The official Phuket Pride website is www.phuket-pride.org
please check out the latest information there.

SPECIAL DATE FOR YOUR DIARY!

Phuket Pride 2013 – April 21 to 27, 2013

09/05/12 Mister Gay Phuket
It was a very big success. It was the highlight of the week of gay pride. On the first day we had 37 candidates who were all trying to get through to the final 12. The vast number of people who came to see the contest made the gay street completely full of people. A huge crowd gathered.
The staff from Fong Kaew were selling stickers shaped like a heart and they were selling paper hangers for Mister Popular. The next day they sold them again and from selling these items they collected the sum of 125.000B that will be donated to HIV projects. It is the first time that they have collected so much money to give to a HIV charity in the Paradise Complex.
The next day they judged the winners. Mister Popular was awarded 5.000B, the 3rd prize – 5,000B went to a boy from Phuket. The 2nd prize went to the same boy who won Mister Popular. He works in a bistro in Patong. The winner was chosen not only because he is handsome but also he had a good spirit being gay. He is the top dancer in Simon Cabaret in Phuket town. There were so many people in the soi it was sometimes hard to see what was happening.
However the reactions after the contest were fantastic. The Phuket Gazette wrote a small story praising it. It will also appear in many gay magazines around the world.
Marcus, the owner of Fong Kaew, which organised the event said “That why I am so proud :-) With 125.000B that we donated to HIV projects. It cant be a bigger success then this for the first time we did this.”

Click on the small pictures below for full size ones.



08/05/12 We have received a final press release from the “Phuket Loves You” (PLU) Club

“The Phuket Loves You (PLU) Club in its first year of promoting a new way of Celebrating Pride, with the theme “Join our family,” enabled our community to raise almost 300,000 baht which will be donated to various LGBT & HIV/AIDS charities or initiatives in Thailand. The following are the organizations and initiatives that will receive these donates: Andaman Power Phuket, The Life home Project Foundation Phuket, Patong Hospital, Phrabatnampu Temple in Bangkok and finally developing and implementing an awareness program for HIV/AIDS and STD for Paradise Soi.

“These monies were raised from several events throughout the week and a special acknowledgement and thank you to the following businesses and individuals: Mr Gay Phuket competition run by Fong Kaew Mansions (125,000 Baht), Charity auction by Backstage Bar (50,000 Baht), Private collection by Mr. Barry and friends (42,000 Baht) and finally PLU Club events and donations.

“Pride week consisted of various events such as an intercultural workshop, an educational film screening, four nights of street parties in Soi Paradise, a grand Pride parade through the streets of Patong and culminated in 2 day Big Stage event at the football field in Patong.

““Join our Family” theme challenged our community to become involved in creating and implementing this year’s event.  Special acknowledgement and thank you are given to the staff of Sundowners, Club One Seven and CC Bloom’s Hotel, plus many of our Farang and Thai community members who contributed their time and effort to help make the 2 day Big Stage events and Pride Parade possible.

“Given our effort to become more visible to our LGBT Community by having our event at the football field in Patong, we received a last minute donation of 50,000 baht from Mr. David P. Mitchelhill from Techasia Limited who stated that “anything that increases the visibility, acceptance and community spirit around the LGBT community on Phuket, both resident and visitors, can only be applauded.”  He further stated that “Techasia Limited would like to support your efforts for 2013 and be a corporate sponsor. We therefore will make a sponsorship payment of Baht 200,000 in support of Phuket Pride 2013.”

“PLU Club would also like to thank Patong Municipality and our many sponsors who, without their generous donations of money, time and media coverage, Pride week could not have taken place.

“The Chair of the PLU Club Ken Miller said “despite only having four months to plan and having so many challenges thrown at us including a real Tsunami warning two weeks before and an internet rumor of another one on 28th April, it was through the dedication of everyone involved including those who attended the week’s events and lined the streets of Patong to support our parade that we were able to keep the events on course. On behalf of the PLU Club and the Pride Committee, we would like to thank each and every one of them for supporting our events and community.”

“The aim of the PLU Club over the next few years is to widen the week’s event; it is fully accepted that Patong is where the heart of our LGBT community lives but the soul of our community is located throughout Phuket Island. During the next few years it is hoped that PLU Club will hold Pride events throughout Phuket, bringing together the whole of Phuket’s Thai and Farang LGBT communities as well as our non-gay supporters.

“Creating a healthier community for our LGBT community, we will be working towards raising over one million Baht a year for LGBT & HIV/AIDs organizations and initiatives.  For information on how to get involved in Phuket Pride as a volunteer or sponsor please email: info@phuket-pride.com.”

04/05/12 There have been a whole shed full of photos posted on facebook about the Pride Parade in Phuket 10 days ago. You can see them all here. http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.426870600675594.113844.130352070327450&type=1 (I hope Beocute.com doesn’t mind me stealing one for this article!) It looks as if it was a great day. Maybe next year we will get there in person. Within a couple of days I will be posting many of the best of these pictures on the “2012″ page of this site.

30/04/12 Tsunami warning washes away Pride support in Phuket

Unfounded rumours of a bad tsunami on Saturday 28 scared away supporters of Pride march on Thai island of Phuket. A tsunami warning that threatened to engulf the whole of Phuket island in Thailand drastically diminished crowds at this weekend’s Pride march.

Full story here – http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/tsunami-warning-washes-away-pride-support-phuket300412

 26/04/12 The map of the parade route has just been put on their official website

25/04/12 Alas the Volleyball tournament has been cancelled. Shame, but it couldn’t be helped.

19/04/12 The location of the final two days’ events has been changed. They will now be held at the Football field, Patong Beach. Also the start time of the festivities on the 27th has been brought forward to 5pm.

15/04/12 The screening of the film “Living with the Tiger” has been confirmed to be on the 24th at C C Blooms Hotel.

02/04/12 The party at V Sawana Bar in Rawai has been cancelled as the bar has closed. Sorry to hear that guys, you were doing a good job.

19/03/12 The official website has been completely rebuilt and now shows details of what’s happening on each day. To see the calendar click here. You can download pdf files of the daily events from the site from here -

03/03/12 The official Phuket Pride website (www.phuket-pride.org) has updated its events page with some more and new events. We’ve copied it on to the page here, but PLEASE check it out! The party just keeps getting bigger and better. There’s going to be one really terrific week and it would be a shame to miss it if you don’t have to.

25/02/12 – <<>> Alannah is performing on the main stage this year at Phuket Pride 2012! 3 BIG SHOWS!!! More details to follow!

23/02/12 The first Thai posters for Phuket’s Gay Pride are being prepared for distribution @ Backstage and of course put up @ Backstage same time!
These posters will hopefully spread throughout our Thai Gay community! ;-) – from http://www.facebook.com/groups/gayguyspatong/

17/02/12 Great article about Pride on our partner’s website – Pattayahotmale.com

There’s a great review of the Pride’s past and an advert for the Pride to come in our partner’s website. Pattaya Hotmale has put a news review of the event:

When Bangkok´s Songkran 6 festivities are over for 2012 (April 13th – 15th) make sure you are ready for another of Thailand´s major gay festivals…PHUKET PRIDE which literally “hits the streets” from April 23rd through to April 28th.

Each consectutive year after the festival’s humble beginnings in the year 2000, it has seen greater numbers of local Phuket residents and international gay visitors attending, with 2011 boasting a figure of almost 10,000.

Events for this years festival include Mr. Gay Phuket competition, a Pool Party, Gay Day Cruise to Racha Island, Beach Volleyball tournament plus the big stage show party on the final weekend. More events will be announced over the coming weeks so please keep a close eye on the Phuket Pride official website for details.

For the full story and some really sexy pictures, click here!

17/02/12 Rainbow Scuba announces details of their Pride tour

Rainbow Scuba, based in Koh Samui, have announced a Phuket Gay Pride tours

Phuket Gay Pride Overnight Tour
Date: 23 April 2012 to 24 April 2012
Summary: Boat Tour to Phi Phi Island

Celebrate Phuket Gay Pride 2012 with a two day overnight boat trip which will take in the very best snorkel and dive sites in the South Andaman Sea.

What better start to a great week of Gay Pride events than 2 days at sea with like minded people.  Your choice of 7 unforgettable snorkel spots or scuba dives with one night on Phi Phi island included in the price.  Share double or twin bungalow with air-con, private bathroom, mini bar, etc.

For all the details click here – http://rainbow-scuba.com/calendar/51/10-Phuket-Gay-Pride-Overnight-Tour.html

25/4 13.30 – 16.30
1st Announcement:
In Gay Pride Week (23-28 April)
BACKSTAGE will organise and sponsor, together with Ulf Mikaelsson, a HIGHLY INTERESTING workshop for all of us who try/tried to build a life here in Thailand and build relationships with our Thai hosts, from personal all the way up to professional in co-operation with “Open Mind Projects” based in Khonkaen, who are willing to donate their time and efforts for free as well!
Working titel for now:

INTRODUCTION TO INTERCULTURAL RELATIONSHIPS,
for a better understanding about Thai culture, why things go/are as they go/are and how to deal with that.
Try to understand/respect more about the culture of our host country Thailand!

BY THE WAY, IT ALSO WORKS THE OTHER WAY ROUND, SO OUR THAI FRIENDS ARE ALSO WARMLY INVITED TO PARTICIPATE !!!

This, as we see and expect, EYE OPENING workshop of 2-3 hours will take place in one of the afternoons during the Gay Pride week, and is, for now, planned to take place at Backstage.

Interested to participate, please react with “Participate” or “Might participate” to the posting of this upcoming event or place a comment in which you say so, then we will keep you further informed and you’ll have first chance to sign up!

Participation will be free (!) of charge but we will think of a positive way to make sure that those who sign up before a given deadline, will not withdraw without a very good reason because we will have only limited room for participation and don’t want to turn people away while others stay away because they suddenly feel they want to go/be elsewhere ;-)

So, very curious who is interested in this little activity with actual content, which is intended to help us to get closer to some understanding about our Thai friends and how they work and think, and as such might help us to improve not only our way we run our businesses and activities in Thai society, BUT also help us to improve our more personal relationships with our Thai (boy)friends;-)!

EVERYBODY IS INVITED TO RESPOND TO THIS EVENT IF THEY FEEL LIKE RESPONDING, OR WISHING TO TAKE PART IN IT !

For all the details see here – http://www.facebook.com/events/194019350698511/

1st Announcement of Backstage’s AIDS Charity Auction & Party!

On Monday the 23d of April, on the first day of the Gay Pride Week 2012 Backstage is organising an auction with 100% of the so called ‘take’ being donated to the AIDS Charity here on Phuket!

Everybody who wants to donate(!) things that we can auction of, is more then welcome to contact me @ Backstage or Call me, K.Rob, on Thai phone 080 14 18 180.

Ofcourse it can also happen that I will be asking you in the upcomming weeks to donate something what we can auction of!

We @ Backstage will try to also to create a little party atmosphere around the auction!

Its a sure way to make certain your money gets to where it’s said it will go, AIDS Charity, AND run a more then decent chance that same time you go home with something of interest to you!

More details will folow later and if you want to be kept informed, please make your interest to attend, or donate for auction, known here or to K.Rob direct, and we’ll make sure you stay informed etc.!

TOGETHER, WHILE HAVING FUN, WE CAN COLLECT A LOT OF BAHT TO HELP THE FIGHT AGAINST AIDS AND ITS EFFECTS
HERE ON PHUKET.
BIG OR SMALL MONEY: ALL HAVE A CHANCE TO BID AND GO HOME WITH SOMETHING WHILE SAME TIME HAVING DONE SOMETHING REALLY GOOD,
SOI JOIN AND RESERVE THIS DATE IN YOUR CALENDER XXX

For all the info on this see www.facebook.com/events/322776067758441

1st Announcement of the “Night OUT in Thailand”-Party, which will be held on the 24th of April 2012, on behalf of and in cooperation with OUT Magazine Thailand!

OUT & Backstage hope, by organising the” Night OUT in Thailand” at the beginning of the Pride week, to support the Gay Pride Phuket to become a wonderfull event in its own right and for a long time to come!

Entertainment will be mixed, and will have LIFE PERFORMING ARTIST(S)) as well as cabaret, and who knows what more ;-)

Starting time, etc., of this OUT-party still has to be decided on! The date is a sure thing though!!!

We at Backstage will do our best, together with OUT Magazine, to turn this into a most memorable party!

We will keep everybody posted, as best we can, who let us know that they intend to attend OUT magazine’s & Backstage’s
NIGHT OUT IN THAILAND

For more details see – http://www.facebook.com/events/226311857460995/