With a wide variety of fun events planned, Christchurch's annual Pride Week is set to rock the Garden City's LGBT communities. Now the schedule has been confirmed, we can reveal what the week has in store for Cantabrians from Friday 15 to Sunday 24 May. Last year's Chch Pride Week kicked off with the premiere screening of the city's unique LGBT history doco film Through Rainbow Coloured Glasses. It's now time to release it on DVD, with a special event at Arches Café at 7pm on Friday 15 May. Also planned for that evening is a Women's Night event in central Chch. It'll be 2-for-1 admission to Alpine Ice for Saturday 16 May for an afternoon of ice skating thrills and spills. Bring your Pride Week brochure for the special offer. And UniQ will make sure that evening's Inferno Dance Party at The Bedford bar will be one of the highlights of Pride Week. It's also nude night at men's venue Menfriends later. Sunday is Fabulous Family Fun Day at Paparoa Primary School Hall - a free all-day event, the day aims to be an LGBT community showcase featuring community group stalls, food and entertainment. Meanwhile, the Collective of Older Lesbians (35 plus) meet from Midday at the Avon Loop Cottage on Hurley Street. Sunday's events conclude with the annual AIDS Candlelight Memorial at the Arts Centre from 7pm, as Christchurch joins events around the rest of New Zealand to remember people we've lost to HIV/AIDS. Monday sees Queer Takes' Art Exhibition open at 155 High Street, and guest speakers from the business community join the Chch LGBT Business Association for a special event in the upstairs lounge of Dux de Lux. There's also an Erotic Writing Workshop in the evening! GayNZ.com's Forum has some followers in Chch, and they're invited to meet up at C1 café at 7pm on Tuesday for a gossip. The evening also includes a Pre-Hibearnation gathering of southern bears, cubs and their admirers, and transgender radio show TranSister Radio have a special Pride Week broadcast from 10pm on Plains FM 96.9. Wednesday starts early with the Step Ahead Rainbow Group Morning Tea from 10:30am - it's a friendly meeting for LGBT people who have experienced a mental illness, but all are welcome. Christchurch's Police Diversity Liaison Officers host an event at the Police Station, and there's a Quiz Night at Legends on Bedford Row from 7pm. On Thursday will be Q-Topia's Open Night from 7pm at Community House, where people can 'meet the future leaders' of the LGBT community. Friday's Fantasy Ball begins at Legends bar at 8pm. Dress to impress! Then on Saturday evening you can join the Qtopia crew for their fundraising Bingo Night. Christchurch's large LGBT nightclub Cruz hosts an unofficial but essential Pride Week event on Saturday night - The second Annual Cruz Awards - with Compere The Divine Miss Joanne Clarke. There's also a Sleaze Party at Menfriends - with an underwear, nude or fetish dress code. Pride Week wraps up on Sunday 24 May with the Lambda Trampers' walk of the Mount Sinclair route, featuring great scenic views. Then Chch's LGBT Business Association will host a Pride Week community dinner at Wagamana and movie night at the Regent on Worcester. An estimated total of 1,200 people went to at least one Christchurch Pride Week event last year. Will 2009's Pride Week be even bigger? Chch Pride Week organiser Hamish Milne says there's still time to get involved with the week of events, and invites interested people to get in touch with him to volunteer. He can be reached via email at hamish.milne@nzaf.org.nz. The official Chch Pride Week website has all the details you'll need on 2009's gayest week in the Garden City, and the free official printed guide to Pride Week will be seen around the city's LGBT-friendly businesses from later this week. Matt Akersten - 8th May 2009