Tickets sell out for Omagh Pride

ALL 500 tickets have now sold out for the very first Omagh Pride parade next month – a monumental and colourful event which will make history in the town.

Casting Omagh in rainbows and the riches of love, the parade will feature a full line-up of performers and speakers, including Derry based, all-female queer band ‘Cherym’, whose song featured in the closing credits of the Irish LGBT film ‘Dating Amber’.

The event will be hosted by Omagh Pride organiser and poetry slam champion, Cat Brogan, who has been hosting queer cabaret events in London and Malaysia for over a decade.

Drag will be provided by Trudy’s All Stars winner 2021 Holly Go’Heavily and Magherafelt-born, Cookstown-based Alexis Cox, founder of NI’s first Rainbow Pageant.

The idea for the inaugural parade was born in May this year during a conversation between two Omagh friends, the aforementioned Cat (36), and community organiser, 34-year-old Lorraine Montague.

Both had lived most of their adult life outside of the town, but like many, had chosen to come back home due to the Covid-19 pandemic – and the pair soon had a vision of building a creative, queer community in their hometown.

With ‘true colours’ being the centrepiece of their imagination, a Pride parade seemed like a brilliant place to start!

“So after a feature in the UH, an open Zoom meeting was called in June, attended by over 30 individuals and representatives from LGBT groups, political parties and NGOs,” Cat explained. “Six meetings later and Omagh’s first Pride is confirmed – and it is all thanks to overwhelming support locally, the dedication of volunteers and generous donations from the public.”

Further festivities

Further musical acts include psychedelic rock, indie folk and jazzy blues multi-instrumentalist, Comrade Hat, as well as Dungiven-born Shannon of Sister Ghost, who won ‘Best Live Act’ in the NI Music Awards 2019.

The Rainbow Project will be in attendance, too. They will be represented by Dean Lee, who, as well as being a counsellor, has also set up NI’s only BAME-specific LGBTQI+ group, while speakers include trade union activist Amy Ferguson; trans woman Chantelle Mitchell; anti-conversion-therapy campaigner Oisin Donnelly; and yoga teacher, Marella Fyffe.

A representative from the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s LGBT+ network will also address the crowd from a trailer stage in South West College car park.

“Omagh Pride shows people they can be who they are in their hometown,” Cat concluded. “It proves that the community accepts them. It will form and strengthen connections based on compassion and empathy, while sending everyone the message that LGBTQ people are loved – wholly and unconditionally.”

True colours

Omagh Pride Parade will gather from 2pm at the South West College car park on Saturday, September 25. The parade will leave at 3pm to pass through the town centre, before returning to the college at 4pm for performances and speakers until 6pm.

People can join the waiting list for tickets at bit.ly/omaghpride and donate via bit.ly/omaghpridefund.

A livestream of the event will be broadcast on Omagh Pride’s social media channels. Anyone who wants to support the event is encouraged to get in touch via omaghpride@gmail.com or @Omaghpride on social media.

Photos, artwork and additional information on speakers and performers can be found via http://bit.ly/omaghpridemedia