A round up of events around Islington and Hackney celebrating Pride Festival

This year marks half a century since the historic (partial) legalisation of homosexuality in the UK.

With London Pride running until July 9, the city is teeming with events celebrating being LGBTQI+. Not sure where to start? We’ve selected some of the highlights to help you get your diary in order.

Let New Queer Visions take you on a rollercoaster of frights and thrills at the Rio Cinema in Dalston. As part of the East End Film Festival, the group have put together a series of queer horror shorts that are sure to have you squealing.

Showcasing work from across the world, this event features the UK premiere of this year’s Cannes Queer Palme-winning ‘The Islands’ from Yann Gonzalez, Courtney Powell’s murder mystery ‘The Surf Report’, and a rare screening of Claudine Natkin’s dark childhood fable ‘Même pas mort’, alongside many others – it’s definitely not something to be missed. June 29 6.30pm, £11.50, 107 Kingsland High St, E8 2PB, newqueervisions.com

The moustachioed extravaganza Homostash is back at Dalston Superstore. Dutch DJ duo DOPPELGANG will be filling up the basement with top tech house and techno, and upstairs celebrating LGBTQI+ pride with disco and electronic classics by iona, Pavliné, Iulian Murariu and Tafkanik. No moustache? No worries. Fake ones of all shapes and sizes will be supplied on the door. July 7, Free before 11pm, then £5. 117 Kingsland High Street, E8 2PB dalstonsuperstore.com

Take an intellectual stroll through the streets with ‘Queer Tours for London – A Mince Through Time’, hosted by The Book Club in Shoreditch. Part of their Sex Ed for Grown Ups series, the event features an array of speakers, activists and artists, spanning from those active in 1967, to the future generations they inspired, as the struggle for equality continues with fervour. Aiming to animate queer history, the event will be shining a light on the amazing cultural contributions of the LGBTQI+ community, whilst highlighting and fundraising for movements that continue to push for increased visibility of the queer community. July 27, 7pm, £6.

Bringing together a panel of LGBTQI+ artists and musicians from Muslim-majority countries, The Book Club also presents ‘Being Gay Where It’s Not OK’ on July 10. Featuring talks and performances on gay activism, with speakers from across the world, it promises to be a night of global, intersectional resistance, celebrating all things queer, and tackling racism whilst doing it. July 10, 7pm, £5, 100 Leonard Street, EC2A 4RH, thebookclub.eventcube.io

Head down to Tintype Gallery in Islington for Alice May William’s new exhibition And Now… Grants for Irish Lesbians! Building on her short film On the 73, Williams explores the lesser known queer narratives of the Essex Road. Inspired by Islington Council’s progressive support of gay rights in the 80s, alongside the pioneering activism of London Friend, the exhibition weaves together a history from existing archives, to more informal, personal reflections. Open until July 15, the exhibition explores the re-imagination of, and response to queer cultural history through text work, videos and painting. Until July 15 Free entry. 107 Essex Road, N1 2SL, tintypegallery.com

The Glory is hosting Bingo Babes! on July 9. From the creators of Gay Bingo, tipped as ‘’the’ London underground phenomenon for those in the know’, Bingo Babes! is set to be a hit with all those feeling lucky.

The Pride weekend special promises to nurse all post-Parade hangovers with the alt-drag-performance-art-gameshow-party-hit, and to top all that off, it is completely free to play! Kicking off 7pm, make sure you get there early to secure good seats. You wouldn’t want to miss all that action, would you? July 9, 7pm. Free entry, 281 Kingsland Road, E2 8AS theglory.co/events

A Boy Named Sue is running at the King’s Head Theatre from the July 26 - 30 as part of their nine-week long Queer Season. The play explores the lives of three seemingly disconnected characters, all of which are struggling with the reality of London’s disappearing gay scene. Examining the beauty in human friendships and the importance of a sense of community when challenging the hetero-normative world, its message resonates far beyond the auditorium. July 26-30 £18, 115 Upper Street, N1 1QN kingsheadtheatre.com

For more info on events around London: prideinlondon.org/events