ShanghaiPRIDE 2011
ShanghaiPRIDE 2011 kicks off celebrations for the 3rd year!!
October 22nd to the 29th, Shanghai
ShanghaiPRIDE kicked off on Saturday, 22nd of October, with what has become the inaugural Pink Picnic, held at a local park. Participants came dressed in pink and brought their rainbow umbrellas as they joined hundreds of locals in the popular Zhongshan Park to enjoy the final days of warmer sunshine. With an increased turnout on last year’s Pink Picnic, this activity quietly created visibility as the Shanghai LGBT community came together in an outdoor public location.
Following on from a day in the sun, the ShanghaiPRIDE Opening Party was held at a downtown colonial style Mexican restaurant, Mi Tierra, with over 600 people turning out for the night which featured several singing and dance performances and the traditional lucky draw. This year’s lucky draw prizes were sponsored by numerous restaurants, bars, individuals, and even a boutique hotel.
Another established element of ShanghaiPRIDE is the locally organised sports event held on Sunday afternoon at a local sports centre sponsored by Melrose Pizza, which broadened the appeal of this year’s week-long event. Despite the heavy partying of the previous night, badminton and tennis enthusiasts still came out for a friendly competition.
For cultural activities again this year are several film events, which have seen full house for each night. Organizer Charlene Liu says “We are really pleased to again put together a diverse program for ShanghaiPRIDE 2011 and the film screenings were only made possible with the support the Goethe Institut, Alliance Francais, and Biblioteca de Cervantes as well as China’s own BQFF (Beijing Queer Film Festival).”
Aside from films, there was also a month-long mini-art show at Bites Lounge for the works of French artist, Emilie Record. To show support to the spirit of “Loving, Living, Giving” – this year’s theme, the artist will donate the proceeds of her works to a local charity.
At mid-week, more fun began with an Out Party at Brownstone on Wednesday, followed by Ladies Billiards Competition at Masse Bistro & Bar on Thursday.
The final day of ShanghaiPRIDE started on Saturday, the 29th, afternoon with a discussion about marriage pressures in China hosted by a local PFLAG parent. The audience participated in an open discussion of the pros and cons of gays and lesbians marrying each other to please their parents. The attendance was beyond expectations with many guests having to stand.
With a full week of activities, ShanghaiPRIDE closed with a Halloween Pub Crawl which saw two buses carrying passengers decked in creepy and bizarre costumes visit six LGBT bars in Shanghai. Upon arrival at the packed-to-the-max final venue, Angel @ Dubai, prizes which include an iPAD2 were given away for the best costumes of the night.
Overall, Shanghai had a successful Pride this year. Despite the main website being un-accessible in the beginning, the events still reached out to a sizeable number of people through other media. Most importantly, all the events went ahead without any cancellations
Although the activities for ShanghaiPRIDE provide a diverse and colourful display from and for the LGBT community, it is really worth celebrating that in China, a country where the only annual parade is a military formation, this event continues to occur.
This year also marks the second year that Beijing held a week-long “Jing Pride” over July 23rd to 30th. As friends from Beijing have been travelling to Shanghai each year for ShanghaiPRIDE, Shanghai returned to support this year with a visit up north.
Since 2009, ShanghaiPRIDE has come together out of a group of people who believe that creating an LGBT celebration in China is possible, and will raise awareness and visibility not just within the country but throughout the world as the world focuses on China. With people in Shanghai from all over the world, this event is put together by international expectations, demands and hope for the future of LGBT people everywhere.
In 2012 ShanghaiPRIDE will be moving back to the summer – so expect to see more in June. In the meantime any support, collaborations, or donations are already being accepted.
Coverage ShanghaiPRIDE 2011 received:
Shanghaiist | Whatsonwhen | SH Magazine | Oriental Travel | British Airways
Shanghai Talk | KLM | Alliance Francais | Frommer’s | NGO CN | Cambodia Out
Fridae | Mamba | Gay-worldnews | Hilton
