With its home at Lighthouse, Poole Pride is a joyful celebration of our beautiful LGBTQ+ community with a fun-filled family-friendly day of performances and activities followed by the very special Poole Pride After Party starring comedian Chloe Petts, the outrageous Pecs Drag Kings (pictured) and the gorgeous Come On Out Cabaret with a silent disco of queer anthems to finish the night.
By day, as well as a festival of LGBTQ+ creativity, with talks, crafts and workshops, live comedy, cabaret and music, there are stands to explore and a chance to meet with local organisations supportive of the LGBTQ+ community.
New for 2025, the Queer Ceilidh (Celtic folk dancing) is sure to be a memorable highlight as BwmbaBand, a queer-fronted three-piece ceilidh band from Bristol, serve up some of the spiciest, most euphoric, most foolish dance bangers the UK folk scene has to offer. Especially for Poole Pride they are teaming up with Erin Mansfield, one of the UK’s most energetic young (and queer) callers, to bring us the single best ceilidh of our lives (probably).
All dances/calling will be completely genderless, just bring suitable footwear… and a complete lack of self-awareness!
Also during the day, Destination Opera will present A Meditation on Queer Art Song, featuring music chosen Dorset-based international opera singer and producer Jon Valender by composers such as Tchaikovsky, Benjamin Britten and Francis Poulenc, who were known to be (or widely accepted as) gay, as well as those such as Ivor Gurney who were assumed to be.
That will be followed by a Music Making Workshop hosted by Neil Valentine and Ed Lee from Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in which participants will be creating new music inspired by some of the music from the recital. It’s open to everyone – feel free to bring an instrument or use one supplied – no musical experience needed, just enthusiasm!
Be sure to visit Dorset-based sewist Matt Wilding’s Wings of Pride installation. Quilted in two pieces and based on an eagle’s wingspan, the wings are a celebration of Pride that can also be used to protect and comfort.
After the success of last year’s edition, Dorsetborn are delighted to be curating Writing Out Loud 2, three new pieces written by local writers that engage with LGBTQ+ themes and issues. Callum McKelvie, who wrote Late Night Double Bill last year, is returning to work with Dorsetborn’s Rohan Gotobed and the selected writers as co-curator.
By special arrangement Poole Pride is delighted to showcase this year’s Iris Prize, Cardiff’s International LGBTQ+ short film prize, showing four titles that explore issues of identity, transformation and the unexpected connections that shape us, from superheroes to shorelines. The films screening in the Cinema as part of the daytime programme are Teth (15), We Are All the Gay Superheroes (15), Façade (12A) and Boys in the Water (15).
The daytime performances and activities can be accessed using a ticket booked in advance or on the day from the Ticket Office. These tickets are issued on a pay-what-you-feel basis and we thank you for choosing a price you suits you.
By night, Lighthouse is proud to present the Poole Pride After Party, a very special ticketed-only event, full of love, laughter… and a little bit of drag chaos.
Kicking off our evening is top comedian, Chloe Petts, who after opening for Ed Gamble earlier this year, returns to Lighthouse for one night only as one of the most prominent comedians on the circuit today coming from her perspective as a “six foot lesbian from Kent who is often mistaken for a man.”
She’s followed by the sexy, raucous and highly entertaining Pecs Drag Kings, an all-female and non-binary theatre and cabaret company who’ve been creating fabulous shows for the LGBTQ+ community since 2013. Serving up a cocktail of song, dance and comedy, they are the epitome of queer inclusivity, promoting a haven for the entire community.
Returning for its second year, the Come on Out Cabaret is back… and bigger than ever!
Featuring a roster of new and familiar faces, this year’s show promises all the fun and frolics, sprinkled with a bit of naughtiness. With top UK Drag artists and aerialists such as Dandy Issues, Miss Venezuela D’Vina, Ri Baroche, Secret Circus and Dandy Darling, hosted by the magnificent Thorn, this evening boasts the best celebration for all the girls, gays and theys.
To end the night, join our silent disco and dance to the best queer anthems in history. In the words of Lady Gaga: “The category is: Dance, or Die.”
Programme times:
7pm – Chloe Petts
8pm – Pecs Drag Kings
8.45pm – Come on Out Cabaret
9.30pm – Silent Disco
(please note, programme times are not exact and may vary)
