I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a very sore throat and a slightly sore head…must be the day after the Qype Summer Party!

Eamon and I were praying to the weather gods all week and the 400 Qypers that rocked up at 93 Feet East got rewarded with a sunny evening. We’ll put be putting the rest of Eleanore de Bonneval’s party pics up tomorrow but here’s a sneak peek. Major thanks to everyone who came and don’t forget to check out our brilliant sponsors: Bompas and Parr, The Kraken rum, Big Apple hot dogs, Bake At Home pizza, Moolis, Allpress Coffee, Unpackaged, Handbaked Arcade’s retro games, Robin Collective’s popcorn wheel of death (we heard rumours of bacon’n'sherbet flavour), My Salivation, Mixcloud DJs, Lucky Voice’s karoake, Ginger Jar canapes and venue 93 Feet East.

And, on the goodie bag front, a big thanks to Chash Tea, Chilango’s, Red Bull, Sixt, Tortilla and Allpress (again!).

P.S. How cute is this picture?!

Pride London is one of the biggest street parties in the capital attracting over 1m each year, using all sorts of forms of entertainment – from comedy to cabaret – to raise awareness of discrimination and the issues affecting the lives of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) people worldwide.  And what better way to raise awareness than to throw a party?  So if you are in London this weekend and fancy heading to Soho to get yourself a piece of the action, here is our definitive guide to Pride:

Parade Route

It’s just as colourful and worth watching as the Notting Hill Carnival Parade albeit less dancehall, more dancing queen!  The parade leaves the BBC Broadcasting House at 1pm, click here to check out the parade route.

Main Stage

After the parade, the celebrations continue on the main stage in Trafalgar Square from 2pm until 7.30pm with a huge variety of acts from DJs and dancers to comedy and music.  Expect to see acts like comedian Rachel Adedeji and DJs like Dusty O and the Tranny Shack Girls.

Dance Stage

From 2pm, Soho Square is transformed into an open air party with London’s famous club Fire hosting the official dance stage.  House music is order of the day and DJ’s will be interspersed with live acts and dancers.  For more information, check out Fireclub.

Family Area

A new addition to the festival is the family area sponsored by Tesco where you’ll find everything you need to keep the kids entertained.  With a giant ball pit, bouncy slide, balloon artists, magicians and more this is a great family day out located in St. Anne’s Church Gardens from 2pm – 7pm.

The After Party

If by 7pm you don’t feel like you are ready to call it a day, head down to Fire in Vauxhall where the party continues until the early hours of the morning.  Click here to check out the full lineup and book your tickets in advance.

All images courtesy of Pride London

It’s the day of the Qype Summer Party and we can’t wait! In the last of our party sponsors series, it’s celeb jellymongers Sam Bompas and Harry Parr. These are the guys who created a walk-in gin and tonic room and made a Willy Wonka-style chocolate waterfall. Read on to find out what they’re doing for Qypers….

So, Sam, what’s the best party you’ve ever been to?

The ultimate party was when Courvoisier gave us enough cognac to flood a Grade I listed Robert Adams building with booze. Partygoers floated across it before having a drink. There was enough to serve 25,000 people. It was actually based on what was, in all probability, the best party in history, where a British Admiral flooded a fountain in Alicante with alcoholic punch in 1694. They went at it for six days straight, only calling a halt to throw a silk canopy over the fountain when it started raining – they didn’t want any dilution. Their drink was served by small boys in boats rowing across the surface of the punch. They had to change the boys every fifteen minutes or they were overwhelmed by the fumes and fell in.

Who would be on your all-time favourite invite list?

Alexis Soyer, the Victorian Jamie Oliver, is my total hero and would certainly be on the guest list. As well as trying to sort out the Irish Potato Famine with his ‘magic stove’, he brought American-style cocktails to England, championed gas cooking, helped Florence Nightingale in the Crimea and opened the world’s first ice bar with stalactites, stalagmites and stuffed snow foxes. He also used to cook whole cows as a party trick.

Who wouldn’t you allow in, even to clean up the vomit?

Anthony Gormley.

We’ve heard a rumour that Bompas & Parr are mixing up a concoction involving the Kraken Rum, champagne and ether. Want to try it out? You’d better get there early…