Hamilton is gearing up for its first of three summer fun day events taking place this weekend.
On Saturday, July 30, locals are invited to join in the Mela Celebration in the town centre which will feature Lanarkshire 's first ever Pride stage.
It will be hosted by popular drag queen Garry King who will introduce a fabulous ensemble of drag queens throughout the day.
The event is a community celebration of culture, difference and diversity featuring performances with a multi-cultural twist bringing music, dance and vibrancy to the town.
With the event being the first of its kind in the local area, the message from Garry is simple - showcase inclusivity in Lanarkshire - as he continues to campaign for a diverse and unified society.
Garry told Lanarkshire Live : "There's never been anything like this put together in Lanarkshire before which I realised last year, and I decided to try and work with the councils to promote the message.
"I think a lot of people have lip service to say they're inclusive but it's not always readily apparent in their organisations so we just thought it was important to do something visible.
"When I led the Pride march in Glasgow I had hundreds of people coming up to me saying they were from Lanarkshire, so it's good to have something in the area where young people can see something they can relate to.
"The team in Hamilton asked me to put together a programme of entertainment which will have some of the best up and coming performers I could find, so it will be a full day of entertainment, fun, and being inclusive which is amazing."
Garry will introduce a further six talented drag queens on the band stand between 1-4pm on the day, including Bonnie Banks from Cambuslang, and Nomi Divine from Bellshill.
Last year, Garry from Wishaw, switched on Hamilton's Christmas lights as locals enjoyed events put on during the festivities.
In a similar format, Garry hopes to see more fun for everyone in the town.
"It's about everyone working together, and it's free for everyone to come", he explained.
"This time I'm looking forward to things being a bit more positive, better weather, and it's an honour to be asked to host this.
"The most refreshing thing for locals would be that they get to see this in their own town, people from different cultures and backgrounds all together, because it's so important to be unified right now and work together as a community.
"I think people see things on TV and don't realise that happens in their own community. So some people just out doing their shopping, it might be the first time they see someone like me.
"We're all working together towards the same message and principles."
Last month Hamilton Business Improvement District (BID) launched its summer schedule which sees three gala events take place throughout the school holidays.
The Mela Celebration will be followed a week later on August 6 with Hamilton's Fashion Fun Day taking place on Quarry Street.
And Saturday, August 13, sees the much-anticipated Summer Gala event take place in the town.
As always, plenty of family fun will be on offer including face painters, crafts, and participatory arts all for free.
Manager of Hamilton BID Malcolm Thomas-Harley says he is looking forward to seeing the local community come together once more for a season of fun.
He added: "It's really exciting because many of these events we've never done before.
"We're looking forward to the colour and vibrancy of it all on the street. It will be like a carnival type atmosphere.
"When we take over Quarry street – this becomes a space for our local community to enjoy the performances, shop the market and local shops."
To keep up to date with the summer events, you can check out Hamilton Our Town on Facebook.
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