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Cape Town Pride Pageant
Cape Town PRIDE is a volunteer-run, non-profit Section 21 (a) Company that organises the 11-day annual Cape Town Pride Festival. Capitalising on the PRIDE brand already known world-wide, the Cape Town PRIDE Festival was launch in 2001. The festival was recognised in February 2004 as part of the implementation of long term strategy. This was in an effort to attract the local LGBTI community as well as tourists to the festival and the mother city, known as the gay capital. Traditionally February and March is the period during which Cape Town sees the greatest income from tourism. This was proved successful with particularly well-supported Festivals and Parades in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
The 2007 event got off to an awesome start with the theme ‘Carnival of Love’. 250 energized and exhilarating revellers packed the elegantly decorated pink Woodstock Town Hall to watch 4 male and 10 drag contestants compete for the crown of King and Queen. All contestants appeared in Swimwear and Evening Wear. The finalists for the Miss Cape Town Pride also appeared in a Fantasy Outfit division that had the crowd gasping in awe. Entertainment was provided by the fantastic, larger than life Victoria Caballair, who joined forces with Russell Chowles to host the evening. The entire lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-gendered and intersexed (LGBTI) community descended upon the city for 11 days of entertainment, education and enjoyment.
The Pride Pageant is the ultimate flamboyant event on the Festival calendar as the contestants get the chance to wear one of 3 exquisitely designed crowns for winning either Miss Cape Town Pride (gay men), Mr Cape Town Pride (gay men) and new to be crowned this year, Miss Butch/Miss Femme Cape Town Pride (lesbians). Once crowned the 3 ‘pink royalties’ will be highlights at the rest of the events throughout the 11 Day Festival and get to reign throughout the rest of the year.
This is an event for all drag artists and ‘Queens’ to show what they can do and how they can transform themselves to personify their opposite sex. The event in its 4th year attracts a large section of the gay community from all sectors and most definitely across the racial and cultural divide.
Yvonne van Diamond was crowned Mrs Cape Town Pride at the Cape Town Pride Pageant held in the Woodstock Civic Hall on Saturday 10th February 2007.
Karel Petzer was crowned Mr Cape Town Pride.