This small, tranquil island off the coast of France lives for Pride

Jersey is a bit of a confusing, split-personality kind of place. When driving – on the left – from the airport to the capital of St Helier, the houses look like what you would find in an English town.

Then you’re sitting outside Cock & Bottle – which is very English – in a square that could easily be in Normandy. It’s only 14 miles away, after all.

A French food market with all the meats and cheeses there and a big branch of Boots just beyond. Then you charge the phone but it’s a French socket. Then there’s the English one there.

However, the vibe is quintessentially British, from the rugged coastline, Elizabeth Castle – where Charles II stayed during the Civil War – to, perhaps everywhere, local hero and actor Henry Cavill.

I was in Jersey – the largest of the Channel Islands – to celebrate Pride. Every year, Jersey and Guernsey take turns to host the celebrations, organized by each island’s branch of Liberate, the equality and diversity charity.

While the Channel Islands have a combined population of around 170,000 (to put that into context, there are 9.7 million people in London), LGBTQ+ celebrations may be on a smaller scale – but they’re just as fun.

As a seasoned Pride go-er I have traveled far and wide to celebrate with my community. I once missed London and Manchester, and over the years I have celebrated in LA, Toronto, Stockholm and Sydney – to name just a few. I can’t wait to see what this unique little island has to offer.

Our party started as soon as we set sail. We attended the Pride celebration at People’s Park, which was like a rainbow-colored village party. There are several funfairs, bars and food trucks, a stage with local talent performing disco covers of Upside Down and Best Of My Love and a large area for children.

It’s clear that there aren’t enough LGBTQ+ people to go around Jersey, and many of these wonderful rainbow people are straight families who have come.

And they are welcome. It’s good to see a small generation for which girls are smooching and men in shorts with showgirls head-dresses as part of a good day out.

That night everyone could let loose at the after-Pride party at the Drift bar at the Royal Yacht Hotel on St Helier’s main square – which isn’t so main.

Dressed to the nines, tens and beyond, under neon signs proclaiming ‘A Little Party Never Killed Nobody’, imported drag queens come out to entertain, insult, mock and annoy – in equal measure.

She does Kylie Minogue in a way that Kylie can’t. Can he jump from stage to full split? Don’t think about it.

The same characters fill the venerable hotel for an evening at Drag Brunch, which is bottomless – unless you count some of the outfits.

As the sun blazes through the blinds and we are regaled with everything from Celine Dion to Lizzo, with lots of hip-busting splits from high places, you realize this is something special for the usually sedate St Helier.

You can understand how excited the citizens are when London drag queens review lunches through the microphone when they return from the buffet.

When Pride isn’t in full flow, it’s a quiet, sandy beach with quaint little beach cafes.

In one, The Good Egg, you can order an amazing fried breakfast with many vegan options and look out over the sand.

And with so much money on the island – a major drag queen taunts the locals by calling them ‘tax dodging whores’ – there’s no shortage of smart places to eat.

At the top end of the spectrum, you have our hotel’s Michelin-starred Bohemia restaurant – the Club – where the food is off the scale and the 14-course tasting menu takes you to culinary brilliance.

So, given how quiet Jersey is, how are the Pride celebrants greeted by the locals? We soon found out, when our group was led by a 70-year-old taxi driver.

Far from pursing his lips in disapproval, he told him he had spent the day in Pride listening to lesbian poetry with his pansexual daughter, which is good in the father.

Then it turns out that he is bisexual and he and his wife were in the swinging scene – yes in the 60s and 70s – and would be happy to be prepared to tell passengers about it.

‘Well, you have to live, don’t you?’ said, as we dropped off at The Royal Yacht.

Jersey may be a haven of history and easy home comforts – with rolling countryside, endless beaches, museums and wineries – but it feels like there’s more to it than meets the eye.

This year, Channel Islands Pride will be held in Guernsey on September 7. Return to Jersey in 2025.

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