Hotels around Örnsköldsvik
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About Oernskoeldsvik
Örnsköldsvik Pride takes place in late summer, in August or September depending on the edition. It is run by RFSL Västernorrland, the regional branch of Sweden's national LGBTQ federation, together with a local working group made up of people from clubs and associations, political parties, the Church of Sweden and the municipality.
The main event is the Saturday parade. Participants line up outside the Elite Plaza Hotel and the Arken office building, then walk through the town centre to Stadsgårdsparken. Groups, companies and organisations register in advance, while individuals can simply join on the day. After the parade the park hosts speeches, music and dance performances, plus market stalls and information tables.
In the evening there is a Pride karaoke night at The Bishops Arms, the pub inside the Elite Plaza Hotel on Hotellgatan. The town has no queer bar of its own, so this is where people gather once the parade is over.
Pride here grew out of a longer process. Early in the millennium Örnsköldsvik was labelled the most homophobic town in Sweden. The municipality treated this as a wake-up call, trained its staff and elected politicians on LGBTQ issues and started holding the Regnbågsveckan, a Rainbow Week in autumn with talks, author visits and cultural events. Anyone wanting more during the season can find other Prides in the same county, in Sundsvall, Härnösand, Kramfors, Sollefteå, Timrå and Ånge. Further north, Umeå holds UmePride on the last weekend of September.
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