WATCH: Limerick Pride 'is back with a bang'
LIMERICK Pride is "back with bang", with the first in-person festival of the decade taking place next month.
That's according to the chairman of Limerick's annual celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other cultures Lisa Daly, with hundreds of people set to take to the city streets on Saturday, July 9.
The Covid-19 pandemic forced the annual week-long festival behind closed doors for the past two years, and now the organisers are making up for lost time with a multitude of events taking place in the week leading up.
Speaking at the press launch this week outside the Hunt Museum, Lisa said: "It's great to be back, to meet people, and see people. I cannot wait for everyone to gather for the parade. Virtually, no matter what you do, you can't feel that. For that atmosphere to come back again, to line Limerick's city streets."
There is a different route to the parade this year, owing to the continuing revitalisation works in O'Connell Street, with participants asked to gather at Pery Square ahead of its 2pm kick off.
It will be grand marshaled by local historian and writer Sharon Slater.
"We have a massive range of events. We have tried to cater for everyone in the community. This is why we went with the theme 'Pride is Culture'. A lot of our artists, we found, when we plan our programme, we'd only have certain artists involved. But this way, we have filmers, we want to involve writers, readers. Everything," Lisa added.
Limerick Pride week kicks off on Monday, July 4, and ends on Sunday. July 10, and will feature events from workshops, support meetings and discussions to evenings of music and club nights, to cater to the needs of everyone.
For a full rundown, check out limerickpride.ie