Gay & Lesbian

February used to be a quiet month in the gay calendar but these days you can’t move for queer goings-on. LGBT History Month, which began as a response to homophobic bullying in schools, celebrates the history of gay culture in London as various boroughs host their own events to raise awareness. These range from photographic exhibitions to readings by gay authors, and theatrical revues to club events. (As there’s no central organisation, check the gay section in Time Out magazine for details.)

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Also in February is Winter Pride, a week of gay arts and cultural events aimed at raising much-needed funds for June’s annual Pride London parade and rally in Trafalgar Square. With Pride now restored to its proper status as a free event, fundraisers like this are more important than ever. Without them, the Pride organisers would be forced to charge an entry fee and we’d all be bitching about it for months. Another busy time in the gay social calendar is April, when the annual London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival is held at the National Film Theatre. Smaller gay festivals include Soho Pride (usually in August) and Big Gay Out (usually in July, though no event is planned for 2006; see www.biggayout.com for 2007).

We’ve included a selection of events here, but also keep an eye out in Time Out magazine for the latest information and numerous other events.

London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
National Film Theatre, South Bank, SE1 8XT (7928 3232/www.llgff.org.uk). Embankment tube/Waterloo tube/rail. Date Late March/early April.

Now in its 20th year, the LLGFF’s annual round-up of the best lesbian and gay film and video from around the world attracts some pretty big names.

London Marathon
Greenwich Park to the Mall via the Isle of Dogs, Victoria Embankment & St James’s Park (7902 0200/www.london-marathon.co.uk). Maze Hill rail or Charing Cross tube/rail. Date April. Entrants’ deadline Oct.

As one of the biggest metropolitan marathons in the world, this event attracts 35,000 starters, including a few in outrageous costumes. Arrive early: the front-runners reach the 13-mile mark near the Tower of London at around 10am.

Playtex Moonwalk
Start & finish at Hyde Park, W1 (01483 741430/www.walkthewalk.org). Date May.

A night walk to raise money for breast cancer research. The 15,000-odd participants – men included – wear specially decorated bras to power walk the 26.2-mile route.

Chelsea Flower Show
Grounds of Royal Hospital, Royal Hospital Road, SW3 4SR (7649 1885/www.rhs.org.uk). Sloane Square tube. Date Late May.

The hysteria that builds up around this annual flower show has to be seen to be believed. Fight your way past the rich old ladies to see perfect roses bred by experts, or to get ideas for your own humble plot. Tickets go on sale in November and sell out fast.

Walk for Life
Starts at Hyde Park, W1 (www.walkforlife.co.uk). Hyde Park Corner or Marble Arch tube. Date Late June.

This 10km sponsored walk around London, organised by Crusaid, raised £325,000 for HIV and AIDS last year.

Meltdown
South Bank Centre, Belvedere Road SE1 8XX (08703 800400/www.rfh.org.uk). Embankment tube/Waterloo tube/rail. Date Last 2wks in June.

This enormously successful festival of contemporary culture at the South Bank Centre invites a guest curator each year. Bosses in recent years have included Patti Smith, David Bowie and Morrissey. Often a good place to see cutting edge queer artists. Recent guests have included Lipsynka, Ennio Marchetto, and Antony and the Johnsons.Pride LondonParade from Hyde Park, W1, to Trafalgar Square, WC2 (7494 2225/www.pridelondon.org). Hyde Park Corner or Marble Arch tube/Charing Cross tube/rail. Date Festival 17 June-1 July. Parade & rally 1 July.In 2006 the annual free bash thrown by London’s proud-to-be-gays and -lesbians will be even bigger than usual as London hosts EuroPride. The parade, always a colourful affair, heads down Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Whitehall, ending up at Victoria Embankment. It’s followed by a rally in Trafalgar Square; dance stages, market stalls and a food festival take over Soho; and Leicester Square hosts cabaret and ‘Drag Idol’. Festival Fortnight – the two weeks leading up to the Pride rally – offers a mix of cultural performances.

Notting Hill Carnival
Notting Hill, W10, W11 (www.lnhc.org.uk). Ladbroke Grove, Notting Hill Gate or Westbourne Park tube. Date Late Aug.

It calls itself Europe’s biggest street party, and that may be true, as hundreds of thousands of revellers show up each year to drink warm beer and wander about in posh Notting Hill. There is occasional live music and unavoidable sound systems loaded on to trucks, followed by unglamorous dancers in T-shirts. There’s a costume parade, but all too often you miss it because of the crowds.