Big Queer Eastern European Picnic

MAUREEN - Project for Queer Migrants and Queer People of Colour Presents: Big Queer Eastern European Picnic

🎉 We’re back with the 3rd year of our knowledge generation events, and we’re thrilled to invite you to the Big Queer Eastern European Picnic! This vibrant and inclusive gathering will take place on 1st September 2024 at 2pm in Victoria Park. If you identify as Eastern European and queer, you are warmly welcomed to join us. 🏳️‍🌈

This picnic is more than just a celebration of our queerness and heritage; it marks the beginning of a larger project to form a Queer Eastern European alliance in London. Through this network, we aim to support each other in thriving as queer migrants in the city. 🌍

What to Expect:

Arrival: Come for 2 pm and spread you blankets 🧺
Welcome and Opening Speech: At 2:30 pm, we’ll have a welcome and opening speech explaining the purpose of the event and our vision for how this community can continue to thrive beyond today. 🗣️
Community Building: To join the picnic, participants are required to fill out a brief survey that will be sent out beforehand. This survey can be completed anonymously and will help us understand your needs, goals, and aspirations as a queer Eastern European in London. The MAUREEN project will use the responses to develop targeted interventions and projects. like this picnic and events mentioned below. 📝
Free Resources: We’ll have free STI self-test kits, condoms, and other resources available on the day. 💊
Group Formation: We’ll help establish smaller, language and country-specific groups—like for example “Queer Ukrainians in London”—that can continue to connect and support each other long after the picnic. This is your chance to be part of a community that lives on beyond this event! 🌟

Our Achievements:
This event builds on our previous successes, including the award-winning podcast Queer Roots and Routes, the Queer Film Club, Queer Hikes, the Little Back Pocket Guide series, and our Queer Britain takeover for Queer Migrant Men, which is still on display until the 8th of September.

Special Patron:
We are honoured to have SLAV 4 U, the Polish drag collective, as a patron of this picnic. Polka Dot, the mother of SLAV 4 U, shares her vision:
“I believe in the power of this alliance because I have seen firsthand how impactful it is when queer individuals from similar backgrounds unite. We share a common understanding and empathy that can only come from shared experiences. Together, we can create a vibrant, supportive community that not only celebrates our identities but also advocates for our rights and visibility. This alliance is a testament to our resilience and a commitment to ensuring that no one else has to navigate their queer journey alone.” 🌈💪

Join Us!
This is a free event and the amount of “sold” tickets here will help us prepare some snacks and refreshments for you. Please bring blankets and anything else you’d like to enjoy. 🧺 Remember, it’s a drug and alcohol-free space. To find us in Victoria Park, look for The Love Tank flags. We will be located in the east side of the park, exactly here: www.w3w.co/pirate.defend.whips . Feel free to bring your country flags too! 🇵🇱🇺🇦🇨🇿🇸🇰🇱🇻🇧🇬…

Come be part of this empowering and joyful celebration of our community. We can’t wait to see you there! ✨

Stay Connected:

Follow us on Instagram @thelovetankcic for updates on this event and other exciting free projects and events you can be a part of!

About our FREE events

We like to keep the events free so they are easily accessible to our communities! If you want to donate please use this link.

Spaces at our events are limited and there is a cost implication for all the events we produce or take you along to. Therefore, it is very important and appreciated if you let us know when you can no longer attend an event so we can offer your spot to someone else.

Alongside this, we appreciate it if you could respond to any communication by the given response deadline so we can make the necessary arrangements for the event.