La Marche des Fiertés (as we call it here) is back to entertain you, and following the legalisation of gay marriage in France, there’s a high chance spirits will be even higher than usual!

There is, however, still work to be done, which explains this year’s slogan of “LGBT rights: time for full equality”!

Here are all the details of the march route, the huge concerts happening at Bastille, the clubnights…

Gay Pride is known for its fanciful characters and loud soundsystems, and even if much of the LGBT community was relieved to see the ‘marriage for all’ law passed, there have been a few disappoints along the way, such as ART being removed from the bill at the last minute. Some battles remain to be won.

Gay Pride is also when a 3-minute silence is held (at 4.30pm) to remind everyone that 6,000 people per year in France discover that they have been infected with HIV (over half of them heterosexual).

But back to the party! The stage on place de la Bastille will be buzzin’ from 4-8.30pm with DJs from the Paris Circuit Party and a number of groups, including The Young Professionals with Uriel Yekutiel.And how will we be getting to Bastille? By walking from Montparnasse via boulevard de Montparnasse, Port Royal, boulevard St-Michel, boulevard St-Germain, the Sully bridge (where you’ll be asked to contribute a copper or two to fund the march) and finally boulevard Henri IV.

The march sets off at 2pm.

And if you want to go out that night, there’s an awful lot on – Nick V at the Scène Bastille for the “Gay Pride ball”, Queer as Pop at the Petit Bain, and (at other venues around town) Tim Sweeney, Superpitcher, Trentemøller, Arnaud Rebotini, Derrick May… You can see a list of what’s on here.

Gay Pride is happening in Paris on Saturday 29th June 2013

Official site: marche.inter-lgbt.org

Facebook: facebook.com/InterLGBT

Twitter: twitter.com/InterLGBT

And if you’d like to see what  things looked like last year, check out the photos below by Gwenaël Piaser. They’re rather great!