🏳️🌈 Pride Month Events 2025 🏳️🌈
June is here and it’s time to celebrate! We’ve been hearing about lots of fantastic Pride events and activities happening throughout the month in and around Edinburgh. Whether you’re into sports, community engagement, or cultural events, there’s something for everyone. Here’s what we know about so far – please let us know if we’ve missed anything you’d like us to share with the network!
Past Events (click to expand)
Late May Events
“Bend It Like Deckham!” PQFC + Jokes FC Fundraiser
📅 Friday, May 30th | ⏰ 8pm-1am
📍 Leith Arches
Join Porty Queer Football Community and Jokes FC for “Bend It Like Deckham!” – an evening of DJs and drag entertainment!
DJs: Tamboi, Ceits Bush, Greengiant
Drag: Cliff Lickhard, Élixir
Special raffle: 2x Chappell Roan tickets up for grabs!
Cost: Pay what you can (£12 suggested) – 100% of donations go to accessible football for PQFC and Jokes FC
Romance Fiction Event
📅 Friday, May 30th | ⏰ Evening
📍 Lighthouse Books
A celebration of contemporary romance fiction – “fiercely feminist, and jubilantly queer!” featuring Eleanor Pilcher in conversation with host Arusa Qureshi, followed by drinks reception.
More info: Lighthouse Bookshop Events
Early June Events (Passed)
Trans+ Swimming Session
📅 Wednesday, June 4th | ⏰ 7:00pm-9:00pm
📍 St Leonard’s Pool (Holyrood Rd, Edinburgh EH8 8AQ)
Monthly Trans+ swimming sessions with exclusive access to pool and changing facilities. Part of the University’s commitment to inclusion and wellbeing, designed to remove barriers that trans people may experience in accessing public swimming spaces.
Who can attend: Trans+ students, staff, and members of the wider Edinburgh community. Allies may attend only as a guest (+1) of a trans person.
Key features:
- Exclusive pool and changing room access (all genders welcome to use facilities they’re most comfortable with, plus gender neutral options)
- 1-hour swimming session with 30 minutes changing time on each end
- Pool divided into lane swimming and free swim areas
- Staff trained in trans inclusion
- All swimwear styles welcome, including option to go topless regardless of gender
Tickets: £3 per person (free tickets available if cost is a barrier) – all funds donated to LEAP Sports Scotland. Tickets released 3 weeks before each session.
Future sessions: Monthly through September (July 9th, August 13th, September 3rd)
Booking and more info: Edinburgh University Students’ Association
Questions: transnonbinary@eusa.ed.ac.uk
Queer Data Showcase
📅 Thursday, June 5th | ⏰ 5:00pm-7:00pm
📍 Cabaret Bar, Pleasance
A first-of-its-kind showcase spotlighting a curated selection of artists, academics, and activists working with queer data. Co-organised by Pride in STEM and the Edinburgh Futures Institute’s AI Ethics & Society. The event concludes with time for presenters and audience members to meet each other and learn more about the variety of queer data projects taking place.
Tickets: Free – Available here
“Jeanne” Book Launch
📅 Wednesday, June 5th | ⏰ 7-8pm
📍 Lighthouse Books
Launch of Arielle Burgdorf’s “Jeanne” – a queer, experimental novel exploring the intersections of language, gender, sexuality, and art. Described as “a clever, sexy, moving & playful novel about literary translation, control, language, & selfhood.”
More info: Lighthouse Bookshop Events
Queer Climbing Night
📅 Friday, June 6th
Part of Porty Pride events – a fantastic opportunity to try climbing in a welcoming, inclusive environment.
More details: Porty Pride Events Programme
Staff Pride Network Evening Social
📅 Friday, June 6th | ⏰ 5:30pm-10:00pm
📍 The Auld Hoose, 23-25 Saint Leonard’s Street, Edinburgh EH8 9QN
SPN’s flagship monthly evening social – a casual Friday wind-down for LGBT+ colleagues and allies. This free drop-in event welcomes all LGBT+ and ally staff and postgrad students from the University of Edinburgh and Napier University. The relaxed atmosphere accommodates people of all ages, disabilities, and social comfort levels.
Who can attend: LGBT+ and ally staff and postgrad students
Cost: Free
Format: Drop-in, no registration required
New to SPN? Contact staffpridenetwork@ed.ac.uk to arrange meeting an SPN member beforehand
Registration: Eventbrite (Free)
Porty Queer Football Community: Gie it a Go!
📅 Saturday, June 7th
Come and try football with Porty Queer Football Community – perfect for beginners and experienced players alike!
More details: Porty Pride Events Programme
Porty Pride Ball
📅 Saturday, June 7th | ⏰ 7pm-12pm (doors 7pm for 7:30pm start)
📍 Portobello Town Hall
Theme: QUEER FREEDOM – Come dressed to show freedom to express, freedom to love and freedom to THRIVE! Features DJ Arusa Qureshi, DJ Ria Andrews, hosted by Butch Cassidy. 18+ event with accessible venue.
Tickets: £5-£25 available on OutSavvy
Queer(ing) Data in Healthcare Research & Practice Workshop
📅 Wednesday, June 11th | ⏰ 10:00am-4:00pm
📍 Usher Enlighten One, Ground Floor, Usher Building, BioQuarter
1-day workshop engaging master’s, PhD, and postdoctoral researchers in methodological training for queering data in science, technology, innovation, and healthcare research and practice. Attendees will work collaboratively to learn, employ and create ‘queer’ data practices, including applying issues of normativity to data science, supported through regular sharing and collective problem solving.
Who can attend: Master’s, PhD, and postdoctoral researchers
Cost: Free
Organizers: Dr Chase Ledin (Usher) and Dr Kevin Guyan (Business)
Contact: chase.ledin@ed.ac.uk
Staff Pride Network Central Coffee & Cake
📅 Wednesday, June 11th | ⏰ 1:00pm-2:00pm
📍 Canopy Cafe, Edinburgh Futures Institute, 1 Lauriston Place, Edinburgh EH3 9EF
Bi-monthly lunchtime coffee meetup at the central campus. Drop in for a coffee and free cake, meet your LGBT+ colleagues and ask a committee member those questions you’ve been dying to have answered! The venue is accessible and located on the Middle Meadows Walk side of the building.
Who can attend: LGBT+ and ally staff (or PhD students) of the University of Edinburgh
Cost: Free (cake provided)
Format: Drop-in, no registration required
Features: Rainbow lanyards and table signage for easy identification
Accessibility: Accessible venue with accessible toilets
Contact: staffpridenetwork@ed.ac.uk
Registration: Eventbrite (Free)
“No Differences: Debating Demographic Expertise in U.S. Marriage Equality Cases”
📅 Wednesday, June 11th | ⏰ 4:00pm
📍 Edinburgh Futures Institute, University of Edinburgh
The demography of sexuality has become a battleground in debates over LGBTQ civil rights. Experts and activists on all sides turn to demographic knowledge to make claims about LGBTQ people and the worthiness of their political claims, and data collection itself has become a site of intense political contestation. This talk draws on evidence from three pivotal same-sex marriage cases at the United States Supreme Court on the path to federal marriage equality to analyze the specific ways that population counting and other types of demographic evidence are mobilized in the legal arena.
Speaker: Dr Jamie Budnick (Assistant Professor, Sociology, Cornell University)
Hosted by: The Gender + Sexuality Data Lab and GENDER.ED
Format: Public talk, all welcome
Registration: Free tickets available
“Life Cycle of a Moth” Book Launch
📅 Wednesday, June 11th | ⏰ 7-8pm
📍 Lighthouse Books
Launch of Rowe Irwin’s debut novel – an urgent, thrillingly alive novel about Maya and Daughter, who live in complete isolation in a secluded woodland. Explores both the tenderness and ferocity of maternal love.
More info: Lighthouse Bookshop Events
Trans Social Space at Augustine United Church
📅 Thursday, June 12th | ⏰ 6:00pm-8:30pm
📍 Augustine United Church, 41-43 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EL
Social event for the trans community and allies. Come along for chat, refreshments and an opportunity to make signs for Edinburgh Pride. If you have clothes to swap, bring them along too!
Who can attend: Trans community and allies
Activities: Chat, refreshments, Pride sign making, clothes swap
Supported by: Augustine United Church and Resisting Transphobia in Edinburgh
Contact: Maxwell Reay – ourtribe@augustine.org.uk
Website: augustine.org.uk
Trans+ Workout Session
📅 Sunday, June 15th | ⏰ 5:00pm-7:00pm
📍 Salle, Pleasance Gym, Pleasance
Trans+ workout sessions organized by Edinburgh University Students’ Association and Edinburgh University Sports Union. Exclusive access to gym facilities in a supportive environment.
Cost: £3 per session – all proceeds donated to LEAP Sports Scotland
Schedule: Every other Sunday (June 15th & 29th; July 13th & 27th; August 10th & 24th; September 7th)
Upcoming June 2025 Events
LGBTQI+ Drop In Lunch Sessions – Easter Bush
📅 Monday, June 16th | ⏰ 1:00pm-2:00pm
📍 Vet School Teaching Building, Room G03-A, Easter Bush Campus
Regular monthly drop-in lunch session for the LGBTQI+ and allies community at Easter Bush, open to all students and staff! To celebrate Pride Month and get ready for Edinburgh Pride on June 21st, organizers will bring arts & crafts materials for people who’d like to make signs for the Pride march. Feel free to bring your own craft materials as well!
Who can attend: All LGBTQI+ and ally students and staff at Easter Bush
Format: Drop-in throughout the session, bring your lunch
Provided: Snacks and arts & crafts materials for Pride signs
Schedule: Third Monday of each month from 1-2pm
Future sessions: Monday July 21st (G01) and Monday August 18th (G01)
Contact: Ben (organizer via Easter Bush campus)
🌟 WorkPride 2025 – Global Virtual Conference 🌟
📅 Monday-Friday, June 16th-20th | ⏰ Various times (Virtual)
📍 Online – Global Virtual Conference
Theme: “Your Allyship Journey Starts Here”
The sixth annual WorkPride is the world’s largest virtual global conference dedicated to workplace LGBTQ+ inclusion! This 5-day event features 200+ global speakers and 40+ sessions designed for LGBTQ+ professionals, allies, HR leaders, DEI advocates, and anyone committed to workplace equality.
🎯 Key Conference Topics:
- Bisexual Inclusion: Navigating Identity at Work
- Mentoring for Success: Developing Future Leaders
- Becoming an Active Trans Ally (Interactive Workshop)
- Using Data to Measure and Improve DEI Outcomes
- Visible Allyship in Leadership
- Creating Inclusive Company Culture
Who can attend: LGBTQ+ professionals, allies, inclusive employers, students, graduates
Cost: 💰 Completely FREE
Languages: English and Spanish
Special Certificate: Attend 5+ sessions to earn an LGBTQ+ Inclusion Certificate
Hosted by: myGwork (world’s largest LGBTQ+ business platform)
Major Sponsors: Booking.com (headline), Taylor Wessing, RS Group, Canada Life, Organon, Valencia Gay Games
Registration: Free registration at myGwork.com
More info: WorkPride 2025 Events
💡 Perfect for University staff interested in workplace inclusion, DEI strategies, and building allyship skills!
LEAP Sports Scotland Festival Fortnight
📅 June 17th-30th
An exciting mix of sporting, recreational, and cultural events designed to increase LGBTIQ+ visibility and participation in Scottish sport. Everyone is welcome to participate, whether trying new sports, supporting teams, or celebrating at festival parties.
Full listings: LEAP Sports Festival Fortnight
BioQuarter Pride Month Bake Sale
📅 Tuesday, June 17th | ⏰ Starting 1pm
📍 IRR South reception area, BioQuarter campus
Bake sale organized by the BioQuarter Pride Committee, open to anyone from across the University. All donations go to LGBT Health & Wellbeing, an Edinburgh-based charity supporting LGBTQ+ adults in Scotland.
Want to contribute bakes? Contact: BioQuarter.Pride@ed.ac.uk
“Second Skin” Book Launch
📅 Monday, June 17th | ⏰ 7-8pm
📍 Lighthouse Books
Launch of Anastasiia Fedorova’s “Second Skin” – bringing subversive desire out of the dungeon and into the light. An illuminating tour of the world of fetishes that casts light on our culture at large, revealing how what we deem ‘taboo’ is never static.
More info: Lighthouse Bookshop Events
Staff Pride Network Kings Buildings Coffee & Cake
📅 Wednesday, June 18th | ⏰ 1:00pm-2:00pm
📍 Magnet Café, JCMB Building, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF
Monthly coffee meetup at Kings Buildings campus with the same welcoming format of free cake and community connection. Located in the James Clerk Maxwell Building, this accessible venue features SPN committee members available for questions and informal conversation.
Who can attend: LGBT+ and ally staff and students
Cost: Free (cake provided)
Format: Drop-in, no registration required
Features: Rainbow lanyards and table signage for easy identification
Registration: Eventbrite (Free)
NHS Lothian Pride Stalls Event
📅 Wednesday, June 18th | ⏰ 1:30pm-3:30pm
📍 Little France, BioQuarter
Local organizations will have stalls at this community pride event. The University of Edinburgh has been invited to participate, and we expect good attendance from university staff and students.
Setup available from 1pm
“This Princess Kills Monsters” Book Launch
📅 Thursday, June 19th | ⏰ 7-8pm
📍 Lighthouse Books Garden
Celebrate Ry Herman’s new novel about a princess with a mostly useless magical talent who takes on horrible monsters, masked heroes, and a talking lion. Expect themed surprises, refreshments – costumes and extra fabulousness most welcome!
More info: Lighthouse Bookshop Events
Edinburgh Pride Run 🏃♀️🏃♂️
📅 Friday, June 20th | ⏰ 7pm start (arrive 6-6:45pm)
📍 Holyrood Park
After a hiatus, Edinburgh Frontrunners are back! Walk, run, or wheel your way around the iconic Arthur’s Seat to kick off Pride weekend in style. This 5km route is open to anyone over 18 – no need to be an EFR member to participate.
Registration: Edinburgh Frontrunners Pride Run
Contact: Dom.Cairns-Gibson@ed.ac.uk for questions or to meet committee members beforehand
Pride Edinburgh 🏳️🌈
📅 Saturday, June 21st
📍 Edinburgh
🚩 THE MARCH DETAILS:
📍 Meet: Scottish Parliament at 12:30pm
🚶 March starts: 1:00pm
🛤️ Route: Scottish Parliament → Canongate → High Street → George IV Bridge → Bristo Place → Lothian Street → Potterrow → Crichton Street → Charles Street
🎉 Finish: Pride Edinburgh Festival Village at EUSA Complex
🌈 STAFF PRIDE NETWORK MEETUPS:
🕚 PRE-MARCH MEETUP:
Time: 11:00am-noon (drop in anytime)
Location: Levels Cafe
Plan: Meet as SPN group – we leave at noon to head down to the march together
🎊 POST-MARCH MEETUP:
Location: Columns outside University Visitors Centre
Plan: Group meetup after the march – option to head up to the chill out space on the roof
BioQuarter Pride Committee Meetup: If you’d like to march with BioQuarter Pride Committee colleagues, join their mailing list or contact BioQuarter.Pride@ed.ac.uk for meetup details.
BioQuarter mailing list: https://mlist.is.ed.ac.uk/lists/info/bq.pride
More info: Pride Edinburgh
Pride Sports Day 🏃♀️⚽🧗♀️
📅 Sunday, June 22nd
📍 Pleasance Games Hall
💰 Completely FREE
Organized by Madeleine Bell (EUSU Wellbeing & Inclusion Officer), this inclusive sports day is open to everyone – staff, students, friends, and allies welcome!
Activities include:
- Self defence
- Climbing
- Boccia
- Football
- Pickleball
Important: Climbing signup deadline is June 6th, but please register even if climbing is full so organizers can plan for numbers.
Registration: Sign up here
Contact: eusu.wellbeing@ed.ac.uk
Edinburgh Curveballs Pride In Tennis
📅 Sunday, June 22nd
Edinburgh Curveballs’ Pride In Tennis event, celebrating LGBTQ+ inclusivity in racquet sports.
More info: Edinburgh Curveballs
Staff Pride Network BioQuarter Coffee & Cake Social
📅 Tuesday, June 24th | ⏰ 12:30pm-1:30pm
📍 Café 1898, Ground Floor Usher Building, 3 Little France Road, BioQuarter Gate, Edinburgh EH16 4UX
The final SPN event of June takes place at the BioQuarter campus, featuring the standard coffee and cake format with free cake provided. This monthly drop-in social is hosted by the BioQuarter Pride Committee and welcomes all LGBT+/ally staff and students at the BioQuarter. Part of the University’s Staff Pride Network monthly events held on different campuses.
Who can attend: LGBT+ and ally staff and students at BioQuarter
Cost: Free (coffee and cake provided)
Format: Drop-in, no registration required
Special feature: Optional wellbeing walk afterward (weather permitting)
Accessibility: All access and dietary needs accommodated when contacted in advance
Contact: BioQuarter.Pride@ed.ac.uk
Registration: Eventbrite (Free)
Music and words from the trans imaginary: an evening with CN Lester
📅 Wednesday, June 25th | ⏰ 7:00pm-9:00pm
📍 Reid Lecture Theatre on Bristo Square
CN Lester is a multi-genre musician: a classical singer, improviser/deviser, composer, and alternative piano-based singer-songwriter. They are also the author of the critically acclaimed Trans Like Me, and the founder and artistic director of the groundbreaking arts event Transpose at the Barbican.
For this evening, CN will perform selections of their soulful, melodic, piano-based music, brought to life by the sumptuous sound of the Reid Concert Hall’s Steinway piano. CN will also deliver a reading of their recent reflections on the current state of life for trans people in the U.K.
Part of a programme of trans-centred events that rejects dehumanising narratives about trans people and instead offers a glimpse into the trans imaginary—a space where trans people create their own stories, shape their own narratives, and define their own lives, inspired by energy, solidarity, hope, and love.
Sponsored by: University of Edinburgh’s QUEER.ED, UCU Edinburgh, Staff Pride Network, Lighthouse Bookshop, Edinburgh College of Art, and the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences
Tickets: Available on Eventbrite
“The Dry Season” Book Event
📅 Thursday, June 26th | ⏰ 7-8pm
📍 Lighthouse Books
Melissa Febos in conversation with Dina Nayeri discussing “The Dry Season” – a memoir of the author’s year of celibacy and a profound exploration of independence, sexuality and deep self-knowledge.
More info: Lighthouse Bookshop Events
KB Coffee and Cake (King’s Buildings)
📅 Thursday, June 26th | ⏰ 12:00pm
📍 Room 2.06 (Rowan), The Nucleus, King’s Buildings
RESCHEDULED EVENT: June’s Coffee and Cake has been moved to Thursday! Come along for some cake/biscuits and a chat with other SPN members at King’s Buildings campus.
Who can attend: LGBTQ+ members of staff and PhD students, and allies on King’s Buildings campus
Provided: Cake/biscuits (gluten free and vegan options available)
Feel free to: Bring your lunch! (Microwaves and café/student shop available in The Nucleus)
Usually held: Third Wednesday of every month
Future KB Coffee and Cake dates:
• July 16th, 1-2pm (location TBC, hosted by David Radford)
• August 20th, 1-2pm in Room 2.06 (Rowan), The Nucleus
Host: Megan Hammell, APRIL AI Hub Engagement Officer
Purpose: Connect LGBTQ+ staff, PhD students and allies on King’s Buildings campus
Dunedin Fencing Club – Pride Community Beginners Course
📅 Starting Thursday, June 26th | ⏰ Thursday evenings (6 weeks)
📍 Leith Community Centre
A six week beginners course specifically for members of the Pride community! Learn the fun and excitement of fencing with an inclusive and open approach to the sport. The course will give you an introduction to the sport, its different weapons and techniques, and the joy of meeting new people so you can (sportingly) stab them.
Who can attend: Pride community members 16 years and older
Cost: £40 (equipment hire included)
Special features: Courses run by coaches who are members of the pride community. Venue has both single gender and gender neutral changing facilities.
Registration & more info: Dunedin Fencing Club
Contact: hello@dunedinfencingclub.co.uk
Instagram: @dunedinfencing
Another beginners course is scheduled for October (tickets not yet available)
Edinburgh Curveballs Squash Tournament
📅 Saturday, June 28th
Organizer: Edinburgh Curveballs
More info: Edinburgh Curveballs
Trans+ Workout Session
📅 Sunday, June 29th | ⏰ 5:00pm-7:00pm
📍 Salle, Pleasance Gym, Pleasance
Second June session of the bi-weekly Trans+ workout sessions. Exclusive access to gym facilities in a supportive environment.
Cost: £3 per session – all proceeds donated to LEAP Sports Scotland
Edinburgh Curveballs Padel Tournament
📅 Sunday, June 29th
Organizer: Edinburgh Curveballs
More info: Edinburgh Curveballs
Free taster sessions: Edinburgh Curveballs offers free taster sessions throughout Pride Month for tennis, squash, and padel – perfect for trying out racquet sports in an inclusive environment!
Other Pride Events in the Region
For those interested in supporting Pride celebrations in nearby areas:
Stirling Pride
📅 Saturday, September 20th
Related LGBTQ+ Events Beyond June
“Rainbow Trap” Book Launch with Kevin Guyan
📅 Thursday, July 3rd | ⏰ 7:00pm
📍 Lighthouse Bookstore (and online)
Rainbow Trap reveals how the fight for LGBTQ equalities in the UK is shaped – and constrained – by the classifications we encounter every day. Edinburgh launch for local author and researcher Dr Kevin Guyan, hosted by Gemma Milne!
Looking across six systems – the police and the recording of hate crimes; dating apps and digital desire; outness in the film and television industry; borders and LGBTQ asylum seekers; health and fitness activities; and DEI initiatives in the workplace – Rainbow Trap documents how inclusive interventions have attempted to bring historically marginalized communities out of the shadows.
Author: Dr Kevin Guyan (Chancellor’s Fellow, University of Edinburgh Business School & Director, Gender + Sexuality Data Lab)
Host: Gemma Milne
Book release: June 12th, 2025
Tickets: Lighthouse Bookshop Events
Other Opportunities We’ve Heard About
LGBTQ+ Youth in Sport Research
PhD student Gabriel Bell from the University of Hull is researching the impact of publicly out LGBTQ+ Olympians on LGBTQ+ youth. They’re looking for LGBTQ+ people aged 16-25 in the UK to complete an online survey.
Participate: LGBTQ+ Sport Research Survey
Contact: G.COUTO-RIBAS-2022@hull.ac.uk
“We Have Always Been Here. And We Always Will Be” Project
Some of our network members are working to bring this impactful project to Engineering spaces around the university. This exhibition has been making rounds at other schools and there’s interest in providing more visibility within our community.
Know of Other Events?
This list represents what we’ve heard about so far, but we know there’s always more happening! If you know of other Pride events or activities taking place this month that our members might be interested in, please let us know and we’ll share them with the network.
Let’s make this Pride Month one to remember! 🌈
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