Pride 2018: The best celebrations taking place this weekend

Feather boas at the ready

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Pride season continues to swing, with plenty of celebrations taking place over the weekend to recognise, remember and celebrate the LGBT communities.

While June is earmarked as Pride month around the globe, festivities take place across the summer, from big cities to small towns. With reports of LGBT hate crime against LGBT people increasing since the Brexit vote, Pride is not only an opportunity to party, it's a time for the LGBT communities and their allies to come together.

Here's where you can find some of this weekend's best Pride events.

Stockholm and Gothenberg

Friday 27 July marks the first day of Europride 2018. Europride is a pan-European international LGBT event featuring a pride parade and hosted by a different European city each year.

This year, Stockholm and Gothenberg are sharing the honour of the Europride title. Celebrations begin in Stockholm today and run until 4 August, while festivities start in Gothenberg on 14 August and run until 19 August.

Europride was first celebrated in London in 1992 and is due to take place in Vienna in 2019.

Stockholm Pride began in 1998 and is now the largest LGBTQI event in Scandinavia.

Belfast

Belfast Pride runs from Friday 27 July to Saturday 4 August, with the official Pride march taking place on Saturday 4 August.

Events taking place today, tomorrow and Sunday include a Pride sunset party and BBQ, a vogue ball, picnic, drag queen storytelling and Pride walk.

Liverpool

Liverpool Pride was established in 2010 in the wake of the homophobic murder of the young gay man Michael Causer.

On Saturday 28 July, crowds will congregate for a “joyful and peaceful” march at 11am on St George’s Plateua. The march will begin at 12pm, before arriving at the Pride site on Tithebarn Street at approximately 1pm.

A range of events will take place in the city over the weekend, with Saturday earmarked as the day to let your hair down and Sunday billed as a more chilled affair.

Headliners include Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Courtney Act and the theme this year is #AllTogetherNow.

Sheffield

Sheffield celebrates Pride in Endcliffe Park from 1pm to 7pm on Saturday 28 July with music and comedy. The march begins on Pear Street off Eccleshall Road at midday, while the official after party takes place at the Foundry nightclub from 11pm to 3am.

Norwich

Norwich Pride celebrates its tenth year this weekend, with events taking place in the city's Chapelfield Gardens from 12pm until 5pm, including a conversation between LGBT activists Peter Tatchell, Lady Phyll and CN Lester at 4pm. The gardens open at 11am and the parade departs St Peter's Street at 1pm.

Western-super-Mare

The fifth Pride celebration in the west country town takes place in Grove Park from 12pm on Saturday 28 July. The parade begins at Knightstone Island, departing at 11am sharp. The official after-Pride party takes place at the Winter Gardens and includes cabaret, singers, dancers, comedy and DJs and runs from 8pm to 4am.

Faroe Islands

The remote Faroe Islands celebrate Pride each year on 27 July, the day before the national holiday Ólavsøka. The parade starts at 3pm today by the national football stadium in Tórshavn, Tórsvøllur, and ends down by the harbour, Skálatrøð, with a free public concert.

West Lothian

The fourth West Lothian Pride takes place on Saturday 28 July within the Pride Village at West Lothian College from 1pm. The event includes a kids zone, live music, food, drink and entertainment and information stands.

Hamburg

This year's celebrations, which take place from Saturday 28 July to Sunday 5 August, begin with the opening night gala held in the club St Pauli and include comedy, music and talks. The Pride parade will take place on Sunday 5 August, the final day of the celebrations.

Amsterdam

Amsterdam Pride also begins on Saturday 28 August and runs for a week until its conclusion on 5 August.

The opening party begins at 11am with speeches and a walk from Homomonument – a memorial in the centre of the city that commemorates LGBT people persecuted for their sexual or gender identity - towards the Vondelpark, where the party will continue until 10pm.

The city will also host the canal parade, which will run along the Amstel River towards the Prinsengracht.

Enjoy, stay safe and feel proud.