Pride Month has arrived, and despite the numerous restrictions, it is shaping up to be a truly joyous occasion. From virtual open mic nights and Spotify bringing its listeners the best music born out of the LGBTQIA+ and Trans communities, to a surprise Fenty x Pride drop from Rihanna, we have rounded up some of the things that you should be watching, doing, listening and seeing during the month of Pride to ensure you are celebrating safely yet to the fullest…

Kicking things off in true 2021 style is a virtual celebration in the form of the Wear Your Color With Pride Open Mic Night. In a bid to offer a safe and elevated platform from which members of the LGBTQIA+ and Trans communities can share their stories, the virtual open mic is free to attend and invites people to either perform or listen to an array of poems, music and stories. You can grab your ticket from eventbrite.com.

One unexpected yet very much welcomed event to emerge out of Pride 2021 is the drop of Rihanna’s Savage x Pride collection. Calling on queer icons from around the world, including Drag Race‘s Gigi Goode and Instagram phenomenon @uglyworldwide, Rihanna unveiled a truly celebratory campaign that spotlighted her latest drop of lingerie which includes black mesh and rainbow-emblazoned bralettes, satin smoking jackets and thigh-high stockings with a rainbow-striped trim. BRB, we are off to buy the entire collection!

In a bid to ensure that Pride 2021 still feels like a party regardless of any lockdown restrictions, Spotify has curated a vast array of playlists filled to the brim with the best LGBTQIA+ anthems. From Out Now: Unlike Any Other to Pride Classics, the streaming service has pulled from every genre and era imaginable to provide their listeners with the playlist culminating in the ultimate soundtrack to their Pride.

One thing that Pride always reminds us to do is further educate ourselves on the history of the LGBTQIA+ and Trans community, and one of the best places to start when doing this is with Netflix’s The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson. A Trans pioneer and one of the driving forces at the helm of the LGBTQIA+ and Trans rights movement, Marsha P. Johnson is a name that should always be remembered, and with the Netflix documentary shedding light on the circumstances that led to her untimely and suspicious death as well as spotlighting the unparalleled work she did for her community globally, it is a must watch this month.

It wouldn’t be a Pride round-up without a feature from the king himself Lil Nas X. Taking to Instagram to wish his followers a happy Pride, the singer donned a Prince-esque hairdo, dreamy purple satin two-piece and dramatic cat-eye moment. So, if you are looking for some Pride 2021 outfit inspo, look no further than Lil Nas X.

Rounding off our lineup is the Instagram account @glaad. The American NGO has been doing groundbreaking work since its beginnings as an organisation dedicated to ridding the world of slanderous coverage of the LGBTQIA+ community. And, with it now standing as one of the largest media movements dedicated to its cause, GLAAD has set up everything from awards shows to social movements making it a force to be reckoned with and its Instagram is definitely worth a follow.