When times are tough, the tough get partying
Grab your tickets, and let's party our way to a better future.
Words by Joseph Galliano-Doig MBE
Design by Chyna Sudbury
“We marched during the day,” Mark Segal, an iconic veteran of the 1969 Stonewall Riots, once told me, “so we could dance in the evening… so we could march during the day.”
To me, this is a perfect encapsulation of how our movement’s politics have always been best conducted. We build community, we draw collective lines in the sand. We lift our voices, and we demand the right to dance. We get angry. We have fun.
Pride is a protest, yes, but that protest has historically and beautifully been wrapped up in partying. The two are not mutually exclusive, they work together. We celebrate to survive, and we dance to remember exactly why we are fighting. It energises, it inspires.
There is no doubt that it has been a deeply challenging couple of years for LGBTQ+ people across the UK and globally. After years of making great progress towards liberation, progress doesn’t feel so baked in.
We have seen relentless political and systemic attacks on some of our most vulnerable community members, an emboldened far right, swingeing funding cuts and a hostile media environment. We are living through shifting, profoundly uncertain times, and it can feel as though we are surrounded by peril.
But history teaches us that when we are challenged, we do not shrink. Instead we gather, we make noise, and we build community. If ever there was a time for the transformative power of partying, it is now.
Following this time-honoured tradition, Stonewall, our most vital lobbying group, is hosting their highly anticipated Summer Party, challenging this heavy political climate and raising much-needed funds while they do it.
Hosted on Monday 6 July, the Stonewall Summer Party will be the perfect way to wrap up your Pride weekend and party with purpose.
Taking over The Ministry’s stunning, ultra-exclusive private members’ club in Borough, London, it promises an intimate, high-energy setting.
If you are mindful it’s a Monday and want to stop by for a few early drinks, canapés, and to bathe in the atmosphere, it offers the perfect post-Pride wind-down. If you want to keep the Pride weekend going, it’s ready to deliver from 7pm until late.
DJing on the night is the incomparable Gok Wan, who will unleash a set of absolute club bangers, alongside the fabulous triple-threat Denise van Outen, spinning uplifting house and classic disco. Joining them on the decks are Polyamaross, bringing their signature non-binary beats, and Callie Crighton, who this very publication described as “the lovechild of Madonna and the Goblin King.” The entire evening’s proceedings will be compered by the magnificent Drag With No Name.
Beyond the dance floor, the evening will be packed with exclusive experiences. Guests will get a first-look preview and the chance to buy pieces from Stonewall’s brand-new Pride t-shirt collaborations. These feature designs by legendary couturier Scott Henshall (Project Runway judge, who created the world’s most expensive dress), Kris Andrew Small and his maximalist agit-pop graphics, and House of Kind, the fashion house dedicated to driving kindness and female empowerment. We could all do with more of that! Trying and buying one of these exclusive, limited edition T-shirts means securing a piece of queer fashion history. Could it perhaps even be a future Queer Britain museum exhibit?
The night kicks off with a special awards ceremony, honouring exceptional individuals and organisations that have fiercely championed LGBTQ+ progress over the last twelve months. Partygoers will also enjoy complimentary swag, an interactive live auction featuring some extremely attractive lots such as a luxury Caribbean cruise, art pieces and fine dining experiences. All this and an artisanal pizza station and bar.
Most importantly, every single ticket purchased acts as a direct investment in our collective future. All proceeds from the night go straight into funding Stonewall’s vital work. This includes funding policy teams lobbying MPs for critical legislative protections, supplying grassroots sports clubs with Rainbow Laces to help foster a welcoming environment in football, providing travel bursaries for LGBTQ+ people to access Stonewall’s impactful career development programmes, and funding the vital research used to help us understand – and prove and then lobby for – exactly what protections our communities still need.
Joy is worth fighting for, and it keeps us primed for the battles ahead. Grab your tickets, and let's party our way to a better future.
Event & Ticket Information
Monday 6 July 2026, 7:00pm until late at The Ministry (private member’s club), Borough, London
VIP Ticket: £250 / Individual General Admission: £140 (£120 for groups of 5+) / Proud Employers Member: £120 (£99 for groups of 5+) / Pay It Forward
Community Ticket: £99 (To apply, email summerparty@stonewall.org.uk with a short summary of how you have contributed to the progress of the LGBTQ+ movement this year.)
Secure your tickets today from stonewall.org.uk/events/the-stonewall-summer-pride-party