RHS Bridgewater celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community with another wondrous edition of Pride in Nature

RHS Garden Bridgewater, Greater Manchester’s breathtaking botanical idyll nestled on the edge of Worsley, has announced the return of their wildly popular Pride in Nature event, a day-long horticultural celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community amidst enchanting natural scenery on the final day of Pride Month.

Free for members and included with the price of admission for non-members, Pride in Nature promises to build on the runaway success of previous years with a joyously inclusive programme of events, activities and workshops on offer from 10am-6pm throughout Sun 30 Jun.

For those looking to bring colour, passion and ‘a touch of fabulousness’ to their own garden, the Drag Queen Gardener’s Question Time assembles an expert panel of bold and brilliant botanists to offer advice on how to turn your green space into a sanctuary of life, spirit and flourishing fauna with piles of sass and style.

Seeking to shed light on the rich, multi-faceted narratives within the LGBTQIA+ community, the In Conversation With panel discussion unites a broad array of voices to share their experiences, challenges and uplifting tales of triumph and self-acceptance, reminding us all of the vital role played by Pride events as both a celebration of representation and a profoundly important platform for advocacy and progress.

Curated especially for Pride in Nature, RHS Bridgewater’s Greater Manchester LGBTQIA+ Community Area offers a tranquil, reflective and insightful space where queer groups and allies can gather to celebrate love while commemorating the incredible work and vital progress made by communities across the city.

This year, LGBTQIA+ creative organisation Curious Arts explores the parallels between nature and identity with a sparkling pop-up performance in honour of all the ‘Wildflowers’ who bloom as their unapologetically vibrant selves, often under the harshest conditions, providing a welcoming environment where everyone can thrive in their own way.

Visitors can also stop in for a magical, mesmerising Drag Queen Storytime created to enlighten and entertain both children and adults through stirring tales of empathy, diversity and limitless imagination, before grabbing the dabbing pens for Family Drag Queen Bingo, where every card blossoms with love and laughter in a prize extravaganza hosted by star drag queens from BarPop and The Church.

Elsewhere, guests are invited to nurture their blooming creativity with a Parade Banner Making Workshop, in which communities come together to create unique, vibrant banners to be displayed later on in the inaugural Pride in Nature Parade, as RHS Bridgewater rounds off a delightful day of inclusive floral fun with a colourful cavalcade of love, diversity and nature featuring performers from the day’s events alongside deeply poignant contributions from regional LGBTQIA+ community groups.

Book your visit to RHS Bridgewater via the website, and find out more about Pride in Nature here.

Entry to RHS Garden Bridgewater usually costs £15.85 for adults and £7.95 for children (age 5-16). RHS members and guests can enter for free. Anyone arriving car-free on public transport is entitled to a 30% discount on the normal entry ticket. The X50 bus service now provides a direct half hourly daytime connection from central Manchester via Imperial War Museum North and the Trafford Centre to RHS Bridgewater. This will operate throughout the summer until Sun 29 Sep.