Poole Pride 2026

Bring your own board games to the cafe, grab a drink and relax. 

Add a splash of colour to the day with Katie Paints – offering fun and fabulous designs for all ages.

We are excited to be joined once again by an array of LGBTQIA+ organisations and charities who stalls will be lining Lighthouse’s foyers.  

Offering information, support and advice our community stalls will be at Poole Pride from 12pm until 5.30pm so come and say hello! 

BCP Council Pride Network 

BourneFREE  @BourneFreePride 

Bournemouth, Poole & Christchurch Amnesty Group 

Cannon Coaching @cannon.coaching

Citizens Advice Poole @citadvicebcp 

Dorset County Hospital Pride Network @dorset_County_hospital 

Dorset History Centre  

Identity+ Aesthetics @Identity+Aesthetics   

Inclusive Community Church @inclusive.church 

National Education Union  

Space Youth Project @Spaceyouthproject 

STARS Sexual Trama And Recovery  @starsdorset 

This Is Me Dorset @thisismedorset 

Unison  

We Are With You @withyou 

Weymouth Gay Group @weymouthgaygroup 

Your Nature @YourNature 

Drop by and enjoy colouring and other crafts with Bourne Free

Come celebrate the strength of those who survived and the knowledge that keeps us moving forward.

The HIVstory exhibition shares first-person testimonies that document the social and cultural history of HIV in the UK.

Whether you lived through the 1980s and ’90s, are currently living with HIV, or simply want to understand the history of the community you are celebrating today, this exhibition offers a space for reflection, education, and pride.

Local legend, Lady Alan will be reading children’s books around Lighthouse.  

We all contain multitudes. But we do not always need to contain them, or let them contain us. Ri Baroche presents a performance-based workshop that provides you with a welcoming, safe space to explore all parts of yourself in performance. Using games, activities and quantum theory, this is a workshop that will encourage you to find and unleash your inner queer quantum magic as a performer. Performers of all backgrounds, abilities and experience welcome. 

Ri Baroche is a theatremaker, writer and performer based in Hampshire. She’s been funded 3x by Arts Council England to develop and tour new work focusing on big, unwieldy topics from unexpected angles, such as Drag ‘n’ Drop! (2023-24), a musical comedy drag theatre show about quantum physics and gender which toured the UK, with a sell-out show at The Science Museum. She is currently developing a new musical-comedy about climate change, Call Me, Mother Nature, following a successful R&D in partnership with Arts Council England and Mayflower Studios, Southampton. In September 2024, they were nominated for a Trans+ award by Beyond Reflections, in recognition of their work to support and uplift the trans+ communities in Hampshire.

In a world where trans people are made out to be both dragons and damsels in distress, what might our heroes look like? We are told that transness is a recent invention, a modern affliction, an undesirable state of being. The vast array of transgender, gender-transgressive and transformational folktales gives us a much longer lens. 

From princesses becoming knights to hapless cowherds discovering the joys of motherhood, these stories carry a rich legacy of trans desirability and beauty. 

This session will start with a storytelling performance so settle in! 

Bio: Gabriel Baxter-Baker aka þ (Thorn) is an oral storyteller; drag comedian, and transgender autistic freak. Currently a Creative-Critical PhD student at UEA, they are the mastermind behind the Lucid and Tit for Tat Cabarets. They have told stories around hearths and on stages at venues and festivals across the UK and abroad. At present they are planning the first trans+ storytelling festival in the UK, which will take place in Norwich later this year. 

Swan Club is a grassroots community arts club, holding free and regularly recurring meetups and events, with an emphasis on accessibility, co-creation, and nurturing local artist networks.

Since Spring 2025, they have been holding ‘come as you are’ style events, where everyone is welcome to create and explore in whatever way works best for them – especially for trans, queer and disabled creatives who have more barriers in accessing the local arts scene.

Their collective community was built from scratch, through local relationships and connections, and is continuing to grow as we share ideas, skills, and resources with one another.

A rising UK talent, whose warm, rootsy vocals and poetic charm have been turning heads across the folk and country circuit. 

A singer, songwriter performing original music about their experiences as a LGBTQ+ person.

With a background in performing arts since the age of 6 spread across South America, Europe and Asia, Venezuelan performer David Viña premiered his drag character Venezuela D’Viña in 2021. Since then, Venezuela has been bringing her own spin of pop and Latin American flair to the drag and cabaret scene in the UK, Spain and France. This year, inspired by one of her favourite musical theatre plays, as well as one of her favourite divas, Venezuela is bringing mayhem to our very own evening cabaret! 

Local legend, Lady Alan will be reading children’s books around Lighthouse. 

Often working in the socially conscious folk/alt rock tradition, our songs mix propulsive melodies with hopeful lyrics, personal reflections with societal commentaries and a pinch of punk attitude. 

Aureate presents a creative writing workshop suitable for all styles, genres, and levels of expertise. You absolutely don’t need to call yourself a writer to attend! In this welcoming and fun hour long session, we will use timed prompt exercises to help spark inspiration.   

STARS Dorset are pleased to be attending Poole Pride to share information about who we are and the work we do. We will be discussing different aspects of consent and boundaries, as well as highlighting our public drop-in sessions, where you can speak directly with members of our team in a supportive and confidential environment.

Age guidance – 13+

With your favourite BCP drag artists and some brand new local stars bringing not one but TWO cabarets over the course of the day, you’re in for a truly tantalising treat! Get down to the Studio to get your yearly dose of Poole’s proudest performers! 

Sing People Sing is an award-winning Bournemouth-based musical theatre choir, delivering vibrant, feel-good performances across the South Coast. We celebrate joy, inclusivity, authenticity, love, and friendship through incredible music. At Poole Pride, we unite voices and hearts, creating uplifting moments where everyone belongs and every song shines. 

Join the party at Poole Pride and dance along to our specifically curated playlist! 

Grace Savage is a multifaceted artist; 4 x UK beatbox champion and creator of her own unique blend of electronic-pop that has heard her music on the likes of BBC Radio 1, Radio 6 Music and many more.

Once her debut EP was released in 2017, tastemakers soon picked up on Grace’s originality, vulnerability and the darkly humorous bite in her lyrics, awarding her critical appraisal for her ability to create catchy tunes that hit the sweet spot between left-field artistry and pop songs that resonate with the masses. She recently showcased her songwriting skills on Redbull UK’s online songwriting competition “The Cut” and was shortlisted for “Best Songwriter” and “Best Female Solo Act” at the Unsigned Music Awards 2018.

This year she won two awards for “Best Sound and Music” (LGBT Feedback Film Festival) and “Best Score” (Swindon Independent International Film Festival) for her debut film score in a BBC short Film “Her & Her”.   

Known for her electrifying and unique live performances, she has secured numerous festival slots over the years including Glastonbury, Wilderness and Latitude as well as performing a number of her own headline shows in London as her fan base and onoline following (totalling 34k) continues to rapidly expand. With her increasing profile and subject matters addressed in her tracks, Grace has found herself becoming an ever more prevalent voice for women in music and wider society – filming a TEDx Talk on her experiences.  

Local legend, Lady Alan will be reading children’s books around Lighthouse. 

What makes this performance exciting and engaging for the LGBTQIA+ community is its authenticity. It speaks openly about themes many of us recognise, being sidelined, surviving systems not built for us, navigating visibility, reclaiming joy while also celebrating queer resilience, chosen family, and the magic of self-creation.

Sing People Sing is an award-winning Bournemouth-based musical theatre choir, delivering vibrant, feel-good performances across the South Coast. We celebrate joy, inclusivity, authenticity, love, and friendship through incredible music. At Poole Pride, we unite voices and hearts, creating uplifting moments where everyone belongs and every song shines. 

Join Dandy as he takes you through the history of the most beloved and under-represented forms of drag. From male impersonation used in Chinese opera of the 600AC, the glamour of the music halls in the late 1800’s to the bustling drag king renaissance in New York in the 90’s. Take a chance to learn about alternative forms of masculinity and how this supposed “new” form of drag has actually been around much longer than you might think! 

Have a keen story idea? Want to discover more about yourself? The Story Works proudly presents its drop-in session at Lighthouse for Poole Pride 2026! We have an activity for every age group, so come along and express yourself through wonderful words. Whether you’re an aspiring poet, storyteller or just feel you have something to say, we would be delighted to meet you. See you there!

The Story Works is a registered charity (charity number 1194175) that helps to get creative writing to children and young people in Dorset. For more information about what we do, please visit our website: thestoryworks.org.

A special thanks to our friends at Poole Museum for supporting this workshop. Poole Museum has been host to Proud Voices, creative writing workshops for LGBTQ+ young people facilitated by The Story Works.

Music and Dance with Diverse City, a workshop to make a routine and jam along with songs from their new show ‘The Other Life I Lead’, about Queer and Disabled lives in small towns. Bring any instruments or your dancing shoes. For all ages and abilities. 

Image (c) Pete Millson

Say hello to Oliver Clothezoff, the charismatic drag king bringing fun, music and a little mischief to Poole Pride. Known for his upbeat, tongue-in-cheek style, Oliver is ready to fill the stage with big rockstar energy and plenty of feel-good moments. 

Get ready for a joyful celebration where everyone is part of the show. Whether you’re six or sixty, warm up those vocal cords and get ready to have a blast, because at Pride, everyone deserves their moment in the spotlight. 

Instagram: @Jesssssikka   

Zine Cuisine is a zine fair for Bournemouth and Poole, made to spread zine culture and celebrate indie illustrators & artists. We do this by hosting an annual fair for creators to sell their work as well as putting on zine workshops as a no pressure place for people to start in their zine journey without judgement.

I write soft, melancholic music that acts as a diary entry of queer experiences. My songs were written when I was a child and reflect the bittersweet navigation of identity. Pride is a celebration of not only my current self, but an ode to the beautiful journey of getting here. 

Local legend, Lady Alan will be reading children’s books around Lighthouse. 

Whether you’ve been playing your chosen instrument for a month or ten years we’d love to see you get up and play with other local musicians at The Jam! If you’re not quite up to jamming in one of the five minute jams, take a gander at our set covers for the night. We’ve tried to make our covers list as diverse as possible so whether you’re a punk rocker or an indie lover there will be something you’re excited to come up and play.

Tell your friends, tell your girlfriend, tell your band mates, tell your mum. Get down to The Jam and get jamming with the girls and the gays of the South Coast music scene!

Ahead of our Spoken Word Open Mic (5pm – 6pm in the Beacon cafe), this workshop is about getting you performance-ready!

From calming nerves to tackling stage fright, this workshop will provide you with a bunch of tools to help you give your best performance of your poetry. It’ll include tips and tricks not only for the mental game but also for how to perform and use the stage space to your full advantage. We will also cover voice projection, stage persona, and one of the most important features of any performance, timing.

Join us for a poignant and vital journey through time. “The Story of Our Lives” is an immersive presentation that bridges the gap between the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the reality of living with the condition today.

Whether you lived through the 1980s and ’90s, are currently living with HIV, or simply want to understand the history of the community you are celebrating today, this session offers a space for reflection, education, and pride.

What to Expect

• Myth-Busting & History: We begin by deconstructing common misconceptions about HIV and AIDS that still linger today. We will briefly trace the history of the virus—from the fear and stigma of the early years to the medical triumphs of the modern era.
• Exclusive Film Screening: We are proud to present the 20-minute film Survivors. This moving documentary focuses on the lived experiences of a diverse group of men and women, diagnosed in the 1980s and 1990s.
• The Art of Survival: The film explores how individuals forged a path to survival against the odds, highlighting the resilience, activism, and community care that defined a generation.

Why Attend?

For the Survivors: A moment to see your history honored and your resilience recognized. “The only ultimate power any of us has is our power of reaction. We have very little power of what happens to us in this world, but we have complete power over how we react.”

For the Next Generation: Understand the shoulders you stand on. Learn why “acting quickly” and being “proactive” with health data—from blood results to modern apps—is a legacy born from the necessity of the past.

For the Community: To recognize that while medical needs may have changed, the need for advocacy, communication, and “taking responsibility for our own health” is as relevant now as it was then.

Come celebrate the strength of those who survived and the knowledge that keeps us moving forward.

Grace Savage is a multifaceted artist; 4 x UK beatbox champion and creator of her own unique blend of electronic-pop that has heard her music on the likes of BBC Radio 1, Radio 6 Music and many more. Once her debut EP was released in 2017, tastemakers soon picked up on Grace’s originality, vulnerability and the darkly humorous bite in her lyrics, awarding her critical appraisal for her ability to create catchy tunes that hit the sweet spot between left-field artistry and pop songs that resonate with the masses. She recently showcased her songwriting skills on Redbull UK’s online songwriting competition “The Cut” and was shortlisted for “Best Songwriter” and “Best Female Solo Act” at the Unsigned Music Awards 2018.

This year she won two awards for “Best Sound and Music” (LGBT Feedback Film Festival) and “Best Score” (Swindon Independent International Film Festival) for her debut film score in a BBC short Film “Her & Her”.  

Known for her electrifying and unique live performances, she has secured numerous festival slots over the years including Glastonbury, Wilderness and Latitude as well as performing a number of her own headline shows in London as her fan base and onoline following (totalling 34k) continues to rapidly expand. With her increasing profile and subject matters addressed in her tracks, Grace has found herself becoming an ever more prevalent voice for women in music and wider society – filming a TEDx Talk on her experiences. 

The King of Bingo returns this Poole Pride! Join Dandy Issues as he brings back his fabulous and ridiculous drag bingo to the masses. Expect cheesy sing-a-longs, silly games and some fabulous prizes (with a cheeky signed photo of Dandy or two along the way!) Bingo cards and dabbers are provided, just bring yourself and your best “BINGO” winners call! 

Dandy issues (he/they) is the king of camp and a staple on the UK drag circuit! As seen on the BBC, The Guardian and Diva magazine, he is best known for his quick wit on mic, cheesy sing-alongs and all round feel good entertainment! From DJing across the country to drag story times down south he is an all-round great entertainer, and the life of the party everywhere he goes! 

Local legend, Lady Alan will be reading children’s books around Lighthouse. 

Jasmin is a multi-talented circus performer, specialising in multi-hoop, fire performance, and walkabout. A full-time performer and events coordinator, she delights audiences at festivals, cabarets, and corporate events. Jasmin loves to share the genuine excitement of circus through performance and teaching. 

Photo by Tempo Media

Hosted by Theo Lyn, our open mic will run for an hour, with poets able to put their name down throughout the day. Each poet will have approximately three minutes on the mic or the length of one poem. If we have space at the end, we will open it up to the audience or any poets who would like to read a second poem. To ease nerves, Theo will do a couple of poems at the start so nobody has to go first, and then the poets can take the floor.

Local legend, Lady Alan will be reading children’s books around Lighthouse.

With your favourite BCP drag artists and some brand new local stars bringing not one but TWO cabarets over the course of the day, you’re in for a truly tantalising treat! Get down to the Studio to get your yearly dose of Poole’s proudest performers! 

Join the party at Poole Pride and dance along to our specifically curated playlist! 

Find out more and book your tickets here.

Maddie Morris is a bold and socially conscious folk artist who uses traditional music to explore contemporary issues. Winner of the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award, they have been described by Jim Moray as “leading the next generation of socially conscious songwriters.” Their work explores personal narratives and political storytelling, blending English folk traditions with their lived experience as a trans, autistic person. 

Rooted in the oral tradition, Maddie’s music seeks to preserve, challenge, and expand folk heritage by writing historically excluded voices into the canon. Recent projects include a residency at Ferens Art Gallery, and commissions from Unlimited, Rural Arts, and the English Folk Dance and Song Society. 

Passionately political yet gently understated, this is music that deftly treads the path between art and activism. 

Performing as part of our After Party at Poole Pride! PowderedCows are a Bournemouth-based avant-garde indie duo. Blending guitars, bass, synths, vocals and live-triggered samples, they fuse the raw energy of rock with the unpredictability of experimental electronics.    

Join the party at Poole Pride and dance along to our specifically curated playlist!