town Square where the entertainment takes place in a giant marquee throughout the afternoon.

It will be hosted by April Adamas and the Haus of Adamás, and entertainment will come from DJ Eden, plus boy band Just The Brave, Jolene, the top Dolly Parton tribute act, a celebration of the Cilla Black songbook and FABBAlous, an Abba tribute group.

Fife Pride will also welcome guest speaker Colin Salmond-Wallace, founder of Facebook page Love Kirkcaldy, to make the opening speech.

The marquee will feature a licensed bar, and there will be a host of stallholders on site, including many local community groups.

The after party, which being run by The Hive, Fife’s main LGBT+ hub, at its nearby Whytescauseway base will feature Claire Sweeney, and is hosted by Cherry West.

> Pride Timetable:1:00 Parade (muster at St Brydecale College 12;30)

1.15pm Kirkcaldy and District Pipe Band

1.30pm Welcome – April Adamás /Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence/ Speeches

1.45pm April Adamás and Drag Acts

2.15pm Off Centre Ceilidh Band

2.30pm Shona White

2.45pm Cilla Black Tribute – Scotland

3.00pm Jolene – Scotland’s Tribute to Dolly Parton

3.15pm FABBAulous

3.45pm Just the Brave

4.15pm April Adamás and Drag Acts

4.45pm DJ Eden

5.15pm Easy Ride

6.00pm DJ Eden

> Pride stalls

Abbotsford Care, ADHDfife, Age Scotland, Andysmanclub, Baked by Anne, BarleyBee, Embroidery, Co-op, DAPL (Drugs, Alcohol & Psychotherapies Ltd), Dilly Dream Clothing Equality Network, Family Placement Fife Council, Fife Carers Centre, Fife Centre for Equalities, Fife Contemporary, Fife LA EIS, Fighting with Pride, Fly Collars & Gifts, Greener Kirkcaldy, Greenjulie Originals,Hive, JSmithComics, Leslie Town Hall & Leslie Amateur Drama Club, LGBT Youth Scotland, Mystical Mixes Sweets, Naeviie, NHS Fife, NHS Sexual Health Fife.

Nourish Support Centre, Quirky Badgers, Raven Rocks, Remembering the Accused Witches of Scotland (RAWS), Restoration Fife, Scottish Autism, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party (SNP), Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Scottish SPCA), Simply Glitter, Tartan Duchess, Terrence Higgins Trust, Transgender Fife, UNISON Fife, Voiceability, Zappy Bath and Body,

> What Pride means to me

Arron Reekie, Fife Pride Committee Member: Fife Pride is such a crucial event to allow our community to feel accepted and valued, Pride is what I would call our safe space. Somewhere anybody can come to have fun and be themselves.

The true meaning of pride is the state or feeling of being proud and at Fife Pride we want you to feel proud of your achievements, your mistakes and most importantly proud of who you are!

Sooz McCrae, and family, nurse: Pride to us means acceptance and diversity. We love going to Pride as we are surrounded by people just being what they want to be and expressing their utter joy at being able to do this freely. We love to celebrate this beauty with them and celebrate being a “rainbow family”. Pride means our kids will grow up accepting and being accepted for being true to themselves.

Lindsey Williamson, Manager at The Hive: For me Pride is all about celebrating being our authentic self. Whether you are part of the LGBTQ+ community or an ally, we all have a part to play in making the world a place where we can celebrate who we are.

Anonymous: Pride means community. This year is my first year volunteering at Fife pride and attending pride in general. It is thanks to the many LGBTQ+ folks that I have met and admired during my 23 years that I have grown to feel secure in my being and vocal about my queerness in my personal life. This community of beautiful souls has provided a safe space for me both in person and online. It is because of this safe space that I feel confident and eager to take on new opportunities that I would have shied away from before. The LGBTQ+ community has taught me the value of loving myself and others in abundance and I could not be more grateful.

> Friday night movies:

Pride celebrations get underway on Friday with special film screenings at both the Kings Theatre, on the Esplanade, and the Adam Smith Theatre.

The Kings is screening the three-time Oscar winning movie on Friday night - doors open 6:30pm, film starts at 7:00pm.

Also on Friday, the Adam Smith has a double bill starting with Best of Iris - a curated collection of short films honoured and celebrated at the 2023 Iris Prize Film Festival - and Pride which tells the true story of how the gay community supported striking miners i1n 1984 and

> Youth zone

The HIve will be the base for this year’s youth zone which has a host of activities planned during the day.

> LGBT+ makers market and entertainment

A Fife massage and fitness suite will add to this year’s Pride celebrations with a free event - including performances from poets, musicians and a successful Burntisland drag artist.

Peak Physique at 260 High Street in Kirkcaldy - next to the entrance to the former cinema - will provide a space for those looking for a more laid back event.

From midday, it will hostLGBTQ books and zines to browse, makers market and a free clothes swap. Arts and craft activities will also be on offer with tea, coffee and cake available.

From 6.00pm-10.00pm the tempo will shift as the space welcomes a mixture of drag performance, poetry and music from all over Edinburgh and Fife to entertain those attending the event..

Lan Beaton, Peak Physique owner, said: “When I took on the unit it was being used as a community space. Community is such a huge part of physical well-being and so I wanted Peak Physique to continue to be a space to bring communities together.

“Hosting an Alt-Pride event for me is a call to the grassroots pride movement that is diverse and inclusive. Having a free event on a donation basis allows those who can’t afford ticketed events the chance to be involved and celebrated.”

Himish Macbeth, a finalist in one of Europe’s premier drag competitions - Man Up!, is a Burntisland based drag artist and disability activist and will be performing at the event.

Himish said: "Pride is a chance for all kinds of queer people to come together and experience joy and community. We celebrate how far we've come, honour the people who've helped us get that far, and remember how much we still need to do. In recent years, I see some of the roots of Pride are starting to get lost. Every corporation seems to have a rainbow version of their logo without actually providing meaningful support to their LGBTQ+ employees and customers.”