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Bangkok, Thailand - The organizing committee of Bangkok's annual gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) pride celebration announced details of 'Bangkok Together 2006' today at their first major press conference. The eight day festival will commence Saturday, October 28th with a major kick-off party, and conclude on the weekend of November 4th and 5th with Pride in the Park and a community fair on Saturday, and a colorful, not-to-be-missed, late afternoon parade on Sunday, the 5th.

Bangkok Together 2006 strives to engender a sense of community amongst the GLBT population in Thailand, and to empower everyone with a stronger sense of pride. The festival has launched an integrated marketing campaign to reach out to the Thai GLBT community using such headlines as (English translations) "Join Hands, Join Hearts in Pride," "United in Community for Pride," and "Experience Friendship and Creativity with Pride."

"We are very interested in reaching out to increasing numbers of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals in building a sense of community pride that is truly representative of Thailand," stated committee member Tony King. Therefore, an event by Thai people for Thai people, non-Thai members of the organizing committee abstained from voting on the marketing slogans-written first in Thai-to allow those who know and understand the language best to determine what would be most effective.

"We still expect and welcome people from throughout the region and the world to travel to Bangkok for the festival," explained Khun Kittinum "Danny" Thomthat, a key member of the organizing committee, "but our primary purpose is to create an historic celebration for members and friends of Thailand's GLBT community."

Pride in the Park (Saturday, November 4th) will feature an action-packed day of exhibitions, a community fair, volleyball and badminton tournaments, other popular contests, and the culmination of the annual lucky draw fundraiser. Activities scheduled throughout the festival include additional sporting competitions in tennis and bowling, a one-day seminar and panel discussion on the "Bangkok Together 2006" theme, and a variety of exciting parties and contests to be held at locations throughout Bangkok.

Pride celebrations started in Thailand in the late 1990's and were first organized by Khun Pakorn Pimton with the support of several Thai gay businesses. Under the name of Bangkok Gay Festival, they presented Thailand's first gay pride parade in the Silom business district in 1999. This parade attracted representatives from Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and other Asian, as well as Western, countries and subsequently led several other countries to follow with their own events.

In the year 2000, the Pattaya Gay Festival staged the first Pattaya Gay Pride Parade, which continues today as part of the World AIDS Day activities in Pattaya. Phuket soon followed and the Phuket Pride Organization now presents Phuket Pride every spring. Over the years, the Bangkok annual event in Thailand has undergone organizational changes, resulting in a current focus on the long-held goal that the Bangkok events and parade be created by and for members of the Thai "GLBT" community, with support from gay and gay-friendly business and civil society sectors-Thai and farang alike.

The annual pride event is held to promote diversity, awareness, and tolerance in Thai society, and to inspire citizens to live in harmony regardless of their sexual orientations. For more information, please visit www.pridefestival.org (be sure to visit the web site in days leading up to the event for the final schedule).

About Pride Festival Organization (PFO):
The Pride Festival activities in Bangkok are organized by a committee of volunteers who have been selected by the community. PFO operates as a not-for-profit entity to produce entertainment, education and informational events to promote a positive image of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community in Thailand, and to raise money for needy Thai charities, particularly those serving the GLBT community. The English language equivalent of the Pride Festival Thai language theme is "Bangkok Together 2006," and recognizes the great diversity in Thailand's GLBT communities. Information on Pride Festival Organization and the Bangkok Together 2006 Festival can be found at www.pridefestival.org.

For further information, please contact:

Tom Van Blarcom / Thanitsak Pithaksinakon
TQPR (Thailand)
Tel: 66(0)-2260-5820, +66(0)-9156-4728
Fax: 66(0)-2260-5848
Email: tqprthai@tqpr.com

Or Richard St-Laurent
Spokesperson (English)
Pride Festival Organization
Tel: +66(0)-1907-5560
Email: richard@pridefestival.org