The Annual Pride Scotia march is taking place on Saturday in Edinburgh city centre and will be celebrating Scotland’s diversity.

You can full the full Pride Guide online but the main event will begin to assemble in East Market Street from 12.30pm.  Speakers will start at 1pm and the march will start at 1.30pm.  The route will progress down the Royal Mile, passing the Scottish Parliament and Holyrood House, up Abbeymount, along Royal Terrace, up Leith Walk and will terminate at the Omni Centre where there will be more speeches and some entertainment.

There are other notable events happening on the same day:

-  Health and community fair @ GHQ, Piccardy Place 1.30 – 5pm

-  Big Pink Tent for LGBT youth Scotland (aged 13-25) @ Gayfield Square

- The Street’s Got Talent 2010 at the pub, The Street, Piccardy Place, 5pm

- Karaoke extravaganza with JLM (in drag) at Priscilla’s, Albert Place, 4pm

- Queer as folk pride party 2010 with Phillip Olivier @ CC Blooms from 3pm

CC Blooms

CC Blooms is the weird uncle of Edinburgh gay scene: it’s old, creepy and embarrassing, but you wouldn’t want rid of it altogether.  Named after Bette Midler’s character in ‘Beaches’, this dark and dingy meatmarket is Edinburgh’s oldest gay club and has gained infamy world-over; Margaret Cho even referenced it on her ‘Notorious C.H.O’ tour in 2001. 

In general the clientele is significantly older than that of its neighbour and rival, GHQ, and drinks are ridiculously overpriced, but it’s nonetheless quite popular with younger clubbers as entry is free and it’s open from 7pm til 3am every day of the week.  The club’s two storeys are each composed of a bar and dancefloor, both as dirty, sticky and sweaty as the other, each blasting the dance, house and pop anthems that have become so standardized in gay clubs.  Dress code is practically non-existant; in fact, I’d advise against wearing anything nice to CCs, as after half an hour or so in there it will probably be irrevocably soiled.  In spite of its many flaws, the (very) occasional night out there can be fun in an ironic sort of way… Tragic, but it’s anything but pretentious.

GHQ

Owned by the G1 group (the team behind Glaswegian gay haunts Polo, Moda and FHQ, amongst others), GHQ has become the crux of Edinburgh’s gay scene since its unveiling in 2007.  Composed of two bars, two dance rooms and a VIP area, this average-sized club never fails to pull in a fairly large crowd, particularly on Saturdays where you can occasionally end up queuing for twenty minutes or so before unfriendly bouncers grudgingly let you past.

Like most places in the Pink Triangle the dress code is casual to the point that dressing up nice is almost seen as weird, but the club’s stylish decor nevertheless rivals that of the more upmarket venues found in New Town. The atmosphere is really relaxed, and with lots of booths and beds for lounging across there’s ample seating for those who’d rather sit and chat with friends than dance themselves into a pop-induced frenzy.

Recent additions to the club include the VIP room’s hot tub, complete – fear not, health & safety fans – with scantily clad lifeguard. (GHQ will accept no liability for any STIs caught in said hot tub.) Prices vary on different nights of the week, with Tuesday’s Love Traffic offering free entry and cheap drinks but Circus Saturdays demanding a £6 entry fee and rather costly tipples.  It should also be noted that on Wednesdays the club becomes Groove HQ and hosts Movida, a straight student night.

Music varies throughout the week, but in general the main dance area is dedicated to a mix of current and classic pop hits while the dance bar churns out heavier house tunes. Monthly nights such as the revoltingly-named Furburger, Edinburgh’s biggest lesbian night, provide a bit of musical variety, but in general the music at GHQ is very mainstream, and it’d be nice to see the DJs venturing out of their comfort zones and introducing something a bit different into their sets once in a while.

Other gripes include the fact that the only smoking area is right by the front door, so you trek home smelling like an ash tray no matter how many fags you’ve consumed. Despite these small cons, a night out at GHQ is usually good fun, the staff are lovely and the loyalty of the club’s very many regulars is testament to its good service and friendly atmosphere.

Cafe Habana

Hosting different pop/dance DJs throughout the week as well as karaoke sessions on Wednesdays, Habana mirrors Planet in the excessively loud volume of its music, as well as in its rather average prices.

The bar itself is a little small and getting your hands on a drink on a busy Saturday night is no mean feat, but there’s lots of room to chill out upstairs, including a little balcony that looks over the downstairs seating area.

The decor is bland – the upstairs resembles a shopping centre food court – but there’s a friendly, laid-back atmosphere, and its proximity to CC’s and GHQ is a big plus for most of its customers.

Though not strictly a lesbian bar, Planet attracts a largely female clientele. It often seems like everyone knows everyone else – a bit like Cheers, only with no Kelsey Grammar, and more gays – which can be a bit intimidating at first, but both the staff and the customers are generally very friendly and it’s a good place to get chatting to all kinds of people and making friends.

Planet, Baxters Place

Drinks are reasonably priced, with a few good offers during the week; sadly there are no cocktails on offer, but this is made up for by the novelty of Fanta on tap.  The atmosphere is always nice and laid-back; whereas you might feel awkward walking into some George St bars in anything less than a dress and heels, in Planet you could rock up in a potato sack and Crocs and people would barely bat an eyelid.