Parts of the island will be turned into the colours of the rainbow for the island’s first ever Pride Festival.

A new organisation has announced it will host the event in summer 2020 and has given the dates June 13 to June 20.

Organising the event is Isle of Pride, a non-profit charitable organisation that aims to ’promote respect, inclusion, diversity and equality for all’, while providing support to the LGBTQ+ community.

Zo Bennett, one of the directors, said: ’The festival will be a celebration and a reflection on where we were, how far we have come, and what still needs to be done going forward.

’You can expect a carnival atmosphere where everyone is welcomed. There will also be an acknowledgement of those who have gone before us without whose dedication and determination in the fight for equal rights none of this would be possible.’

The festival will have a number of events held island-wide that will be open to the public with more details to be announced closer to the date.

Zo added that there is a ’large LGBTQ+ population in the island’, but this community is not the only one calling for the event.

Although a number of pride events have already taken place in the island, this one will be ’the first of its kind and scale’ she said. However the charity said without these ’pioneering efforts’ the festival ’would still be a long way off’.

She added that ’the Isle of Man has had its darker times with regards to LGBTQ+ rights in the past’, which is something the festival will explore. However, it thinks the ’attitude towards the LGBTQ+ community and equality has made significant positive strides’.

For further details, search: www.isleofpride.im or @isleofpride on Facebook and Twitter. Isle of Pride would welcome further volunteers.