It looked as though Mother Nature might threaten to scupper the plans for the Pride Parade and after-party, slated for Saturday, 30 July, when the heavens opened in the mid-afternoon around the Seven Mile area.
However, it ended up being a brief downpour, followed by intermittent sprinkles, meaning that things could proceed as scheduled.
The parade set off a bit late from Seven Mile Public Beach, possibly due to the fact that the starting time had been moved forward by an hour only a few days prior, causing slight confusion.
Nonetheless, by approximately 5pm, the procession was enthusiastically making its way past Government House, heading towards Camana Bay and Festival Green, the site of the after-party. Police and security accompanied the throng to ensure the roadways were kept clear for easy passage.
At 6pm, revellers were crossing the bridge to the green, ready for part two of the celebrations.
Once everyone had arrived, Noel Cayasso-Smith, president and founder of the Cayman LGBTQ Foundation, walked on stage and officially welcomed the crowd to the event and thanked them for their participation.
Acting Governor Franz Manderson then spoke, saying it was his first time attending the parade, but it would not be his last.
“I will definitely be back,” Manderson said, while speaking of the importance of such an event.
Premier Wayne Panton was the final guest speaker, passionately emphasising that no one should be discriminated against based on their “colour, gender, or sexual orientation”, to strong applause and cheers.
Just as she did last year, Progressives Shadow Minister of Education Barbara Conolly marched in the parade to also show her support.
After the speeches, the spotlight turned to a bevy of local DJs spinning from a stage setup worthy of a chart-topping headliner, complete with digital effects on the huge screens behind them, professional lighting and stacked speakers mounted on the front corner towers.
“The music was fantastic,” said attendee Julie Pritchard. “I was dancing for hours! I’ll be feeling it in the morning, but it was worth it.”
A drag show from international performers Kiki Coe (Canada) and Detoxx Busti-AE (US) was originally to start at 9pm, but their fans couldn’t wait that long. Keen to see them strut their stuff, requests for an earlier start were made and subsequently approved.
At 8:30pm, the two artists strode out in stunning outfits to loud applause, immediately launching into a lip-synch interpretation of Whitney Houston’s ‘I Have Nothing’.
After the duet, Detoxx ad-libbed naturally with the crowd, cracking jokes and keeping all entertained until Kiki came out from a costume change to raise the roof with Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’.
From there, the two acts took turns expertly putting their spins on hits from ‘This Is Me’ (soundtrack of ‘The Greatest Showman’) to ‘I’m Every Woman’.
There was no question that the performers were very popular with attendees.
“They are real professionals,” said Cayasso-Smith, who has his own drag alter ego, Miss Delicious. “We were so lucky to get them; I think everyone is having a great time.”
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