By Ricki Hewitt
Salford Pride are proud to present The Digital Diversity Festival in collaboration with Enigma Events. With three events running over the weekend of 15 and 16 May 2021, the festival will champion diverse communities from within the LGBT+ community, to give a platform, visibility and importantly a voice to communities that have spent too long in the closet.
Friends and organising team for Enigma Events, Connor James, Frazer McDonald, Tom Dutton and Natalya Disley are students from the Manchester Metropolitan University and they conceived the idea for the project as part of their unit on Events Management.
Enigma Events, friends and volunteers (left to right): Natalya Disley, Tom Dutton, Frazer McDonald and Connor James.
The brand of Enigma Events MCR pays homage to the innovative LGBT+ icon Alan Turing, who played a pivotal part in cracking the enigma code during the Second World War, and revolutionised history by inventing the early fully re-programmable computer, thus kickstarting a technological era which we still benefit from today.
The group wanted to use this opportunity to not only organise a successful event for their university programme, but also to support a local LGBT+ charity, continue engagement and highlight important discussions about intersectionality and diversity within the LGBT+ community, raising over £500 for the event themselves by walking 200km.
The Digital Diversity Festival weekend will showcase live performances from LGBT+ artists, entertainers, dancers, DJs and a variety of talent from our diverse community, as well as an exclusive panel discussion exploring the themes of diversity, intersectionality, visibility, allyship and pride.
Artwork by Tom Langley. Copyright Salford Pride 2021.
First up, is the Digital Diversity Festival: A Celebration of Diversity. Join us on Facebook Live for an evening of entertainment as we celebrate and showcase diverse LGBT+ artists. The event will be held on Saturday 15th May at 6pm to 8pm, featuring performances from Juno Birch, HUSK, Amrick Channa, Lascel Wood, SHAR, Quentin Arispe, Internet Raised, Val Queda, Sissy Punk and many more.
This event is free to attend, however any donations to Salford Pride are greatly appreciated. Your donations allow these projects and events to continue and support the work of Salford Pride. Please donate here.
Artwork by Tom Langley. Copyright Salford Pride 2021.
The party then continues at Diversify: The Digital Nightclub Experience. Join us on Zoom on Saturday 15th May from 8-10pm, the night will feature 2 hours of non-stop tunes from DJ Valentino and some surprises along the way. Tickets cost a minimum suggested donation of £3 which supports Salford Pride and our mission to build a stronger, diverse community that celebrates inclusion and equality; where LGBT+ people are represented, thrive and live authentically. Grab your tickets to Diversify here.
Artwork by Connor James. Copyright Salford Pride 2021.
Finally, The Diversity Discussion. Join us for a Zoom exclusive webinar on Sunday 16th May, from 5pm - 6pm. Sade Giliberti will discuss intersectionality, diversity and the representation of marginalised groups within LGBT+ spaces, in conversation with our amazing panellists. Get your ticket to The Diversity Discussion here.
““Our vision for the festival is to show that Salford Pride is an inclusive place, where everyone is welcome; to give under represented groups from the LGBT+ community a platform, and celebrate the diversity of the whole community, together.””
If you’re interested in finding out more about Salford Pride, or getting involved, check out salfordpride.org.uk/getinvolved or keep up to date with our work in the fight for equality online:
Facebook @salfordprideoffical
Twitter @salfordprideuk
Instagram @salfordpride
Enigma Events MCR is a newly formed events management group based in Manchester. Their mission is to design, plan and run world-class digital-first events, utilising industry standard technology and cutting edge training. Read more about Enigma Events and the Digital Diversity Festival here.