An online pride programme centered around the LGBT+ community in Waterford was announced for this June bank holiday weekend by Pride of the Déise.

With events ranging from informative webinars and community storytelling, to yoga and dance, there is something for everyone from May 29 to 31.

Pride of the Déise, along with businesses, community organisations and interest groups wanted to bring Pride back to the streets of Waterford. The weekend dates were originally reserved for a citywide Pride celebration, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was moved online.

Referring to this change, the chairperson of Pride of the Déise, Cam Lyttle, said: “While our ultimate hope was to bring people together physically in solidarity and celebration, there is still a lot that can be achieved while supporting the efforts to limit the impact of COVID-19.”

“We feel honoured to be able to platform our community online, and share the vibrancy of Waterford and its LGBT+ community with a wider audience.”

All the events are free, with most being streamed live across social media. Some of the highlights include:

Scéal?: The online festival will open on Friday with interviews and stories collected from members of the LGBT+ community presented via Pride of the Déise’s social media accounts.

Pride Extravaganza: Put your glam suit on, strut your stuff and come join in the online parade on Saturday.

Live DJs: DJs Johnny and Dr Phil from Open Tempo will be bringing live reggae, disco and house sets to their Facebook Page to help you dance the Saturday evening away.

Youth Takeover: The Sunday line-up is curated by and for LGBT+ young people in collaboration with ChillOUT LGBTI+ youth group. There will also be closed events hosted via Zoom for LGBTI+ young people aged 13-18, with a virtual games night at 2pm.

Queer Vision @ Pride of the Déise: Celebrating Irish LGBT+ storytelling with an exciting programme of short films, documentaries, music videos and more in a live streaming event.

Practical self care for mental health: Shauna Monaghan leads a Zoom webinar at 6pm on Friday aiming to highlight some practical and realistic methods of looking after yourself and your mental health.

Yoga with Zenda: Fun energetic style yoga with Zenda hosted on Zoom Saturday at 2pm.

Find out more about the programme of events and preregister for closed sessions at www.prideofthedeise.ie or @DeisePride on Facebook and Twitter.