HAMPSHIRE'S LGBT Pride festival is returning to Winchester in February with an expanded programme of talks and events.

A date has been set for the second annual parade, celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender culture.

And medieval cross dressing, bondage and biological timekeeping are among the topics to be discussed in lectures at Winchester University on February 23 and 25.

Hundreds are expected on the parade on Saturday February 27, which will be followed by a market outside Winchester Discovery Centre and a party at the Railway Inn.

Organisers are hoping to improve on attendance at last year's procession, the first in Hampshire, by holding it on a Saturday.

Around 150 people attended in February 2015.

The next morning LGBT people of all ages are invited for brunch at Jewry Street's Art Cafe for live music and conversation.

Ending the week-long programme, Winchester research student Karl Alvestad will give a lecture on how liberal modern attitudes have sparked a search for LGBT figures in history.

'Searching for my knights in shining armour; Queering the Middle Ages in scholarship and medievalism' takes place at Winchester Discovery Centre on Monday February 29. The time has yet to be confirmed.

The lectures and symposium are being held by Hampshire Pride and the university's Centre for Gender Studies.

For full listings and more information, visit hampshirepride.com.