Tinted Visions: Performing Equalities Through Festive Decorations in Lgbt-Themed Events in Hull (UK City of Culture 2017)

In 2017, Hull celebrated its status as UK City of Culture. Part of the 365 days of cultural activities was a week-long event series to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales. The event—entitled LGBT50—started with the first ever UK Pride Parade and Party, organised by the local charity Pride in Hull and finished with a Summer Tea Party curated by the queer arts collective Duckie. Rainbows were omnipresent in the UK Pride event's decorative design. According to event producers and visitors, this style associates the event with a narrative of equality characterised through acceptance, tolerance, and the celebration of diverse identities. Artists affiliated with the Summer Tea Party provided another vision. Moving away from the rainbow branding, the event's decorations sought re-negotiations of equality. Glitter and rainbows were replaced through artistically informed counter-visualities, highlighting explorative plurality rather than fixed uniformity in the negotiations of equality. Based on data collected in an ethnographic study of the LGBT50 event, I discuss how festive decorations in LGBT-themed events contribute to the performance of cultures of equality.