5 ways to celebrate Pride Month

June is Pride Month in the UK and across the world. It’s a month dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ+ communities at home and abroad, as well as a time for awareness and people coming together in love and friendship.

If you’re planning on partying for Pride – or wondering how you can increase your awareness about LGBTQ+ history and causes – here are some of the best things to do to celebrate Pride Month 2022.

1. Celebrate in style at a local Pride event
   Yes, the biggest Pride festival in the North and Scotland is held over August bank holiday weekend in Manchester, but there are still plenty of Pride events in 2022 to enjoy during Pride Month.
   
   If you’re looking for a Pride festival in 2022, Lancaster Pride is held on 18th June and features a parade, drag performers, musicians and plenty of local vendors. It’s the perfect way to celebrate the diversity of Lancaster if you’re in the area.
   
   
   
   Why not head to Salford Pride to join the Pink Picnic if you’re in Manchester or Salford? Held on 25th June in Peel Park, the event is all about the grass-roots nature of Pride, with plenty of local community groups, businesses and charities coming together for the celebration. And if you love 90s and noughties pop (who doesn’t?), you’ll be pleased to hear the line-up includes 911, Urban Cookie Collective and the Cheeky Girls.
   
   On the same day, people in Edinburgh can make their way to Pride Edinburgh. The 25th annual event features a march through the city, plus many more intimate events including craft markets and history tours. Having been cancelled the last two years, it’s set to be a big one.
   
   
2. Read up on LGBTQ+ history
   Reflecting on the past is a key part of Pride Month. Rob Cookson, Deputy Chief Executive of LGBT Foundation says "it is so important to know our history, of the challenges we have faced and continue to face, so we can make the future better for LGBT people".
   
   So to get to know the history a little better, there are plenty of important books that are well worth reading during Pride Month, or any time of the year for that matter. Some favourites include:
   
   
   • Pride: The Story of the LGBTQ Equality Movement by Matthew Todd
   • 50 Years Legal by Simon Napier-Bell
   • The Stonewall Reader by Jason Baumann
   • Drag: The Complete Story by Simon Doonan
   • Aids: Don’t Die of Prejudice by Norman Fowler
   
   
3. Visit an LGBTQ+ owned business
   There are many places to let your hair down and celebrate Pride Month, from Canal Street in Manchester to the Freedom Quarter in Leeds and the Pink Triangle in Edinburgh. But even if you’re not one for partying the night away, there are more and more LGBTQ+ owned businesses springing up in our cities that you can support.
   
   Queer Lit in Manchester is a great place to visit if you’re in the city. This award-winning independent bookshop has over 2,000 titles in their Northern Quarter based shop. And if you’re not in Manchester you can always shop with Queer Lit online – the perfect way to get your essential LGBTQ+ reading for Pride Month.
   
   Another popular LGBTQ+ owned independent business in Manchester is Feel Good Club – the coffeehouse is on a mission to help people feel good and become their best and happiest selves. Not only is it a wonderful place for brunch and cocktails, they also have an online store selling feel good artwork, clothes and tote bags.
   
   
   
   
4. Watch an LGBTQ+ film or tv show
   If you’re wondering how to celebrate Pride Month from the comfort of your own home, why not watch a film or TV show? If you want to watch a series, anything by Russell T Davies is an ideal place to start. Beginning with Queer as Folk, Davies has been instrumental in bringing queer stories to the small screen. His recent powerful hit, It’s a Sin has been heralded as one of the best pieces of television of the last decade and is definitely worth a watch.
   
   
   
   Other TV show options include Pose and 2022’s recent hit, Heartstopper, whilst films to look out for include Moonlight, Call Me by Your Name, Blue is the Warmest Colour and Pride.
   
   
5. Donate to an LGBTQ+ charity
   As Pride Month is all about raising awareness, you may want to support one of the many charities that do fantastic work in the UK and across the world.
   
   Stonewall was founded in 1989 by a group of activists who were campaigning against Section 28 (a clause that banned the ‘promotion of homosexuality’) and fighting for the rights of LGBTQ+ people in politics, media, and wider society. Today, it continues to work with employers to implement workplace diversity and empowerment programmes.
   
   Other important charities include MindOut (providing mental health services), AKT (offering help to LGBTQ+ young people that are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless), and Mermaids (supporting transgender, non-binary, and gender-diverse children and youth in the UK).
   
   

However you’re celebrating Pride in 2022, if you’re planning to travel by train remember to check before you travel and book your tickets in advance on our website or using the TPExpress app.