Funding for Wicklow Pride Festival is approved by officials
The event is due to take place in Wicklow town on Saturday, July 5, starting from the Abbey Street car park and winding its way through the streets of Wicklow. The parade will be followed by a gathering at the Black Castle, featuring music, stalls, food, family fun and entertainment from a variety of speakers and performers. This event is free entry and sensory-friendly zones are available.
At the April monthly meeting of Wicklow Municipal District, held on Monday, councillors were informed that the organisers behind Wicklow Pride Festival were hoping to secure €5,000 from the district.
Cllr Paul O'Brien said: 'I have to commend the festival organisers for all of their hard work. Sadly, the world seems to be lurching back to the dark days, and we seem to be going backwards on a lot of progress made.
'The LGB community have fear out there and there is a lot of hate and division on social media. During the dark days after the economic crash and bailout, one of the only bright days was the same-sex marriage referendum, and it was great from a personal perspective that the public came out in such force and supported the referendum.
'Obviously, we have other festivals we need to support, such as St Patrick's Day and the regatta, but I think we should at the very least match last year's contribution of €2,500, which was an increase on the year before.'
Cllr Dany Alvey said: 'It's a fantastic festival and a very important one. It also attracts people from all over the entire county. I met a lot of people last year and it was their first time in Wicklow town. It's also very good for the local economy as well.'
A sponsorship request was also issued to the district from Wicklow Safe Haven, a new community-based organisation formed in Co Wicklow to raise the awareness about the levels of domestic abuse taking place and help those affected. Any funding provided will have to come from the discretionary funding and the elected members are keen to meet with the Wicklow Safe Haven volunteers in-person before making any sponsorship decision.
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