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Wales Online
Wales Online
Entertainment
Katie Hoggan

Carmarthen hosts its first Winter Pride festival for the LGBTQ+ community

With Pride month taking place in June each year, marches and festivals are seen in cities across Wales throughout the warmer months. But celebrating the LGBTQ+ community is something that should happen all year round and Carmarthen is not letting the cold weather get in the way this year with its first ever Winter Pride event.

Following the success of Carmarthen's first Pride event in the summer, the Carmarthenshire LGBTQ+ Project hosted the winter event on Saturday, December 10. Unlike the usual outdoor summer Pride events, it took place inside at the Haliwell Centre at University of Wales Trinity St David with drag performances and an indoor market.

Organiser Vince Hayward said the event was set up to give the LGBTQ+ community a great opportunity to engage with other like-minded people. LGBTQ+ owned businesses, charities and community groups took part such as The Queer Emporium, Stonewall Cymru and bookshop Paned o Gê. The family-friendly event was free to attend and included a children's corner with story time readings. You can read more stories about Carmarthen here.

Read more: The determined Italian man who's become one of Wales' biggest forces for change in improving LGBT+ lives

The event was organised by the Carmarthenshire LGBTQ+ Project. (Left to right) Miles Haywood and Vince Hayward (Katie Hoggan/ WalesOnline)
Drag queen Diana D hosted the event (Katie Hoggan/ WalesOnline)
LGBTQ+ owned businesses and community groups had pop-up stalls at the Winter Pride event (Carmarthenshire LGBTQ+ Project)

Swansea-based drag queen Diana D hosted the event and said it was a joy to help the local community connect and network.

"I met so many people from Carmarthen that said how wonderful it was to have Pride in their home town and to have an event that represents them as individuals and a community.

"Nothing like this ever happens during the colder, winter months.

"Pride isn't just something that is needed or that happens in the big cities. Pride is needed and wanted everywhere," she said.

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