Bourne Free

Bourne Free
Official logo of the festival
Frequencyannually
LocationBournemouth
Inaugurated2004
Websitewww.bournefree.co.uk

Bourne Free is an annual three-day pride festival and charity organization in Bournemouth, England. It started in 2004 and has run yearly since, save for 2020. Past themes for the event include "Paint the World with your Pride" (2019) and "Stronger Together" (2021).

History

2000s

The festival was established in 2004 when a far right organisation was due to come to Bournemouth to demonstrate against homosexuality. Many prominent figures and active members of the LGBT community in the area came together to organise an event in the Lower Gardens to defend LGBT people from the event and create a day of celebration rather than hostility. As it took place in October, the event was linked to the 150th anniversary of Oscar Wilde's birth.

The event included entertainment at The Bandstand, a balloon release with a two-minute silence for victims of hate crime, and Bournemouth's first Gay Pride march. The Bourne Free committee that had organised the event continued organising Bourne Free as an annual charity event. In 2006, event was renamed as the Bourne Free Pride Festival.

In 2008 the Pride Parade moved onto the streets of Bournemouth. An estimated more than 4,000 people attended the event that year. The festival theme for 2008 was "Support our Services"

2010s

LGBT+ pedestrian crossings in Bournemouth, 2018.

In 2011, the parade had an award for "best dressed" to honor Steve Collier, who had passed away the previous November. Collier had been part of the volunteer team that organized Bourne Free as well as an event trustee.

Kerry Katona was one of the headline acts for Bourne Free 2012, with the theme of the festival being "Royal".

For Pride 2018, Bourne Free partnered with Siemens Mobility to design and replace twenty pedestrian crossing signals in the town centre ahead of the festival. They were inspired by an initiative from London Pride in 2016, and the installations in Bournemouth would inspire a similar initiative in Manchester later that year. Bourne Free and Siemens would partner again in 2019.

2020s

In 2020 the event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A virtual pride was held on July 4th on Bourne Free's Facebook page. The event returned in person in 2021, with capacity halved to 1,500 to reduce risk. Organizers of Bourne Free 2021 also distributed hand sanitizer and facemasks to attendees.

The theme for 2024 was intended to be "Eurovision" but the organisers scrapped this theme due to the Gaza war, and controversy around Israel's participation in the Eurovision contest. The theme for 2024 was ultimately changed, with the website stating "There is no theme this year. Be you – the vibrant, colourful, beautiful, YOU!"

In 2026, the Bourne Free charity partnered with Oceanarium Bournemouth, a local oceanarium, to host a conservation talk at Meyrick Park as part Pride Family Day.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "'Get ready to party': Thousands expected at next weekend's Bourne Free pride festival". Bournemouth Echo. 7 July 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  2. ↑ Watson, Eve (22 August 2021). "The best moments from Bournemouth's Pride festival". dorsetlive. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  3. ↑ "Ten years of Bourne Free: How celebration of diversity became one of Bournemouth's biggest events". Bournemouth Echo. 9 July 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2026.
  4. ↑ "Bourne Free Pride Festival". Gay Bournemouth. Retrieved 23 October 2026.
  5. ↑ "Bourne Free 2009 to be held in July". PinkNews. 30 October 2008. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  6. ↑ PinkNews Staff Writer (30 October 2008). "Bourne Free 2009 to be held in July". PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news. Retrieved 23 October 2026.
  7. ↑ "Bournemouth pride parade award is tribute to organiser". BBC News. 6 July 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2026.
  8. ↑ BBC 2011.
  9. ↑ "Kerry Katona headlining Bournemouth's royal-themed Pride Festival". Bournemouth Echo. 26 April 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2026.
  10. ↑ "Pedestrian crossing signals to be changed as Bournemouth welcomes thousands to Bourne Free Pride festival". Bournemouth Echo. 13 July 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2026.
  11. ↑ Echo 2018.
  12. ↑ Gilchrist, Tracy E. (21 August 2018). "Manchester's Crosswalk Signals Go Queer for Pride | Advocate.com". www.advocate.com. Retrieved 23 October 2026.
  13. ↑ "Siemens Mobility takes Pride in Bournemouth". Siemens News and Information. Retrieved 23 October 2026.
  14. ↑ "Bourne Free Pride Festival Virtual Pride". Gay Bournemouth. Retrieved 23 October 2026.
  15. ↑ "All you need to know ahead of Bourne Free this weekend". Bournemouth Echo. 19 August 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  16. ↑ "IN PICTURES: Hundreds enjoy the Bourne Free Pride parade". Dorset Echo. 22 August 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  17. ↑ BBC (21 August 2021). "Bournemouth Pride festival celebrates NHS staff and key workers". BBC. Retrieved 23 October 2026.
  18. ↑ BBC 2021.
  19. ↑ Andrews, Charlotte (14 March 2024). "Bournemouth Pride event scraps 'controversial' Eurovision theme". BBC News. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  20. ↑ Simone, Carlo (5 July 2024). "Everything to know for Bourne Free Pride Festival 2024: Parade, times and more". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  21. ↑ Simpson, Fraser (5 July 2026). "Oceanarium Bournemouth to host free conservation talk during Bournemouth Pride". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 23 October 2026.