On Wednesday, June 5, Dublin Pride officially launched its 2024 festival with a community event in City Hall.
This year marks 50 years since the first Pride demonstration in Ireland. On June 27, 1974, a small group of students who were founding members of the Sexual Liberation Movement (SLM) marched from the Department of Justice on Stephen’s Green to the British Embassy on Merrion Road calling for the decriminalisation of homosexuality.
Dublin Pride is marking this milestone anniversary this year, and the team invited members of the community to join them for the official launch of their 2024 festival at City Hall, where Lord Mayor of Dublin, Daithí de Róiste, was also present.
“Put simply, Pride is everywhere, Dublin’s LGBTQ+ community are centered and they are celebrated. And as a city, we are proud to be part of that,” said the Mayor during the event.
For this year’s festival, Dublin Pride chose ‘Shine’ as the theme, meaning to cast light into dark places and share the light we all hold. Earlier in May, the team also announced that LGBTQ+ youth organisation Belong To would lead the 2024 parade as Grand Marshall.
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Speaking at the launch, CEO of Belong To Moninne Griffith said: “On Pride, it is a chance of LGBTQ+ young people and all of us who are members of the community to Shine. But this year, it is more important than ever that we let our allies know what is happening and let them know that they are needed now more than ever.”
“I want to thank Jed, Jamie and the team at Dublin Pride for inviting us to take on the role of Grand Marshal this year,” Griffith continued. “Thanks to our incredible and passionate team at Belong To pour their heart and soul into their work every single day and thanks to all of you here this evening – because it is collectively, we are making change and we will continue to do so.”
The festival will take place from June 20 to 29, with an incredible programme of events starting with SHINE – The Concert, organised in partnership with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. Held at the National Concert Hall on June 20, the concert will see performances that celebrate the work of queer activists in the country from musical guests such as Wallis Bird, Shobsy, Susan McFadden and the Dublin Gay Men’s Chorus.
The annual parade will take place on Saturday, June 29, and after that, marchers can head to the Pride Village in Merrion Square. The space will be open from 1pm to 6pm and feature food stalls, a Community City and a Neuro Pride space, as well as a mainstage hosted by Phil T Gorgeous and Paul Ryder.
In addition, crowds will be treated to performances from DJ Ruth, Davina Devine, Regina George, Viola Gayvis, Dame Stuffy, Dublin Gay Men’s Chorus, Glória, Sparkle and Trad is Amach. More information on the Pride Village, including how to sign up as a vendor, can be found here.
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The cherry on top of this year’s festival will be the legendary Mother Pride Block Party, which will return to the stunning National Museum at Collins Barracks. This year’s event is set to feature headline performances from RuPaul’s Drag Race legends Sasha Velour and Blu Hydrangea, as well as performances from Robin S, Princess Superstar, COBRAH and more!
The Block Party will run from 4pm to 11pm, commencing after the conclusion of the Dublin Pride Parade. For more information and to book tickets for this year’s Mother Pride Block Party, click here.
Co-CEO of Dublin Pride Jed Dowling spoke at the event, saying: “It’s our 50th birthday and we chose a youth group to be our Grand Marshall. You might wonder why we didn’t choose the people from the 1974 march. We did have them as our Grand Marshall’s last year. It is important that we remember where we came from and honour those who started the march, but that’s not the point of Pride.
“We remember the past, but we don’t live there. Pride is not about who we were or what we did. It is about where we are going and what we will do next. The first Dublin Pride march was organised by a group of students, so it seems fitting that for our jubilee year, the students and young people from Belong To should lead us out.”
Thanking the entire team who worked on the organisation of this year’s festival, co-CEO of Dublin Pride Jamie Kenny added: “The most important group to acknowledge though is the wider LGBTQI+ community, our friends, family, and loved ones. We are custodians of Pride, but we don’t own it, you do – and when over 100 thousand people line the streets of Dublin on the 29th of June know that you are making history so be there, be proud be fabulous.”
The team concluded the event by inviting participants to toast with them to the 2024 Dublin Pride festival.
If you’re looking for more information about accessibility at the 2024 Dublin Pride Festival, check out this link.
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