Countdown to ShanghaiPRIDE 2015 Begins

Shanghai, June 1, 2015 – With less than two weeks to go, the city is counting down the days until its biggest LGBTQ event of the year, the seventh annual ShanghaiPRIDE festival, to take place June 12-21. Pride7 will bring to Shanghai a slew of cultural, social, and educational events aimed at creating awareness and promoting tolerance and acceptance, under the theme “Love Is Our Future” (爱予未来 ai yu weilai).

This year’s festival sees the return of prominent events like the Pride Run on June 13, beginning and ending at The Langham, Shanghai, Xintiandi, with the annual Pink BBQ to follow at the hotel’s fifth floor terrace bar, XTD elevated. The official launch of the festival takes place that same evening with the much-anticipated Opening Party, featuring spectacular performances, drink deals, and prize giveaways.

ShanghaiPRIDE Film Festival (ShPFF) runs June 14-21, with screenings throughout the week that explore LGBTQ themes and showcase innovative voices in queer cinema. Audiences can also look forward to seeing the 23 films submitted for this year’s inaugural short film competition on the subject of LGBTQ Chinese stories, as well as finding out the winners of the five prize categories.

Cultural events throughout the week include ShanghaiPRIDE Theatre Festival (ShPTF) with productions of the Vagina Monologues by the Zhihe Society at Fudan University, Bite My Thumb by East West Theatre, BENT by Urban Aphrodite, and Colours by FLYIMPROV. The Pride7 Art & Photo Exhibition will showcase the work of six Chinese and foreign artists at Polar Bear gallery in the M50 art district, and two panel discussions on LGBT & Family (held at Shanghai American Center) and HIV/AIDS Awareness will explore some of the most significant issues affecting the LGBTQ community today. Andaz Xintiandi, Shanghai will host a PFLAG conference for parents whose children are part of the LGBTQ community, and attendees can test their knowledge of queer culture at the annual Trivia Night at Lucca Café & Lounge or learn about the organizations active in the community at LGBT Groups Open Day at Andaz Xintiandi, Shanghai.

Women Up!, a professional ladies’ networking forum, sponsored by The L app, on June 18 at The British Centre, will give attendees the opportunity to connect with other queer professional women and hear from five successful speakers on topics ranging from education to law to media. Following the networking event, the annual Ladies Party will take place at The Apartment, featuring guest performers, raffle prizes, and the city’s hottest queer ladies. Finally, the Closing Party on June 20 will be sure to entertain guests with fabulous live performances to end Pride7 with a bang.

Festival merchandise, including rainbow mugs and Pride7-themed T-shirts sponsored by American Apparel, Danlan/Blued, and everman – the best lube, will be available for purchase during the week. ShanghaiPRIDE is a non-profit, volunteer-led event made possible by the support of the aforementioned sponsors, in addition to Kempinski Hoteliers since 1897; the German, Canadian, French, and Swiss consulates; IBM; and queer dating apps GayShow, LesDo, Zank, and Jack’d. This year’s beneficiaries include Snow Lotus Lesbian Association, Shanghai Qing’ai Health Center, and Beijing LGBT Center.

For the full Pride7 schedule and further details on Pride events, visit shpride.com or follow ShanghaiPRIDE’s social media channels, including WeChat (Shanghai-PRIDE), Weibo (weibo.com/shanghaipride), Facebook (facebook.com/ShanghaiPride), and Instagram (@Shanghaipride).

Contact
Email: shanghaipride@gmail.com
Website: shpride.com

~爱予未来 Love is Our Future~