Birmingham Pride: Drag bingo, bottomless brunch to kick off celebrations at canalside pub

You can kick-start your Birmingham Pride celebrations early now
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Birmingham Pride is not too far away and a self-drive eco-boat service is giving it an early start by hosting Drag Bingo on the city’s canals.

The city will be celebrating the 25th pride celebrations this year and it’s going to be a mega event.

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You can expect dancing, music, amazing food and drinks, and a complete celebration of inclusivity and diversity. To give the weekend an early start, GoBoat has collaborated with a local pub The Flapper to host the ultimate Pride bingo event. The event will be helmed by Brummie icon Yshee Black on 23 September on Birmingham’s waterways.

Guests will be able to enjoy bottomless cocktails, courtesy of The Flapper, aboard the boats. They will also be able to take a leisurely, self-drive boat journey from Brindleyplace around the Port Loop before mooring up outside The Flapper to enjoy dinner, a show and drinks. The fun doesn’t need to end there as after embarking guests can keep enjoying at The Flapper and order drinks from the main bar and dance the night away. The pub plays rock/alternative anthems until 1am.

YShee is a drag performer and will be hosting some talks during PoliNations at the city centre. The performers name is James Bartholomew and in 2018 he told BBC that while his parents know he is gay, they are not aware of his other persona.

What’s included in the ticket?

When you buy a ticket to the event, you will get a welcome drink (alcohol-free for the driver), a pre-show boat ride on a GoBoat, a main, side, and bottomless drinks provided by the pub once moored, and drag bingo. Tickets range in price from £65 per person for a seat on a shared GoBoat, or rent a full GoBoat for £445 for up to eight guests.

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GoBoat is located at The Water’s Edge alongside Brindleyplace and opposite the ICC and Utilita Arena. The self-drive boat company added that future government guidelines may affect your booking. Remember to arrive at least 15 mins before the sail-out time.

                               Yshee Black hosts Drag Bingo                                Yshee Black hosts Drag Bingo
Yshee Black hosts Drag Bingo

What did GoBoat say?

Grant Sweeney, co- founder of GoBoat, said: “Supporting the local community is really important to us and with this being the 25th anniversary of Birmingham Pride, as well as GoBoat’s first year in the city, we wanted to celebrate Brum’s diverse LGBTQIA+ community.

“It’s fantastic to be working with a much-loved local like The Flapper as well as having the hilarious Yshee Black on board for our first-time joining Birmingham’s Pride celebrations. We can’t wait to welcome people down to what is sure to be a great night and hopefully the first of many fun and unique events for us here in Brum.”

You can book tickets here.

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