Pride Scotia – the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-gender communities' annual celebration of sexual diversity – kicks off on Saturday 26 June.
Assembly will be in East Market Street from 12.30pm, with speeches at 1 o'clock and from 1.30pm a colourful progress through the city via the Royal Mile, Scottish Parliament and Holyrood House, up Abbeymount, along Royal Terrace, and up Leith Walk before halting at the Omni Centre around 2.30pm for more speeches and entertainment (acapella group Grace under Pressure).[img_assist|nid=888|title=|desc=|link=node|align=right|width=141|height=200]
Youth events will be held in the Big Pink Tent on Gayfield Square. In Hotel GHQ at 4 Picardy Place a Health and Community Fair will run from 1.30 to 5.00pm, 'because there's more to an LGBT lifestyle than frocks and frolics'. Exhibitors will include British Transport Police, Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association, the Conservative Party, Edinburgh Gay Men's Chorus, Equality Network, Fostering Solutions, Gay Men's Health, LGBT Centre for Health and Wellbeing, Lothian and Borders Police, Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service, NHS 24, ScotsGay Magazine, Scottish Prison Service, Stonewall Scotland, Unite the Union, and Waverley Care.
Those taking part on the day may wish to relax and refresh at one of the following local sponsors: Café Habana (22 Greenside Place), Café Nom de Plume (60 Broughton Street), CC Blooms (23–4 Greenside Place), GHQ (4 Picardy Place), Planet (6 Baxter's Place), Priscilla's Cabaret Bar (17 Albert Place), The Street (2 Picardy Place).
For full details, visit the Pride Scotia guide online here, which includes an explanation of the march's purpose by John Hein, the rather impressive, free-thinking Liberal Party candidate for Edinburgh North and Leith at the last Westminster election.