Soho Pink Sunday is where all the people who make Soho so great come together for a day of revelry, mirth and homoxual-leaning antics.
Prepare for your favourite bars and gay businesses to join together for a real end-of-the-week treat on Sunday 18th September. To find out more, we sent Lee Dalloway to have a chinwag with Soho’s First Lady Michele Cremona…
LEE: For those who don’t know, what is Soho Pink Sunday?
MICHELE: As amazing an event as Pride is, it attracts a national audience; Soho Pink Sunday is about the celebration of Soho as the gay centre of London. It’s aimed at the LGBT London community coming to join us in commemorating the amazing atmosphere and eclectic environment that makes it so special to us all.
It’s not like we need an excuse to have a party! Soho is always buzzing with excitement, so many excellent bars and restaurants to hang out in – but having a specific date that unites all the businesses with a common aim of raising money for a worthy cause (The Albert Kennedy Trust) and creating an extra special buzz seemed a natural progression for the Westminster Gay Business Forum to organise. We’re going to paint the town pink – why wouldn’t you be there?
What venues are involved?
There are sixteen bars and clubs that are involved, whose locations cover the whole of the Soho area, perimeter to perimeter, which will make for a fantastic bar crawl! Village, Profile, Freedom, Rupert Street, The Yard, Shadow Lounge, Admiral Duncan, Candy Bar, Circa, G.A.Y, Ku Bar Frith St and Ku Bar Lisle St, Duke of Wellington, Kings Arms, Comptons and The Edge. Be prepared to be blinded by pink wherever you go!
We’re kicking off this year with a Drag Race, which starts at 3pm in Soho Square. Stilettos and lipstick will abound, and all the well-known faces on the drag scene will be there to run and support us. You’ve got to know how much effort these lovely, usually nocturnal, ladies are going to – not just getting up extra early to paint their faces, but running in heels all to help raise money for the Albert Kennedy Trust; that deserves support! The wonderful Dusty O will have the starting pistol – not sure how good her aim is, so if you’ve ever upset her, don’t stand too close!
This year, we are delighted to be supporting The Albert Kennedy Trust, who help several hundred young people every year who have experienced domestic violence or have been ejected from home, just for being brave enough to come out as lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans to their parents or care giver. AKT does invaluable work and I think everyone knows someone whose life has been adversely affected for their sexuality, so being given the chance to contribute to AKT, who provide a much needed service, is very important to us as businesses. The AKT will have bucket shakers en route, so please give generously.
Can we expect any road closures throughout the day, like with Pride London?
There will be temporary road closures during the Drag Race from 3pm for the duration of the race, and for the race route only. The main focus is what’s happening inside the venues; start your own tour of the town and see what pink paradises await! Soho Pink Sunday was a tremendous success last year and the bars were full with pink people having fun! It is now firmly established as an annual event and everyone has come to know that it is the best Sunday in September!
Soho Pink Sunday is on Sunday 18th September from 3pm and continues at various venues around Soho throughout the day. See next week’s issue of QX Magazine for the full line-up of events.
