We can’t do it in a park or on the street, but we’re still going to do it. ShanghaiPRIDE, Shanghai’s first gay pride festival, will be a celebration of shameless proportions held at a variety of gay and gay-friendly venues around town from June 8-13.

Planning this week-long celebration has proven to be difficult, but we are not letting that stop us. “I think we’re going in the right direction, considering our limitations,” says Jeffrey, a ShanghaiPRIDE volunteer. With parades out of the question, PRIDE organizers were left to explore large private venues with outdoor spaces. Sadly, they all declined to host the most fabulous party of the year.

Why pass up an opportunity to invite hundreds of happy homos for a proper gay day of festivities? If they haven’t noticed, most queers are childless and have money to spend on booze and various other consumables, but unfortunately the “pink dollar” concept has yet to hit Shanghai’s property owners. ShanghaiLGBT moderators then contacted gay and gay-friendly restaurant and bar owners who have both outdoor space and willingness to host the revelry.

Planning this event has brought many things to our attention. For one, Shanghai is not ready for a full-blown pride festival, but is willing to let us get our foot in the door. Smaller venue owners are coming out of the woodwork to help with the week’s line-up, and thank God for that. Were we to get rejected from every bar in town, we might have stuck our pink tails between our legs and run back to San Francisco, but they pulled through and the week’s events will be brilliant.

“Hosting the festival at smaller venues is terrific because it builds the momentum during the week. It also exposes venues and helps build awareness all over the city,” says Renata Roberts, manager at The Glamour Bar, which is hosting film screenings throughout the week.

We have also learned that an event like this is only as fabulous as the people making it happen. Luckily, volunteers from all over town have shown up to help. “This is the first time and it’s small scale, but it’s great that everyone is coming to help,” says ShanghaiLGBT moderator, Henry. This year’s party will be the foundation for larger celebrations in years to come as Shanghai’s LGBT community grows.